Not content with holding title to one of the harshest anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the world, Uganda's parliament is considering a bill that would outlaw identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer. The country's Anti-Homosexuality Act, passed in 2023, already provides a sentence of life in prison for gay men who have sexual relations, and in extenuating circumstances, even death. The new measure would criminalize Ugandans for simply saying they're anything but straight.
The morning sun was warm, and the air buzzed with excitement and laughter. Children who had rarely strayed beyond their rural village in Bugiri, Uganda, were now getting off buses, eyes wide at the expectation of giraffes and elephants. Many of these kids had never even heard of a zoo before, let alone seen one. Yet here they were, grinning ear to ear after breakfast, ready to celebrate a quirky Bitcoin holiday.
His classroom has colorful posters, smart boards and cozy reading corners filled with books and comfy swivel chairs. Each child has a cubby with their name on it for storing the school supplies tucked into their backpacks. Like every parent, I hope my child likes no, make that loves their teacher. That they feel welcome in school and enjoy their first step to the many years of learning ahead.
In northern Uganda, the unfolding consequences of US funding cuts to international humanitarian aid are palpable. Thousands of families have been living in refugee camps along the border with South Sudan for almost a decade, and newcomers are reported every day as the never-ending conflict within the country intensifies. Uganda has long been a crossroads of migration, shaped by historical and contemporary population movements. Today, it hosts over 1.9 million refugees and asylum seekers one of the largest refugee populations in the world.
Uganda has agreed to take in nationals from third countries who may not get asylum in the United States but do not wish to return to their countries of origin, Kampala's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The ministry said on Thursday that the agreement is based on the conditions that those seeking asylum do not have criminal records and that they are not unaccompanied minors, adding that details of the deal are still being worked out.
