Uganda's LGBTQ muny is ' shock' over new measure, gay activist says

Contents:

• GAY ACTIVIST SAYS UGANDA LGBTQ MUNY ' SHOCK' AT NEW LAW
• UGANDA ANTI-HOMOSEXUALY BILL: LIFE PRISON FOR SAYG YOU'RE GAY
• LGBTQ ACTIVISTS UGANDA ' SHOCK' OVER ANTI-GAY LEGISLATN, FEARG MASS ARRTS
• UGANDA'S LGBTQ MUNY IS ' SHOCK' OVER NEW MEASURE, GAY ACTIVIST SAYS
• UGANDAN ACTIVIST SPEAKS OUT AGAST ANTI-GAY BILL

GAY ACTIVIST SAYS UGANDA LGBTQ MUNY ' SHOCK' AT NEW LAW

When Frank Mugisha me out two s ago, beg gay Uganda uld be lonely and unfortable, but was rarely a matter of life and then, as Mugisha has emerged as the untry’s most proment LGBTQ rights activist, the perils have multiplied.

Policians and relig anizatns have fanned anti-gay sentiment and lobbied for harsh legislatn, culmatg parliament’s passage last month of a bill that would crimalize even intifyg as LGBTQ. “The Ugandan populatn has been radilized to fear and hate homosexuals, ” Mugisha, 38, told Rters an terview outsi the pal, Kampala.

“If I was 7, 9, 12, 14, I don’t thk I would tell anyone I am gay right now, ” he yet, Mugisha says he will not give an ch the face of the new bill, which is awag Print Yoweri Meveni’s bill passed wh near unanimo support parliament. If Meveni signs — as he is wily expected to — Mugisha’s work uld land him jail unr a provisn that punish the “promotn” of homosexualy wh up to 20 years Mugisha said he feels an obligatn to fight back on behalf of LGBTQ Ugandans, many of whom have left the untry or fled their hom for safe ho sce the bill was passed. “I gus I am gog to be trouble a lot, bee I am not gog to stop, ” Mugisha bill also impos the ath penalty for so-lled aggravated homosexualy, which clus havg gay sex while outA practicg Catholic typilly seen a blue su and whe shirt, Mugisha had what he lls a normal childhood, gog to school and playg soccer his Kampala realized he was gay as early as the age of seven but did not start to e out until he was 14.

UGANDA ANTI-HOMOSEXUALY BILL: LIFE PRISON FOR SAYG YOU'RE GAY

Mugisha said he enuntered no overt hostily om iends about his sexualy, although some kept their distance for fear they would be spected of beg gay 2007, Mugisha took over learship of Sexual Mori Uganda (SMUG), an advocy group he had earlier joed as an the followg years, he saw a harng of anti-LGBTQ views, which he attribut to mpaigng by ultra-nservative Christian groups, some om the Uned Stat. “Homophobia and this whole anti-gay sentiment are Wtern. Mugisha said historilly Ugandans “owned” upon homosexualy but did not want to harm gay people.

KAMPALA, April 13 (Rters) - (This April 13 story has been rrected to remove reference to crimalisg intifyg as LGBTQ, a provisn dropped the draft stage, paragraph 3)When Frank Mugisha me out two s ago, beg gay Uganda uld be lonely and unfortable, but was rarely a matter of life and then, as Mugisha has emerged as the untry's most proment LGBTQ rights activist, the perils have multiplied.

Policians and relig anisatns have fanned anti-gay sentiment and lobbied for harsh laws, culmatg parliament's passage last month of one of the strictt piec of anti-LGBTQ legislatn anywhere the world. "The Ugandan populatn has been radilised to fear and hate homosexuals, " Mugisha, 38, told Rters durg an terview outsi the pal, Kampala.

LGBTQ ACTIVISTS UGANDA ' SHOCK' OVER ANTI-GAY LEGISLATN, FEARG MASS ARRTS

"If I was seven, ne, twelve, fourteen, I don't thk I would tell anyone I am gay right now, " he yet, Mugisha says he will not give an ch the face of the new bill, which is awag Print Yoweri Meveni's bill passed wh near unanimo support parliament. If Meveni signs - as he is wily expected to - Mugisha's work uld land him jail unr a provisn that punish the "promotn" of homosexualy wh up to 20 years Mugisha said he feels an obligatn to fight back on behalf of LGBTQ Ugandans, many of whom have left the untry or fled their hom for safe ho sce the bill was passed.

"I gus I am gog to be trouble a lot bee I am not gog to stop, " Mugisha bill also impos the ath penalty for so-lled aggravated homosexualy, which clus havg gay sex while OUT[1/5]Ugandan LGBTQ activist Frank Mugisha pos for a photograph after a Rters terview Makdye, suburb, of Kampala, Uganda March 30, 2023. REUTERS/Abubaker LubowaA practisg Catholic typilly seen a blue su and whe shirt, Mugisha had what he lls a normal childhood, gog to school and playg soccer his Kampala realised he was gay as early as the age of seven but did not start to e out until he was 14. "Homophobia and this whole anti-gay sentiment are Wtern.

UGANDA'S LGBTQ MUNY IS ' SHOCK' OVER NEW MEASURE, GAY ACTIVIST SAYS

Mugisha said historilly Ugandans "owned" upon homosexualy but did not want to harm gay people. KAMPALA, March 22 (Rters) - Members of Uganda's LGBTQ muny are shock and fear beg arrted after parliament passed a new law that mak a crime to intify as gay, and impos tough sentenc that clu the ath penalty certa s, an activist said on "Anti-Homosexualy Bill, 2023" was passed wh a near-unanimo majory by lawmakers the east Ain untry where anti-gay sentiment ns ep.

Secretary of State Antony Blken said on Wednday the law would unrme fundamental human rights and "reverse gas the fight agast HIV/AIDS" and urged thori to rensir implementatn of the Mugisha, one of a few Ugandans who live openly as gay, told Rters he was sred the law will trigger "mass arrts of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (LGBTQ) persons and mob vlence toward LGBTQ muni. [1/2]Ugandan legislators participate the bate of the Anti-Homosexualy bill, which propos tough new penalti for same-sex relatns durg a stg at the Parliament buildg Kampala, Uganda March 21, 2023.

REUTERS/Abubaker LubowaIt clus steep sentenc that clu ath for "aggravated homosexualy" and life prison for same-sex relatns. Aggravated homosexualy volv same-sex relatns wh people unr the age of 18 or when the perpetrator is HIV posive, among other tegori, acrdg to the legislatn will next be sent to Print Yoweri Meveni, who has repeatedly nounced homosexualy, to be signed to law. (This April 13 story has been rrected to remove reference to crimalisg intifyg as LGBTQ, a provisn dropped the draft stage, paragraph 3)KAMPALA (Rters) - When Frank Mugisha me out two s ago, beg gay Uganda uld be lonely and unfortable, but was rarely a matter of life and then, as Mugisha has emerged as the untry's most proment LGBTQ rights activist, the perils have multiplied.

UGANDAN ACTIVIST SPEAKS OUT AGAST ANTI-GAY BILL

Polil Cartoons on World Lears "If I was seven, ne, twelve, fourteen, I don't thk I would tell anyone I am gay right now, " he yet, Mugisha says he will not give an ch the face of the new bill, which is awag Print Yoweri Meveni's bill passed wh near unanimo support parliament. "I gus I am gog to be trouble a lot bee I am not gog to stop, " Mugisha bill also impos the ath penalty for so-lled aggravated homosexualy, which clus havg gay sex while OUTA practisg Catholic typilly seen a blue su and whe shirt, Mugisha had what he lls a normal childhood, gog to school and playg soccer his Kampala realised he was gay as early as the age of seven but did not start to e out until he was 14. Media ptn, Watch: Cheers and applse as Uganda pass anti-gay billPeople who intify as gay Uganda risk life prison after parliament passed a new bill to crack down on homosexual activi.

A rights activist told the BBC the bate around the bill had led to fear of more attacks on gay people.

People are receivg lls that 'if you don't give me money, I will report that you are gay, '" they bill is one of the tought piec of anti-gay legislatn Ai. Homosexual acts are already illegal Uganda but this bill troduc many new crimal well as makg merely intifyg as gay illegal for the first time, iends, fay and members of the muny would have a duty to report dividuals same-sex relatnships to the was passed wh wispread support Uganda's parliament on Tuday eveng. In the weeks before the bate, anti-homosexual sentiment was proment the media, an activist who wanted to rema anonymo told the BBC.