World Leaders
Throughout the Ugandan Government’s decision making process on LGBT policies, both supportive and disagreeing international outlooks were a prominent influence on them.
Negative foreign influence in Uganda is common through the visiting religious extremists.
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American evangelist Pastor Lou Engle is known for promoting homophobia and anti homosexuality through planting fear into Uganda. Engle is using Uganda as a place to restore “American” religious values such as anti homosexuality. He is also cutting off any aid that human rights organizations may bring through influencing Ugandans to hate both the LGBT community and the organizations fighting to support them.
Scott Lively is another American evangelical priest who visited Uganda for a three day religious conference regarding the Anti Homosexuality Bill, but he is thought to have been visiting since 2002 to push negative views and ideas on homosexuality in Uganda. His actions and influence in Uganda to promote the passage of the Anti Homosexuality Bill of both 2009 and 2014 has been a common issue for the growth of acceptance for homosexuality in Uganda.
Since the movement of LGBT rights in Uganda began, evangelical priests and religious extremists from other countries have attempted and succeeded at heavily influencing Ugandans to support anti LGBT rights.
International leaders also spoke out on the criminalizing and discriminatory policies in Uganda, including former President Barack Obama.
While international leaders and activists had good intentions, it furthered the issue of changing policies on homosexuality, and Ugandan LGBT activists agree.
Activist Pepe Julian Onziema speaks on the negative effects of international influence on sexual politics in Uganda in a 2017 interview: "I'm one of those people who believes that it (sanctions) doesn't work, because however targeted it is, we are the ones who end up suffering". Previous to international involvement, Onziema explains that activism was allowed in Uganda, but ignored.
