With Trump back in the White House and already swinging the wrecking ball at diversity, equity, and inclusion, LGBTQ Africans are bracing for fallout — and it’s already getting grim. His policies may be intended for red-state America, but the ripple effect is landing on queer communities thousands of miles away. Activists warn his anti-DEI rhetoric is emboldening African lawmakers who were already on a mission to erase LGBTQ identities from public life.
Uganda — ground zero for some of the continent’s most chilling anti-gay laws — passed a bill in 2023 mandating the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.” Corporate giants like Google and Unilever tried to speak out, but the silence from many other multinational companies has been deafening. With 31 African countries still criminalizing same-sex relationships, the mere idea of queer liberation feels like a distant dream for millions.
Corporate Cowardice or Calculated Compliance?
While some U.S. companies have historically wrapped themselves in rainbows every June, their support for global LGBTQ rights is now under scrutiny. “Many of the companies abandoning their commitments to inclusion are big multinationals whose influence is felt culturally across the globe,” warned Simon Blake of Stonewall. His concern? That the rollback in DEI policies at home will give tacit permission for silence abroad.
And silence is deadly. In Uganda and Ghana, anti-LGBT laws aren’t just symbolic — they’re lethal. Ghana’s new legislation criminalizes even identifying as LGBTQ, threatening jail time for merely existing. The World Bank has paused funding over the issue, but politicians are smelling the wind blowing from Washington and feeling emboldened.
Meanwhile, Meta’s decision to weaken content moderation is another nail in the coffin for queer Africans online. “Technology-facilitated gender-based violence is real,” said Caio de Araújo of The Other Foundation. “Removing protections is a step backwards.”
Local Laws, Global Consequences
The harsh legal environment isn’t just keeping people in the closet — it’s suffocating the very possibility of workplace inclusion. Most African employers, even branches of multinational corporations, operate under a “don’t ask, don’t tell” doctrine. As Levis Nderitu of PATH noted, “Because of these anti-LGBT laws, most people will remain in the closet… This makes it difficult for the companies to support and advocate for their LGBT staff locally.”
Still, there are flickers of hope. A few companies in Kenya are extending health insurance to same-sex partners — a quiet but significant step in a region where being out is a risk, not a celebration. South Africa remains the sole African nation to legalize same-sex marriage and protect queer rights in its constitution, with major businesses showing public support during Pride Month.
Yet even South Africa is no utopia. At least 13 LGBTQ people were murdered last year, and trans folks still face systemic exclusion from the job market. The killing of openly gay imam Muhsin Hendricks in February was a brutal reminder that visibility can be a target.
America Sets the Tone — for Better or Worse
The return of Trumpism has sparked fears of a global backslide. From religious lobbyists funding homophobic campaigns in Ghana to politicians using American anti-LGBTQ rhetoric to justify domestic hate laws, the U.S. is once again setting a cultural tone — and this time, it’s terrifying. “Ghana is on the right side of the United States,” crowed one conservative lawyer after Trump took office. For queer Africans, that’s not a compliment — it’s a warning.
The LGBTQ community across the continent continues to resist, advocate, and hope. But in a world where U.S. companies pick profit over principle, and global leaders follow America’s lead, the road ahead looks anything but rainbow-colored.
Let’s be real: Queer Africans deserve more than silence, more than vague corporate values. They deserve protection, equality, and the full force of international support — even when politics make that inconvenient.