According to a report recently released, the UK government has been helping to fund the work of a virulently homophobic religious organization in Uganda, whose leaders have backed a proposed law that would make identifying as gay a criminal offense. Analyzing official data given to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI), the report by the Institute for Journalism and Social Change found a staggering number of connections between anti-LGBTQ+ organizations in Uganda and international aid donors, including the UK.
According to IATI submissions, the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, an inter-faith body, has been a direct recipient of UK aid money in its capacity as implementing partner of a program that aims to deliver the Foreign Office’s ambition for an open society in Uganda.
In February, members of the IRCU, including the Church of Uganda and several evangelical churches, signed a statement expressing great concern over the growing spread of homosexuality in Uganda, and the effect of the LGBTQ agenda on the wellbeing of children.
Two weeks later, the anti-homosexuality bill 2023 was introduced into parliament to broaden the country’s anti-gay legislation, and last month it was passed by the Ugandan parliament, with 387 out of 389 MPs voting in favor. The Foreign Office has confirmed it provided funding to the IRCU from 2021 until earlier this year. #queer_up_world