Facing stiff criticism from Western countries for its harsh new anti-gay law, Uganda has taken on a three-year chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), a global body of 120 countries. That honor eases the pressure on the country’s global public image, which has suffered since the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 came into force. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni took advantage of the moment to pledge devotion to international principles, including respect for human rights, at a time when he and the Ugandan government stand accused of gross violations of the human rights of the nation’s LGBT citizens. In September, a report by Ugandan human rights activists tallied 500 human rights abuses tied to the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which criminalizes not only same-sex intimacy, but also public support for LGBT people and even renting to LGBT people.