The Wall Street Journal
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A Ugandan gay-rights hotline is busiest on weekend nights, when the bars in the conservative East African country are crowded with gay singles—and the police informants who prey on them.

How Police and Criminals Use Uganda’s Antigay Law to Find Blackmail Targets
Ever since a strict, new law took effect , the bars, restaurants and nightclubs of Kampala’s entertainment districts have become hunting grounds for those on the lookout for gay people to blackmail.
www.wsj.com
6:14 PM · Mar 22, 2026

World • Africa
How Police and Criminals Use Uganda’s Antigay Law to Find Blackmail Targets

Gay rights hotlines are burning up with callers looking for help

By Nicholas Bariyo
March 22, 2026 11:00 am ET

{Picture: Two individuals stand with a Pride flag draped over them, viewed from behind, in front of a window with metal bars.}
A gay Ugandan couple with a pride flag. AP

KAMPALA, Uganda—The gay-rights hotline is busiest on weekend nights, when the bars in this conservative East African country are crowded with both gay singles and police informants preying on them.

One call comes from a young gay man beaten after being lured into an ambush through a dating app. A lesbian couple says police raided their home after an informant reported them for kissing in public. Then there is the man who says police are threatening to charge him under Uganda’s harsh antigay law—unless he gives them $2,000.

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