Kanye West and Kim Kardashian hang with Uganda’s anti-gay president

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are under fire for meeting with homophobic Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who’s overseen the persecution of LGBTQ people.

The couple visited Museveni at the state house in Entebbe on Monday and even presented him with a pair of West’s Yeezy trainers, which they both autographed.

They posed for a video and a series of photos that were proudly posted on Museveni’s social media pages.

“I welcome American entertainment stars Kanye West and Kim Kardashian to Uganda,” said the president.

“I held fruitful discussions with the duo on how they can support efforts to promote Uganda’s tourism and the general arts. I thank Kanye West for the gift of white sneakers. Enjoy your time in Uganda. There is no country more beautiful than the Pearl of Africa,” said Museveni.

While neither of the two stars posted any images of the meeting on their own social media pages, they were quickly called out for their hypocrisy. Many slammed the celebrity couple for giving a human rights abuser such positive exposure.

On Twitter, LGBTQ activist Melanie Nathan asked Kardashian: “How was it shaking hands with #Uganda President who signed the Anti-Homo Act 2014 – #lifeinprison for Gays #lgbtq once known as the ‘KILL THE GAYS BILL’??” Would you like to meet the LGBT people who we struggle to safe shelter in Uganda too?”

Alastair Jamieson added: “One of the most anti-LGBT countries in the world, and Kanye West gifts the ruler a pair of sneakers.”

In August, Kardashian was criticised as homophobic after she responded to Tyson Beckford‘s body shaming comment by appearing to suggest that he is gay, as an attempted insult. She later denied she was homophobic: “All my best friends are gay, I support the community, I love the community, they love me, that has nothing to do with this.”

In 2014, Museveni infamously signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act into law, which further penalised expressions of homosexuality in Uganda. The law was ultimately declared invalid by the Constitutional Court on procedural grounds.

Under colonial-era legislation, gay sex remains illegal in Uganda, allowing the courts to imprison anyone found guilty of homosexuality for life. LGBTQ events are also regularly banned and raided by the authorities and activists are arrested and beaten.

As recently as August, Museveni repeated baseless claims that Western countries are forcing homosexuality onto Africans.

In addition to anti-LGBTQ crackdowns, Museveni – who has been in power for 32 years – has also been accused of numerous other human rights violations, including the jailing and torture of political opponents.

One of the most anti-LGBT countries in the world, and Kanye West gifts the ruler a pair of sneakers. https://t.co/ARbxc4LRAV

— Alastair Jamieson (@alastairjam) October 15, 2018

@KimKardashian How was it shaking hands with #Uganda President who signed the Anti-Homo Act 2014 – #lifeinprison for Gays #lgbtq once known as the ‘KILL THE GAYS BILL’??Would you like to meet the LGBT people who we struggle to safe shelter in Uganda too? #help @AfricanHRC

— Melanie Nathan (@MelanieNathan1) October 16, 2018