CORNERED! Uganda's LGBTQ Community in Meltdown After Trump Administration Axes $40m Grants

Many shady non-profit organisations including some local political parties in Uganda are in meltdown following a decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to suspend foreign aid including support to LGBTQ people in Uganda.

To Ugandans who are opposed to LGBTQ, the cuts are timely and Trump is indirectly helping to curb the vice.

Sources say among the beneficiaries of this money is nascent opposition party-NUP.

The cancellation of the $40 million grants has sparked widespread concern and outrage among Uganda’s LGBTQ community.

The funding, which was part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), reportedly supported various initiatives aimed at combating HIV/AIDS and promoting human rights among key populations, including LGBTQ individuals.

The grants helped provide services, including healthcare, education, and advocacy-all promoting LGBTQ which is contrary to Ugandan laws.

The funding freeze is a relief for Ugandans who are against LGBTQ cause and this will automatically tame them, thanks to Trump’s strategic decision.

Homosexuality is criminalized in more than 30 of Africa’s 54 countries.

In 2023, Ugandan Parliament passed an anti-homosexuality bill that punishes same-sex conduct with penalties including life imprisonment.

The cancellation of the grants has caused anxiety among the beneficiary organisations.

Many shady organizations including political parties that have been benefiting from these funds under guise of providing services are now in catch 22 facing an uncertain future.

Their cash taps have been closed and can no longer function properly.

There are speculations that these funds have been even indirectly funding regime change in Uganda under the guise of extending health services to the LGBTQ community.

LGBTQ activists and community leaders have expressed outrage and disappointment over the decision.

They argue that the funding cut will exacerbate the existing challenges faced by the community, including stigma, discrimination, and limited access to healthcare.

Human rights organizations have also condemned the decision, citing concerns about the potential erosion of human rights protections for LGBTQ individuals in Uganda.

They argue that the funding cut will embolden anti-LGBTQ groups and further marginalize an already vulnerable community.

Pius Kennedy, a program officer with the Kampala-based nonprofit Africa Queer Network, told The Associated Press early this month that he and five other permanent employees received a letter from USAID ordering them to stop work immediately after Trump signed the order freezing foreign assistance on Jan. 20.

“USAID has been the biggest HIV (program) funder,” he said. His group has recently stopped activities that support the well-being of LGBTQ people in Uganda, he said, adding that he and others no longer show up at the office because they cannot sustain their work without new cash transfers.

He said the aid suspension could lead to more people getting infected with sexually transmitted diseases “since they will no longer be able to access lubricants, condoms, self-testing kits.”

Kennedy’s group also relies on grants from other organizations that face uncertainty over funding, such as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR.

He says the funding freeze may erase years of gains made in protecting sexual minorities in Uganda, he expressed fears.