More than that. They poured money and propaganda into Uganda to convince them that their problems are all because of gay people.

American evangelical groups have since spent years and tens of millions of dollars spreading homophobia in Uganda and beyond. Data from OpenDemocracy shows that from 2007 to 2020, over 20 US evangelical groups spent at least $54 million in Africa “to influence laws, policies, and public opinion against sexual and reproductive rights." Nearly half of that figure was spent in Uganda.

This movement quickly gained traction in 2009 after top American evangelical leaders headlined a three-day conference in Kampala on “exposing the homosexuals’ agenda.” Speakers promoted the notion that the “traditional” Ugandan family is exclusively heterosexual, claiming that gay Westerners and activists are attempting to spread homosexuality by corrupting and recruiting children around the world.