African LGBT Groups Have Been Thrown Into Chaos
On the day he took office for his second term, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order leading to the suspension of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the main federal agency responsible for distributing foreign aid. In 2024, African countries received over $12 billion from USAID, some of which went towards human rights and governance. Now, aid organisations across the African continent are malfunctioning due to the freeze in foreign aid.
“The USAID suspension has shaken our organisation to its core,” John Grace, the coordinator for the Uganda Minority Shelters Consortium (UMSC), which provides safe housing for persecuted LGBT people, told me. “We coordinate over 25 shelters nationwide, but the gradual global funding declines culminating in the loss of USAID, once a backbone for our operations, has indirectly forced some to shut down already. Food, bedding, and hygiene supplies are at dangerously low levels. We have safeguarded thousands since 2020, but now we are rationing the little we have left.”
In May 2023, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed into law the Anti- Homosexuality Act, which criminalises same-sex relations and makes “offences” such as “aggravated homosexuality” punishable by death. The law has led to a surge in hostility, violence, and discrimination towards gay, bi, and trans people.
According to Grace, prior to the White House’s executive order, USAID played a pivotal role in helping LGBT organisations in Uganda keep the community safe, not only in terms of health, but also physical security and legal defense.
“Our community is already battered by the 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act,” Grace told me. “Since the freeze, we’ve had ARV [antiretroviral medications used to treat HIV] stockouts everywhere. Some people are now having to pay [out of pocket] for testing and meds they can’t afford. Clinics we relied on are closing, and mental health support is nearly gone. Our folks are battling depression and PTSD and have nowhere to turn. One shelter client told me, ‘I feel abandoned twice: by my family, now by the world.’ Homelessness is rising as shelters falter, and violence is a daily threat without safe spaces.”
Grace added that this isn’t just a crisis in Uganda. If the suspension of USAID becomes permanent, it will have a disastrous impact across the entire African continent.
“In Uganda, we are staring at mass shelter closures,” Grace said. “Thousands could end up in the streets, exposed to violence and illness. HIV deaths will climb — 41 newborns a day are already infected and without ARVs — and our people will suffer silently. The 2023 law has forced 15,000 LGBT Ugandans to flee — that figure could double. Across Africa, USAID’s billions in health aid propped up organisations like ours, helping marginalised groups. Now we are facing a total collapse.”
According to the White House, USAID has been unaccountable to American taxpayers, channeling millions of dollars towards the pet projects of entrenched bureaucrats with next to no oversight. It’s worth noting that foreign aid accounted for just 1.2% of the US federal budget in 2023, and nearly a quarter of that spending went to Ukraine alone. Furthermore, foreign aid is not mere charity — it directly advances US interests by building alliances, fostering goodwill, and spreading American values. Nevertheless, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), formed by President Trump and headed by Elon Musk to curb government bloat, has, as of the time of writing, cut $155 billion in total spending. Some of these cuts may well be bureaucratic waste. However, the suspension of foreign aid is having a devastating effect in Africa.
Source: Pew Research
“The impact has been significant. Many LGBT individuals rely on donor-funded programs for life-saving services like HIV treatment, mental health support, shelter, and legal aid,” Nshemire Agnes, the executive director for Africa Queer Network, told me. “With funding frozen, some organisations have been forced to cut back or shut down programs, leaving many in the community vulnerable. People are struggling to access healthcare, legal assistance, and safe housing, which puts lives at risk.”
Although the Africa Queer Network is one of the few LGBT aid organisations on the continent not reliant on USAID funding, they have been indirectly affected by the suspension and feel the ripple effects of cutting off a lifeline without notice. While reducing waste is a commendable goal for any government to pursue, a better approach to cutting foreign expenditures would be to support capacity-building efforts and create sustainable self-funding models rather than abruptly pulling the rug out from underneath communities that need urgent help.
“While our organisation has not been directly impacted by the funding cuts, many of our partners, especially those providing health services, legal aid, and emergency support, have been affected,” Agnes told me. “Since we rely on these partners as part of our referral network, their struggles inevitably impact us as well. The funding freeze has disrupted essential services, making it harder for our community to access [vital resources] when they need them most. It could also weaken the entire LGBT movement in Africa. Many organisations rely on external funding to advocate for policy change and human rights protections. Without support, it will be much harder to challenge oppressive laws and fight for equality.”
While it’s true that many aid groups rely on external funding, it creates a troubling dynamic. For decades, politicians and pundits have urged Africa to become self-reliant and to end the dependence on foreign aid, as it often incentivises elected officials to renege on their duty to serve their people while foreign governments pick up the slack.
In a recent joint address to the US Congress, President Trump said that $8 million had been given to the African nation of Lesotho to promote LGBT rights, implying that the money was being wasted. The People's Matrix, Lesotho's main LGBT organisation, refuted Trump’s claim, stating that they receive no US funding. Though the People's Matrix may not have received any aid from the US government, misappropriation of funds is not an anomaly in Africa. Between illicit financial flows and corruption, the continent squanders over $88 billion per year in funds that are supposed to help people.
John Grace acknowledges the pattern of misused money and the problem of over-relying on foreign aid, but the immediate cut-off of funds with no warning or phase-out has thrown communities into chaos. Already, several LGBT organisations across the continent have either shut down or drastically reduced their services as a result of the US aid suspension.
“I get the logic,” Grace told me. “Cut aid, force innovation. We’re trying that at UMSC. We’re looking into opportunities for social enterprises and job training. We dream of self-sufficiency, but let’s be real, our community is fighting for survival under a life-sentence law, unemployment is soaring, and shelters can’t pay staff. Across Africa, USAID’s billions in health aid propped up systems — lose it, and groups like ours face collapse. China might step in, but they don’t really care about us. This cut doesn’t spark ingenuity — it just buries us.”
If there is a silver lining, it’s the fact that US foreign aid, while the single largest source of aid to Africa, accounts for only a small portion of the overall aid Africa receives, calculated to be about $60 billion annually (not including philanthropy and private charities). Perhaps the world’s wealthiest donors can help provide a stop-gap to the continent during these tumultuous times — but of course, that’s not a permanent solution. Sooner or later, Africa must come to realise that no one will ever be as invested in our success as we are ourselves. But how many innocent lives must be destroyed along the way?
Published Apr 17, 2025
