Uganda's anti-gay law: how rtricted are LGBTQ rights Ai? | Rters

Contents:

• UGANDA'S ANTI-GAY LAW: HOW RTRICTED ARE LGBTQ RIGHTS AI?
• UGANDA PASSED ONE OF THE WORLD’S HARSHT ANTI-GAY LAWS. LGBTQ PEOPLE SCRIBE LIVG THERE AS ‘HELL’
• WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?

UGANDA'S ANTI-GAY LAW: HOW RTRICTED ARE LGBTQ RIGHTS AI?

Recent urt and polil victori have given the LGBT rights movement unexpected momentum the Uned Stat, but the picture is not so bright other plac the world – namely sub-Saharan Ai, where untri like Nigeria, the Gambia and Uganda have passed laws crackg down on their gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr populatns. A broang movement to crimalize homosexual behavr, fueled by elements trsic to the regn as well as by the enuragement of some anti-LGBT activists om the U.

In plac like Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria, more than four-fifths of the populatn believ homosexualy is morally unacceptable. Wh pollg like that, and generally bleak enomic news, ’s no wonr policians such as Nigerian Print Goodluck Jonathan and Ugandan Print Yoweri Meveni have jumped on anti-gay legislatn to boost their electn prospects.

Chad is the latt untry to nsir creasg penalti on LGBT people, wh reports of a bill troduced last month that would crimalize homosexualy. In January, Nigeria’s Jonathan signed to law a measure that punish same-sex unns wh 14-year prison sentenc and 10-year terms for those guilty of “promotg” homosexualy; wh days, dozens of people across the untry were arrted, some charged urt wh belongg to a gay anizatn. And the crackdown has ntued months sce; March four Nigerian men were whipped publicly after havg been nvicted of havg gay sex.

UGANDA PASSED ONE OF THE WORLD’S HARSHT ANTI-GAY LAWS. LGBTQ PEOPLE SCRIBE LIVG THERE AS ‘HELL’

In Febary Uganda’s Meveni, the face of formidable polil opposn his upg electn, signed a law that levi heavy punishments for same-sex activy, cludg a lifetime prison for “aggravated homosexualy, " meang homosexual relatns wh a mor, a disabled person or someone fected wh HIV.

(The origal 2009 bill punished “aggravated homosexualy” wh ath, a provisn later dropped.

Fund HIV rearch program was raid by Ugandan officials unr spicns that was "trag youths homosexualy. Sce pro-gay support is seen as a Wtern fluence, promotg anti-gay laws allows policians to not only tout their religsy, but also be seen as standg up to those attemptg to ge upon their sovereignty. Ironilly, many of the laws prohibg homosexualy that some untri are now nsirg expandg upon are, fact, relics of lonial le.

WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?

The very relig and generally nservative nature of Ain societi that has helped shape the anti-gay popular sentiment many untri also likely attracted the eye of some nservative U. A group of Amerin evangelil activists known for their anti-gay views gave a seri of talks Kampala, Uganda, as self proclaimed “experts homosexualy” March 2009, The New York Tim reported 2010. They met wh lawmakers and language om their speech is reportedly echoed wh anti-gay legislatn sce then.

“We are alg wh a sperate movement and speratn mak people act out very strange ways, ” says Jeremy Hooper, a nsultant who has worked for GLAAD rearchg Amerin groups blamed for stokg homophobia abroad. This year, the World Congrs prented a lifetime achievement award to s Nigerian ordator, Thera Okafor, who has fend the Nigerian and Ugandan ernments for wantg to “ban all forms of gravatn toward homosexual unns.

“We were also not volved any way, shape or form the creatn or promotn of Nigeria’s new law on homosexualy, ” she tells U. Illtratn by Ethan Rosenberg for USN&WR/Photo by Rebec Vassie for APBoth Brown, who has not been to Ai but says that don’t mean he wouldn’t ever go, and World Congrs of Fai Managg Director Larry Jabs sffed at the ia that their efforts abroad were rponsible for the harsh anti-gay laws beg passed plac like Uganda and Nigeria.