As an international organization that believes in affecting social change, the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) stands in solidarity with SGL-LGBTQIAA+ Ugandans and Africans across the continent and the diaspora who are facing dehumanization, trauma, and injustice, and we support their fundamental rights to fight for justice, freedom, and protection. As an organization whose goal is to have a positive impact on the mental, creative, spiritual, and intellectual health of Black people, we speak out against laws and behaviors that spread harmful messages that can potentially silence and traumatize our community members regardless of their attractions and with whom they form romantic or sexual relationships with.

The Association of Black Psychologists unequivocally opposes the new Ugandan law criminalizing SGL-LGBTQIAA+ identity, and any laws or policies that promote suppressing, oppressing, or killing any African or any human, for simply expressing their self-determination and the diversity of their self-proclaimed identity or sharing private and personal relationships between mutually consenting adults. Same Gender Loving Lesbian Gay Biattractional Transgender Questioning Intersex Asexual, Ally and related (SGL-LGBTQIAA+) Africans on the home continent or across our global diaspora over millennia have always embraced diverse genetic, linguistic, and cultural expressions, and therefore, the richness of humanity born of Africa.

We respect that various African/Black communities have developed different mores and conventions to inform their behaviors, and as a matter of justice, cultures may promote norms. Yet, individuals and sub-groups of the culture must be able to express their inherent spirit as most healthy for themselves, their lives, and the lives of their families, free of fear of persecution for their “nonconformity.” Growing empirical evidence shows us the negative and life-threatening impact this type of persecution has on the development and mental health of children and adults in our communities.

ABPsi condemns the devaluation of African/Black SGL-LGBTQIAA+ citizens in Uganda that originates from Western colonization and conservative Christian ideology. As an organization, we call upon governments, political organizations, and faith leaders to join ABPsi in treating all people humanely, affirming the equality of all members of the SGL-LGBTQIAA+ community with all others, and condemning unequivocally acts of hatred and violence that target SGL-LGBTQIAA+ community members. ABPsi uplifts the spirit of Ubuntu throughout the Motherland and Pan-African diaspora. Based on the philosophy, science, and practice of African-centered Psychology, we believe that treating all of our people humanely is in alignment with the principles and ethics of African-centered psychologies.

Authored by: Ebrahim Mansaray, Kenneth P Monteiro, Amorie Robinson, Malakai Coté, and Anthony Williams