Uganda: Two Men Charged With 'Aggravated Homosexuality'

Image copyright: Wikimedia Commons

The Facts

  • Julius Byaruhanga and Michael Opolot have become the first Ugandans to be charged with "aggravated homosexuality," an offense punishable by death under Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act.

  • While 43-year-old Byaruhanga was arrested in July for allegedly performing sexual intercourse with a boy aged 12, 20-year-old Opolot was arrested a month later on allegations he had relations with a disabled man.


The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

The spirit of Uganda's anti-homosexuality legislation aligns entirely with the country's values and moral fabric — it protects children and others from being recruited into a Western practice. Despite the pressure from imperialist powers, which have wreaked havoc for centuries while seeking to impose their ideologies on indigenous populations, Africa's sovereignty will not be undermined.

Pro-establishment narrative

It's outrageous that Uganda still promotes the ludicrous notion that homosexuality deviates from human nature, even engaging in un-African, state-sponsored homophobia. Same-sex relationships have long been reported in the continent, debunking the fabricated narrative that homosexuality is a Western import. It is crucial that as many people as possible unify against this oppressive legislation.


Metaculus Prediction


Articles on this story

Sign up to our daily newsletter