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Leaked emails reveal how Africa became ‘primary target’ of anti-LGBTIQ actors

US and European hate groups and conservatives used disinformation and lobbying to influence gender debate in Africa

By Sian Norris and Soita Khatondi Wepukhulu
Leaked emails reveal how Africa became ‘primary target’ of anti-LGBTIQ actors
Global anti-gender groups are seeking to influence Africa | Credit Pexels/Composition by James Battershill
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When leading European and US anti-abortion activists and campaigners gathered in London in 2013, they planned to create a Europe-wide conservative think tank that would influence reproductive, LGBTIQ+ and gender rights across the region.

Within three years, the Agenda Europe network had decided to expand its work beyond Europe’s borders. It turned its attention to East Africa, where Uganda had already passed the 2014 anti-gay law that was soon after annulled by its constitutional court later that year.

The network’s plan? To expand its conservative agenda on sexual health and rights to Africa, impacting the lives and safety of queer people in the region.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0