{"id":44779,"date":"2026-04-08T13:05:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=44779"},"modified":"2026-04-08T13:05:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:05:07","slug":"whats-behind-the-worrying-rise-in-anti-lgbtq-laws-across-africa-lgbtq-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=44779","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s behind the worrying rise in anti-LGBTQ+ laws across Africa? | LGBTQ+ rights"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:500\" class=\"dcr-15rw6c2\">H<\/span>ello and welcome to The Long Wave. It\u2019s Morgan here, covering for Nesrine this week. There has been a recent rise in anti-LGBTQ legislation across a number of African countries that already have strict sexuality laws.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">I spoke with LGBTQ+ people and activists fighting against the narrative that their identities are an imported \u201cwestern\u201d creation to better understand the impact of these new laws, why they are happening, and how foreign lobbying groups are pushing for more draconian laws.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"an-anti-lgbtq-legal-onslaught\" class=\"dcr-12ibh7f\"><strong> An anti-LGBTQ legal onslaught<\/strong><\/h2>\n<figure id=\"b7fdbc56-3b47-402a-a6ad-3010c4c5e8f7\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Elevated risk \u2026 a protester chants anti-gay slogans during a demonstration against homosexuality in Dakar.<\/span> Photograph: Associated Press\/Alamy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Last month, the president of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, signed a new law that doubled the maximum prison sentence for sexual acts by same-sex couples to 10 years. The act also banned financial support for or \u201cpromotion\u201d of homosexuality. This came after more than a dozen men, including a popular musician and a journalist, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2026\/apr\/07\/senegal-harsh-anti-gay-law-hiv-progress\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">were arrested and charged<\/a> with \u201cacts against nature\u201d in February. Last September, Burkina Faso\u2019s interim president, Ibrahim Traor\u00e9, signed into law a provision that criminalised \u201chomosexual acts\u201d, which would be punished with prison sentences of two to five years and fines of up to 10m CFA francs (\u00a313,300). The Human Dignity Trust labelled it a \u201cdeplorable development\u201d. Meanwhile, in 2023, the Ugandan head of state, Yoweri Museveni, ratified perhaps the most globally infamous anti-LGBT legislation, which included the death penalty for \u201caggravated homosexuality\u201d. The law built on the \u201cKill the Gays\u201d bill, which came into force in 2014 but carried no risk of execution.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">More recently, and perhaps as troubling, plans are in motion for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/ghana\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Ghana<\/a> to resume the legislative process, which began in 2021, for its controversial Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, which is rooted in colonial-era criminalisation of sexuality. Ghana\u2019s parliament first passed a version of the bill in 2024, but it expired without then-President Nana Akufo-Addo\u2019s assent. A new version, received by parliament in February places a legal duty on professionals \u2013 such as teachers, journalists, parents and religious leaders \u2013 to \u201cprotect family values\u201d, creating a mandatory obligation on the part of citizens to enact it.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"b98c2ac6-eb43-4fc9-90a0-b272e873abe6\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\"><gu-island name=\"RichLinkComponent\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"idle\" props=\"{&quot;richLinkIndex&quot;:6,&quot;element&quot;:{&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement&quot;,&quot;prefix&quot;:&quot;Related: &quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;\u2018We fear the epidemic will return\u2019: Senegal\u2019s harsh anti-gay law puts decades of HIV progress in jeopardy&quot;,&quot;elementId&quot;:&quot;b98c2ac6-eb43-4fc9-90a0-b272e873abe6&quot;,&quot;role&quot;:&quot;richLink&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2026\/apr\/07\/senegal-harsh-anti-gay-law-hiv-progress&quot;},&quot;ajaxUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/api.nextgen.guardianapps.co.uk&quot;,&quot;format&quot;:{&quot;design&quot;:10,&quot;display&quot;:2,&quot;theme&quot;:0}}\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Ghana\u2019s current president, John Mahama, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DWio9RgCKF9\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">speaking last month<\/a>, said the reintroduction of the bill had sparked a \u201ccomplex and sensitive\u201d national conversation, but that his government would be guided by the country\u2019s 1992 constitution, human rights and dignity, as well as preserving social cohesion. \u201cI explained during my recent engagement with the World Affairs Council [of Philadelphia] that it is not the most important issue we face as a nation,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are still grappling with the provisions of basic needs of education, healthcare, jobs, food, clothing and shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"dcr-z9ge1j\"\/>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><strong>A bitter pill to swallow<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"a2ddc037-2ce1-418c-87f7-010a4fac719f\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Systematic repression \u2026 activist and archivist awo dufie fofie.<\/span> Photograph: Baahwa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">For many Ghanaians, those basic needs remain out of reach, especially for queer people. For awo dufie fofie, an intersex trans woman living in Ghana, that insecurity is compounded by the threat her identity poses to her safety and survival.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/documentingqueerness.substack.com\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">An archivist documenting queerness<\/a>, awo was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.security.gov.uk\/services-resources\/gsecs\/security-education-and-awareness-centre-seac\/campaigns\/doxing\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">doxed<\/a> in 2023, and has faced discrimination after people learned of her identity. \u201cThe next apartment I lived in, I lived in for one month, and the owner of the apartment asked me to leave.\u201d Three subsequent landlords would, in quick succession, evict her.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A low point, she tells me, was being attacked by a mob in a car outside her Airbnb accommodation in Accra. \u201cIt came with a lot of consequences: psychological, financial \u2026 One of the reasons I could not make it to school [university] was because the attack meant I missed my interview for my application to do a PhD.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Through her work with civil organisations such as <a href=\"https:\/\/rightifyghana.org\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Rightify<\/a>, which documents abuses and violence, awo has seen examples of repression beyond Ghanaian borders and on the continent. \u201cConversion therapy camps exist. I have been threatened with them twice by my biological family. Frequently, we have gay men being set up on social media apps and getting brutally, brutally beaten.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Amanda Odoi, a researcher and activist who brought a case against the speaker of parliament and the attorney general, challenging the bill, criticises its outsized impact on allies and their networks. \u201cThere are threats to life, threats to careers, threats to security. Sometimes politicians don\u2019t understand how the messages they send create these kinds of challenges for people caught up in these issues.\u201d Odoi adds that the political rhetoric will hurt individuals who are non-conforming in general and lead to material attacks on not just sexual rights but reproductive ones, too.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\"><gu-island name=\"EmailSignUpWrapper\" priority=\"feature\" deferuntil=\"visible\" props=\"{&quot;index&quot;:16,&quot;listId&quot;:6051,&quot;identityName&quot;:&quot;the-long-wave&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Nesrine Malik delivers your weekly dose of Black life and culture from around the world&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;The Long Wave&quot;,&quot;frequency&quot;:&quot;Weekly&quot;,&quot;successDescription&quot;:&quot;We\u2019ll send you The Long Wave every Wednesday&quot;,&quot;theme&quot;:&quot;news&quot;,&quot;idApiUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/idapi.theguardian.com&quot;,&quot;hideNewsletterSignupComponentForSubscribers&quot;:true}\"\/><\/figure>\n<hr class=\"dcr-z9ge1j\"\/>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><strong>The colonial gaze<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"3aa5e80d-0459-464d-ad0c-82074191ef02\" data-spacefinder-role=\"showcase\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-5h0uf4\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-9ktzqp\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><svg width=\"18\" height=\"13\" viewbox=\"0 0 18 13\"><path d=\"M18 3.5v8l-1.5 1.5h-15l-1.5-1.5v-8l1.5-1.5h3.5l2-2h4l2 2h3.5l1.5 1.5zm-9 7.5c1.9 0 3.5-1.6 3.5-3.5s-1.6-3.5-3.5-3.5-3.5 1.6-3.5 3.5 1.6 3.5 3.5 3.5z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Expressive freedom \u2026 \u2018promotion\u2019 of homosexuality or being \u2018out\u2019 is discussed in the bill.<\/span> Photograph: Lucy North\/PA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The topic has become a political football as politicians attempt to gain favour with their electorates. Senegal\u2019s recent change was the fulfilment of a campaign promise by Faye, and Akufo-Addo frequently used the topic to <a href=\"https:\/\/mygwork.com\/news\/ghanas-president-nana-akufo-addo-vows-to-never-legalise-marriage-equality\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">maintain his popularity<\/a> during his presidency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">There is also evidence that rightwing groups outside the continent are trying to influence politics across Africa. The Institute for Journalism and Social Change found that 17 US so-called Christian rights groups known for anti-gender campaigning <a href=\"https:\/\/prod.cdn-medias.theafricareport.com\/medias\/2024\/11\/25\/inside-the-us-christian-rights-spending-boom-in-africa-ijsc.pdf\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">spent $5.2m in Africa in 2022<\/a>, up 47% from 2019. This includes the Heritage Foundation, a prominent rightwing thinktank, which reported spending <a href=\"https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2024\/11\/06\/world\/society\/us-anti-lgbtq-africa\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">$8,000 in the continent<\/a> over the four-year period without detailing where or to whom the money was allocated. The analysis also looked at groups such as the Fellowship Foundation, which has funded events attended by Uganda\u2019s Museveni, such as a 2023 speech by US representative Tim Walberg, who urged Uganda to \u201cstand firm\u201d on anti-LGBTQ legislation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Next month in Accra, Ghana will host the fourth African inter-parliamentary conference on family and sovereignty, a platform with <a href=\"https:\/\/democracyinafrica.org\/the-american-religious-right-and-the-anti-lgbtq-movement-in-uganda-family-watch-international-sharon-slater-and-the-entebbe-conference\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">documented links<\/a> to US-based far-right advocacy groups. Previous editions have featured speakers who promoted Uganda\u2019s anti-homosexuality act as a model for other African legislation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">For now, awo is focused on forging alternative histories and futures that can change the narrative. She recently documented older queer people around west Africa and, despite the repression, attended the wedding of her friend\u2019s two gay children. Ghanaians and other Africans, she says, need to think about figuring out gender, for instance using \u201c<em>Kojo Besia<\/em>\u201d \u2013 an Akan phrase used to describe an effeminate man, who is not always necessarily queer \u2013 as a starting point.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThere is,\u201d she tells me, \u201calso an opportunity for a decolonial advocacy that centres on the rights of these indigenous labels. [And] an opportunity for engagement, continuously highlighting queer history and queer experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n<footer class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><em><span data-dcr-style=\"bullet\"\/> To receive the complete version of The Long Wave in your inbox every Wednesday,<a href=\"https:\/\/viewer.gutools.co.uk\/global\/2024\/oct\/16\/sign-up-for-the-long-wave-newsletter-our-weekly-black-life-and-culture-email?{{url_parameters_unstripped}}&amp;{{url_parameters_unstripped}}\" data-link-name=\"in body link\"> <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global\/2024\/oct\/16\/sign-up-for-the-long-wave-newsletter-our-weekly-black-life-and-culture-email\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">please subscribe here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/footer>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/2026\/apr\/08\/the-long-wave-anti-lgbtq-laws-africa-homosexuality-discrimination\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hello and welcome to The Long Wave. It\u2019s Morgan here, covering for Nesrine this week. There has been a recent rise in anti-LGBTQ legislation across a&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44779\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}