Africa’s anti-LGBTQI+ laws are a warning sign for everyone’s rights

As Pride Month draws to a close, a series of developments across Africa demands attention beyond the usual debates about LGBTQI+ rights. What is at stake is also the health of democracy, the meaning of human dignity, and the future of rights on the continent.

Writing for Sonke Gender Justice and MenEngage Africa Mabel Sengendo Nabaggala and Mpiwa Mangwiro argue these are not isolated domestic choices but part of a broader, organised anti-rights movement. One that also threatens women’s rights, SRHR advocacy, comprehensive sexuality education, and civic space more broadly.

The contrast is stark. In Botswana, the law has moved toward greater constitutional protection. In Ghana, Senegal, Niger, and Uganda, governments are hardening criminal penalties, widening the reach of prosecution, and giving political force to exclusion.

From our work at Sonke Gender Justice and MenEngage Africa, alongside governments, civil society organisations, community leaders, and young people across the continent, one lesson is clear: attacks on LGBTQI+ rights rarely stand alone. They are often part of a wider politics of control, one that restricts rights, narrows civic space, and reinforces unequal power.

Recent developments across Africa illustrate this pattern.

Read the full story on the MenEngage Africa website.