Donald Trump’s victory on November 5th sent shockwaves well beyond the borders of the United States. His return to the White House will have significant effects on global politics – and it has raised particular concerns about LGBTQ+ rights worldwide. For LGBTQ+ individuals across the African continent, where restrictive laws and violence are on the rise, the stakes have never been higher.
Trump’s previous administration oversaw a significant rollback in protections for LGBTQ+ people, and his most recent campaign rhetoric – which especially prioritized a strong anti-trans agenda – suggests a continuation and escalation of the GOP’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
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During his first term, Trump’s policies and rhetoric consistently undermined LGBTQ+ rights in the United States. He also emboldened oppressive regimes and conservative movements around the world, all while his administration aligned with authoritarian leaders who shared his views.
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With Trump at the helm, U.S. foreign policy undermined the progress achieved during the Obama administration and weakened federal support for LGBTQ+ equality.
A second Trump term risks further emboldening repression and limiting advocacy efforts globally.
Dismantling global progress
Historically, U.S. foreign policy has shaped global human rights standards, which improved while Barack Obama actively championed LGBTQ+ equality on a global scale. His administration established the Global Equality Fund, which provided crucial support to activists and fought against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation through sanctions and the reallocation of aid. The administration further advanced LGBTQ+ rights in international forums like the United Nations, initiated programs through USAID, and employed both public diplomacy and economic influence to promote inclusivity and equality worldwide.
When Trump became President, he prohibited transgender individuals from serving in the military, reduced LGBTQ+ representation, and allowed for religious exemptions that led to discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace and healthcare. He also sought to dismantle healthcare rights for queer and transgender people.
In 2020, the Trump Administration also tried to slash PEPFAR funding by almost $300 million. The President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is a program created during the George W. Bush administration’s efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in low-income countries, mainly in Africa and the Caribbean. It has been a lifeline for millions of Africans, particularly LGBTQ+ people, who face heightened vulnerability to HIV due to stigma, criminalization, and lack of access to health care.
There have been multiple concerns that a second Trump administration will again attempt to drain the program.
Emeka Philip, a Nigerian queer rights activist, told LGBTQ Nation that the program has been life-saving for both heterosexual and LGBTQ+ individuals since the start of the epidemic.
“The proposed cuts, which we believe he will attempt again, will not only impact LGBTQ people but will also cause significant suffering across the entire continent. An epidemic is a risk we cannot afford due to one man’s attempt to suppress a certain minority.”
Ideological ammunition
Africa faced significant challenges last year due to the reintroduction of harsh anti-LGBTQ+ laws that resulted in increased violence against the LGBTQ+ community.
If history is any indication, a second Trump administration will provide tacit approval for governments to repress queer communities (Trump’s disdain for LGBTQ+ rights and his administration’s emphasis on conservative values has already found a receptive audience among several African leaders who hold traditional views). This will create an even more hostile environment and deepen the crisis for queer individuals worldwide who already face barriers to accessing health care due to stigma and criminalization.
Several African nations, including Uganda, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, and Ghana, have enacted or proposed increasingly harsh anti-LGBTQ+ laws within the past several months. These laws often cite Western conservative ideologies as justification and include severe penalties such as life imprisonment – and even the death penalty – for same-sex relationships.
Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023, signed by President Yoweri Museveni, imposes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.” This legislation drew global condemnation and resulted in sanctions from numerous countries and the United Nations. In response, President Joe Biden cut aid to Uganda and imposed visa restrictions on Ugandan officials who were deemed responsible for undermining democracy and repressing marginalized groups. Additionally, the World Bank halted new loans to Uganda, which impacted the country’s economic development.
Ghana also passed a harsh anti-LGBTQ+ bill in March, which is still awaiting the president’s signature. The Biden Administration and the United Nations threatened to cut aid and loans to Ghana if the bill becomes law. Ghana’s Ministry of Finance also warned that Ghana could lose billions of dollars and suffer a devastating economic setback if they lose foreign aid.
Activists like Sarah, a Ugandan human rights activist, are scared the Trump administration won’t uphold the sanctions and will lift already established bans. She told LGBTQ Nation that Ugandan lawmakers were overjoyed by Trump’s reelection because they were confident their visa bans would be lifted.
“Members of the Ugandan parliament and other lawmakers across Africa celebrated Trump’s victory because of his deep ties with conservative Christian movements — who were the architects of the Ugandan draconian bill — and have been responsible for anti-LGBTQ lobbying in Africa. This would provide further ideological ammunition for these governments to follow in Uganda’s footsteps and act with impunity to clamp down on queer communities, knowing that under Trump’s leadership the U.S. Will turn a blind eye to global LGBTQ issues.”
She continued, “There have been reports of brutal killings of gay men in South Africa, Nigeria, and Cameroon, accompanied by a rising tide of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment throughout the continent. The absence of a strong international response during the Trump administration would enable such violence to spread. I’m certain Ghana’s bill will be signed as soon as Trump takes office because there will be nothing to stop them anymore.”
The United States has influenced LGBTQ+ issues in Africa in both progressive and regressive ways. During Trump’s first term, American evangelical groups contributed to anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and supported laws that criminalize queer identities. Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act and similar legislation in Ghana were inspired by these groups’ frameworks. Under Trump this time around, evangelical organizations’ influence could increase. Through them, Trump would indirectly fuel anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in Africa and bolster discriminatory laws.
Nigerian activist Philip explained, “Organizations such as the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) and Family Watch International, which have actively advocated for draconian policies regarding LGBTQ issues in Uganda and Ghana, may see an increase in their influence moving forward and will intensify their campaigns to push for harsher laws.”
LGBTQ+ activists in Africa rely on international support to navigate hostile environments. During Trump’s first term, funding cuts for global human rights initiatives weakened these networks. A return to such policies would isolate African LGBTQ+ organizations, making them more vulnerable to state crackdowns and community backlash.
The impact of a Trump presidency would be most profoundly felt by marginalized groups, particularly transgender women like Jane and Jackie. They have been in hiding since March, when the Ghanaian parliament passed a bill restricting their rights.
“Honestly, it’s quite disappointing that he won,” Jane told LGBTQ Nation. “Given everything happening in Ghana and Africa as a whole, we needed Kamala to win, as that might have helped keep our leaders in check. However, since she didn’t win, we have no choice but to brace ourselves and prepare for the worst. I sense a storm brewing for next year.”
“For years, queer Americans have been a beacon of hope and a source of inspiration for us queer Africans,” Jackie added. We get to live vicariously through them and imagine what our lives would have been like if we were born into a progressive society. But watching their rights being stripped from them makes us realize we’re indeed sitting ducks .”
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