Uganda passes bill banning identifying as LGBTQ

Bugiri Municipality Member of Parliament Asuman Basalirwa, addresses the house as he participates in the debate of the Anti-Homosexuality bill, which proposes tough new penalties for same-sex relations during a sitting at the Parliament buildings in Kampala, Uganda March 21, 2023. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa

KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda's parliament on Tuesday passed a law that criminalises identifying as LGBTQ, handing authorities broad powers to target Ugandans who already face legal discrimination and mob violence.

More than 30 African countries, including Uganda, already ban same-sex relations. The new law appears to be the first to outlaw merely identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ), according to rights group Human Rights Watch.