Time: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
RSVP: By Wednesday, September 18 to clarkeforum@dickinson.edu. Space is limited. More information will be sent once we receive your RSVP.
Several African countries consider homosexuality a crime, and it is punishable by death in these four: Mauritania, Nigeria, Uganda, and Somalia. Over ten countries have prison sentences ranging from one year up to a life sentence. South Africa is the only country on the continent in which there are protections for LGBTQ individuals’ sexuality and/or gender expression; it is the first and only African nation to legalize same-sex marriage. Today, many African cultures believe that queerness is a “Western and American import” because of the generational trauma their society has experienced due to colonization. In 2023, the Ugandan parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality Law, an updated, stricter version from 2014. “Aggravated homosexuality,” consensual sex between two adults where one has HIV, is punishable by death. Those known or suspected of helping (providing housing or employment) or not reporting an LGBTQ person to police can face up to 20 years in jail. This has led to queer Ugandans being evicted from their homes, fired from their jobs, denied proper healthcare as well as harassed and blackmailed. Harmful legislation like this reinforces the populace’s attitudes and maintains a culture of surveillance. This contemporary human rights issue originates from vaguely defined but strictly enforced colonial sodomy laws imposed by European colonizers. LGBTQ+ rights in Africa are a complex issue as it deals with intersecting identities and internal group dynamics within countries and reckons with the legacy of slavery and colonialism on the African continent.
This discussion will be facilitated by Ella Layton ’26 and Professor of Government Susan Dicklitch-Nelson from Franklin and Marshall College.
Required Reading:
1. “Africa’s Struggle Toward Inclusive LGBTQ+ Laws,” Council on Foreign Relations at https://www.cfr.org/article/africas-struggle-toward-inclusive-lgbtq-laws
2. “Are LGBTQ Human Rights in Uganda a Lost Cause?” Georgetown Journal of International Affairs at https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2020/02/27/are-lgbtq-human-rights-in-uganda-a-lost-cause/
3. “Introducing the F&M Global Barometers” from F&M Global Barometers at https://vimeo.com/888738638 (4 min video, closed captioning provided)
Further Reading:
1. “Building a Barometer of gay Rights (BGR): A Case Study of Uganda and the Persecution of Homosexuals” in Human Rights Quarterly by Susan Dicklitch, Berwood Yost, and Bryan M. Dougan (download attached)
2. “Cameroon: Rising Violence Against LGBTI People,” Human Rights Watch at https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/05/11/cameroon-rising-violence-against-lgbti-people
3. “Colonial Legacies, Electoral Politics, and the Production of (Anti) homosexuality in Senegal” from Legislating Gender and Sexuality in Africa: Human Rights, Society, and the State by Lydia Boyd and Emily Burrill (download attached, full book available online via Dickinson College Library)
4. “Homophobic Ghanaian ‘Family Values’ Bill is Odious and Beggars Belief,” Human Rights Watch at https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/08/10/homophobic-ghanaian-family-values-bill-odious-and-beggars-belief?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjww_iwBhApEiwAuG6ccLGdIvSwbUvH39d_dfiFiqbrWRWpHsIGLsKtX_ggP0ovCRGrPmQBVhoCu8cQAvD_BwE
5. “LGBTQ+ Ugandans fight for survival, civil rights under country’s anti-gay law,” PBS News Hour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/lgbtq-ugandans-fight-for-survival-civil-rights-under-countrys-anti-gay-law (8 min video, transcript provided beneath)