Calls to Ban Uganda’s Anti-LGBTIQ+ Speaker of Parliament from UK

The British government is being urged to bar Anita Among, the notoriously queerphobic Ugandan Speaker of Parliament and champion of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, from entering the UK.

LGBTIQ+ campaigner Peter Tatchell recently met with Lindsay Hoyle, the UK’s Speaker of the House of Commons, to lobby for Among to be denied access to the UK.

He urged Hoyle to press the Home Secretary, James Cleverly, to deny or cancel her visa.

A Politician Who Has Blood on Her Hands

Tatchell stated, “Anita Among promoted the new Ugandan law that makes some consenting same-sex acts punishable by execution. This murderous persecution of LGBT+ people violates the values of respect, tolerance, equality, and human rights that Britain and its Parliament seek to uphold.”

In a letter to Hoyle dated 6 February, Tatchell said that his stance represents the views of Ugandan LGBTIQ+ and human rights campaigners.

“Among’s presence in the UK would send a terrible signal that Britain tolerates the extreme homophobia of those to advocate the killing of LGBT+ people. There should be no facilitation of, and collusion with, a politician who has blood on her hands,” Tatchell wrote.

A petition backed by several international and Ugandan human rights groups has also been launched in a bid to block Among from entering the UK.

The petitioners emphasised that “The 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth must not be used to defend such a regressive and harmful law.”

They added that by signing the petition, supporters “will signal to the UK Parliament that promoting such discriminatory laws is unacceptable on British soil.”

Queerphobic Stance and Past Actions

Among, Uganda’s Speaker of Parliament since March 2022, has been a vocal opponent of LGBTIQ+ rights, asserting that these are a threat to children, families and national values.

In May last year, Among urged Ugandan MPs to pass the draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill and to refuse to bow to international condemnation and threats of economic repercussions.

The draconian legislation, which was signed into law by President Yoweri Museveni, imposes severe penalties including life imprisonment for engaging in homosexual acts and the death penalty for “aggravated” homosexuality. The law is being challenged in the country’s Constitutional Court.

Among has rallied lawmakers in other East African countries to follow in her parliament’s footsteps, stating: “Our culture and values are rapidly eroding because of the vice of homosexuality that is now taking a toll on our children. It is therefore my humble appeal to you all to join the fight to protect values.”

It’s understood that Among’s US visa was one of those revoked by the Biden administration as part of its sanctions against Ugandan officials “responsible for, or complicit in” passing the legislation.

Among has also been implicated in a torture case referred to the International Criminal Court in 2023 and has been accused of using security forces to arrest, abuse and silence critics.