The Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act – let’s have a proper conversation
by Martin Davie, Christian Today:
The Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023, has added to the existing divisions within the Anglican Communion with the Archbishop of Canterbury strongly criticising the act and the Church of Uganda’s support for it and GAFCON equally strongly rejecting his criticism and his right to make it.
What I want to suggest in this article is that both the response from the Archbishop of Canterbury and the reply from GAFCON fail to engage with the real issues that need to be discussed. What is needed is a dialling back of the rhetoric and the beginning of a genuine Christian conversation about the moral issues raised by the Ugandan legislation.
The purpose and content of the Ugandan Act
The purpose of the Ugandan act, which became law at the end of May this year is explained as follows in the act’s preamble:
The object of the Bill is to establish a comprehensive and enhanced legislation to protect the traditional family by—
(a) prohibiting any form of sexual relations between persons of the same sex and the promotion or recognition of sexual relations between persons of the same sex.
(b) strengthening the nation’s capacity to deal with emerging internal and external threats to the traditional, heterosexual family. This legislation further recognizes the fact that same sex attraction is not an innate and immutable characteristic.
(c) protecting the cherished culture of the people of Uganda, legal, religious, and traditional family values of Ugandans against the acts of sexual rights activists seeking to impose their values of sexual promiscuity on the people of Uganda.
(d) protecting children and youth who are made vulnerable to sexual abuse through homosexuality and related acts.
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