Prof. Nicolette Manglos-Weber Published in The Conversation
The following is an excerpt from the article “US talks sanctions against Uganda after a harsh anti-gay law – but criminalizing same-sex activities has become a political tactic globally” by Associate Professor of Religion and Society Nicolette Manglos-Weber, published on June 22, 2023 by The Conversation US. Click here to read the full article.
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As a scholar of politics and religion in the region, I have been working with Ugandan community activists and NGO leaders since 2017. These leaders express growing concerns about state corruption and abuse of civil rights.
Leaders pushing anti-LGBTQ+ laws claim to be protecting their citizens from foreign cultural threats, but the 2023 law is better understood as a political tactic to retain power by distracting the public from failures of governance. I argue that it is an example of what sociologists call a moral panic, and part of a worrying global trend.
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