Ugandan parliament has passed a law that heavily criminalizes homosexuality, with some punishments even being life in prison or execution. The bill is regarded as one of the most extreme anti-gay laws in the world and many countries have spoke out against the bill. In Uganda, same sex relationships were already outlawed, but this bill criminalizes even identifying as LGBTQIA+, as well as same-sex intercourse, promoting and abetting homosexuality, and conspiracy to engage in homosexuality. The Human Rights watch and the US are just some of the most notable figures to speak out against the bill, with the US threatening that if Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni were to sign the bill into law, there would be economic consequences. Legislator David Bahati claimed, “This is about the sovereignty of our nation, nobody should blackmail us, nobody should intimidate us.”
Putting my personal feelings aside (my personal feelings are extremely strong against Uganda in this situation) I think that this is an example of home ideology and religion can affect international relations and policy. Legislator David Bahati was also quoted “Our creator God is happy [about] what is happening … I support the bill to protect the future of our children.” If the US were to place sanctions on Uganda in the event this bill was passed, it would be a clear example of how if a nation makes policy based or actions on religion that conflicts with another nation’s religion or culture, it can cause a conflict in international relations.
In class we discussed how it is hard to enforce human rights on an international scale, because of the different interpretation of human rights across cultures. In this case, Uganda claims that it has the right to prosecute innocent people because it aligns with its religion, and that it would be wrong for the US to enforce its culture on another nation.