When a Kiss Becomes a Crime in Uganda
A Human Rights Watch dispatch by Alex Müller, Director of the organisation’s LGBT Rights Program, reports that Ugandan police arrested two women after they were allegedly seen kissing in public. The women were arrested on February 18 and detained under Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act. According to a police spokesperson, officers acted after community members reported what they considered unusual or queer behaviour. Human Rights Watch also reported that the women were briefly released on February 27 and then arrested again.
This case is more than the arrest of two women. It is a warning about what happens when the state gives prejudice the power of law.
When neighbours are encouraged to report people for perceived LGBTQ+ behaviour, communities become places of surveillance rather than safety. A person may fear being watched, exposed, rejected by family or reported to police simply for existing or showing affection. These fears can prevent LGBTQ+ people from seeking healthcare, reporting violence or asking for help.
The women involved are entitled to privacy, dignity, legal representation and protection from degrading treatment. Their identities should not be used to create public spectacle. We will not treat their alleged conduct as shameful or criminal.
From LRUF’s perspective, the story must be understood through the daily experience of Ugandan LGBTQ+ people. The central question is not simply whether the women kissed. The deeper question is why peaceful affection can become evidence of a crime because a community or authority disapproves of it. The word “allegedly” is necessary for fairness, but it should not obscure the harm already caused by arrest, detention, exposure, and fear.
Uganda should protect people from violence—not criminalize them because of whom they love. The government should release victims of love, end arbitrary arrests, and repeal laws that punish consensual same-sex relationships.
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