On May 26th, Uganda’s parliament signed into law the “Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023”, which prescribes life imprisonment for homosexuality and the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”, as well as harsh penalties for the “promotion” of homosexuality.

The West’s reaction was swift.

President Biden called the Act the “the latest development in an alarming trend of human rights abuses and corruption in Uganda”, and said that his administration is considering the “application of sanctions”. Likewise, EU Foreign Affairs Representative Joseph Borell described the Act as “contrary to international human rights law”, and said that Uganda’s failure to protect its citizens “will undermine relationships with international partners”.

Now, I should mention that I agree with Biden and Borell: homosexuality should not be illegal. Yet I can’t help but notice their glaring hypocrisy.

Here are some of the countries where homosexuality is currently illegal: Nigeria, Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar and the UAE. Notice anything? They’re some of Europe’s biggest energy suppliers, and in the case of Saudi Arabia one of America’s most important “allies”.