WMA Council Resolution on Anti-LGBTQ Legislation in Uganda
Adopted by the 223rd WMA Council, Nairobi, Kenya, April 2023
PREAMBLE
The WMA Council is gravely concerned about the “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” which makes certain homosexual acts punishable by death that was passed in the Ugandan parliament on March 21, 2023. The WMA originally condemned the bill in a press release issued on March 24.
The Ugandan bill would criminalize certain homosexual acts and make them punishable by death or life imprisonment. As stated in the WMA Statement on Natural Variations of Human Sexuality, “The WMA condemns all forms of stigmatisation, criminalisation and discrimination of people based on their sexual orientation.” Further, “Homosexuality is a natural variation within the range of human sexuality” and “Discrimination, stigmatisation, peer rejection and bullying continue to have a serious impact upon the psychological and physical health of people with homosexual orientations.”
The Ugandan bill would also criminalize an individual who “holds out” as transgender or queer. “The WMA condemns all forms of discrimination, stigmatisation and violence against transgender people and calls for appropriate legal measures to protect their equal civil rights,” as confirmed in the WMA Statement on Transgender People.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Therefore, the WMA Council, reaffirming its statements on Natural Variations of Human Sexuality and on Transgender People, calls on:
- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to veto the Anti-Homosexuality Bill and prevent it from becoming law;
- WMA Constituent members to condemn the proposed Ugandan bill and any similar legislation that is proposed or enacted.