Uganda's new anti-gay law lls for life prison for those who are nvicted : NPR

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• UGANDA JT MA HOMOSEXUALY PUNISHABLE BY DEATH. AMERIN EVANGELIL GROUPS PLAYED A ROLEPRINT JOE BIN—AND EVEN TED CZ—HAS NMNED THE UGANDAN LAW. THE LEGISLATN AFTER YEARS OF LOBBYG OM AMERIN CHRISTIAN GROUPS, SOME OF WHICH PREVLY SUPPORTED SUCH HARSH ANTI-LGBTQ MEASUR.BY CALEB ERMAMAY 30, 2023ANNA MONEYMAKER/GETTY IMAG. SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEAFTER MORE THAN A OF ANTI-LGBTQ LOBBYG OM AMERIN EVANGELIL GROUPS, UGANDA HAS FALLY ENACTED WHAT’S AMONG THE HARSHT ANTIGAY LAWS THE WORLD. ON MONDAY, YOWERI MEVENI, THE PRINT OF THE EAST AIN NATN, SIGNED THE ANTI-HOMOSEXUALY ACT 2023, A BILL THAT MAK HOMOSEXUALY PUNISHABLE BY LIFE IMPRISONMENT AND “AGGRAVATED HOMOSEXUALY”—A VAGUE PHRASE THAT APPLI TO BOTH PREDATORS AND THOSE WHO E “MISREPRENTATN” OR “UNDUE FLUENCE” TO ENGAGE GAY SEX—PUNISHABLE BY ATH. EVEN ATTEMPTG “TO M THE OFFENSE OF HOMOSEXUALY” ULD LEAD TO A SEVEN-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE. MOREOVER, ANYONE FOUND GUILTY OF “PROMOTG” HOMOSEXUALY THE UNTRY ULD FACE UP TO 20 YEARS PRISON, WHILE SO-LLED “SERIAL OFFENRS” AND THOSE WHO TRANSM HIV/AIDS THROUGH GAY SEX ULD BE SUBJECT TO PAL PUNISHMENT.THE LAW HAS FACED WISPREAD NMNATN ABROAD. IN A MONDAY STATEMENT, JOE BIN NMNED AS “A TRAGIC VLATN” OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND SAID THE WHE HOE WAS “NSIRG ADDNAL STEPS, CLUDG THE APPLITN OF SANCTNS AND RTRICTN OF ENTRY TO THE UNED STAT AGAST ANYONE VOLVED SER HUMAN RIGHTS AB OR RPTN.” (FOR HIS PART, MEVENI PREVLY PRAISED UGANDA’S PARLIAMENT MEMBERS FOR FYG “IMPERIALIST” PRSURE MPAIGNS AGAST THE LAW, WHICH IS ALSO BEG CHALLENGED URT BY -UNTRY ACTIVISTS.)ANTIGAY SENTIMENT UGANDA HAS CLIMBED RECENT YEARS DUE NO SMALL PART TO AMERIN EVANGELILS, WHO SPENT MORE THAN $20 LN FIGHTG LGBTQ RIGHTS THE UNTRY BETWEEN 2007–2020, ACRDG TO THE WASHGTON POST. STT LIVELY, AN AMERIN PASTOR, SPEARHEAD THIS EFFORT THE EARLY 2000S, PARTICIPATG A SERI OF POPULAR ANTIGAY LECTUR UGANDA AND SCRIBG HOMOSEXUALY AS A “DISEASE” PROPAGATED BY THE WT. SEVERAL YEARS LATER, UGANDA’S PARLIAMENT PROPOSED IAL LEGISLATN, KNOWN AS THE “KILL THE GAYS” BILL, THAT WAS SUPPORTED BY A NUMBER OF AMERIN CHRISTIAN GROUPS AND EVENTUALLY SIGNED TO LAW. WHILE THAT MEASURE ULTIMATELY BUCKLED UNR URT SCTY, S DRANIAN VISN HAS NOW BEEN REVIVED AND ETCHED TO LAW BY MEVENI’S PEN.IN A STRANGE TWIST, ONE OF THE LEADG EVANGELIL POLICIANS THE US HAS JOED THE WHE HOE, THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE, AND A RPORATE ALN NMNG THE LAW. “THIS UGANDA LAW IS HORRIFIC & WRONG,” TWEETED SENATOR TED CZ, A TEXAS REPUBLIN. “ANY LAW CRIMALIZG HOMOSEXUALY OR IMPOSG THE ATH PENALTY FOR ‘AGGRAVATED HOMOSEXUALY’ IS GROTQUE & AN ABOMATN. ALL CIVILIZED NATNS SHOULD JO TOGETHER NMNG THIS HUMAN RIGHTS ABE. #LGBTQ.” IN HIS OWN UNTRY, CZ HAS NSISTENTLY ADVOTED AGAST THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF GAY AMERINS. AS RECENTLY AS LAST YEAR, HE LLED OBERGEFELL V. HODG, THE SUPREME COURT LG THAT LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE NATNWI, “CLEARLY WRONG” AND AN ACT OF JUDICIAL OVERREACH. (THOSE REMARKS WERE D PARED TO HIS IAL REACTN TO THE 2015 CISN, WHICH HE SCRIBED AT THE TIME AS “THE VERY FN OF TYRANNY” AND “AMONG THE DARKT HOURS OF OUR NATN.”)ANA AMONG, UGANDA’S PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER, RPOND TO CRICISMS OF THE LAW BY STATG THAT MEVENI HAD “ANSWERED THE CRI OF OUR PEOPLE.” IN A SEPARATE STATEMENT, AMONG URGED THE “DUTY BEARERS UNR THE LAW TO EXECUTE THE MANDATE BTOWED UPON THEM THE ANTI-HOMOSEXUALY ACT.”MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMCAN YOU NAME THE FILM THAT LNCHED BRIE LARSON, RAMI MALEK, AND MORE?THE ABSOLUTELY WILST DETAILS OF THE GOVERNMENT’S LATT INDICTMENT AGAST DONALD TMPIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI ETON COLLEGE, HARRY AND WILLIAM’S POSH ALMA MATERTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)MOST POPULARTHE ELVIS PRLEY WE DIDN’T SEE ELVISBY KATEY RICHRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVCALEB ERMA
• UGANDA PASS STRICT ANTI-GAY BILL THAT IMPOS DEATH PENALTY FOR SOME
• UGANDA ANTI-HOMOSEXUALY BILL: LIFE PRISON FOR SAYG YOU'RE GAY
• UGANDA'S PARLIAMENT HAS PASSED ITS “KILL THE GAYS” LAW
• A NEW ANTI-GAY LAW UGANDA LLS FOR LIFE PRISON FOR THOSE WHO ARE NVICTED
• UGANDAN PRINT SIGNS ANTI-GAY LAW THAT INCLUS DEATH PENALTY AS A PUNISHMENT

UGANDA JT MA HOMOSEXUALY PUNISHABLE BY DEATH. AMERIN EVANGELIL GROUPS PLAYED A ROLEPRINT JOE BIN—AND EVEN TED CZ—HAS NMNED THE UGANDAN LAW. THE LEGISLATN AFTER YEARS OF LOBBYG OM AMERIN CHRISTIAN GROUPS, SOME OF WHICH PREVLY SUPPORTED SUCH HARSH ANTI-LGBTQ MEASUR.BY CALEB ERMAMAY 30, 2023ANNA MONEYMAKER/GETTY IMAG. SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEAFTER MORE THAN A OF ANTI-LGBTQ LOBBYG OM AMERIN EVANGELIL GROUPS, UGANDA HAS FALLY ENACTED WHAT’S AMONG THE HARSHT ANTIGAY LAWS THE WORLD. ON MONDAY, YOWERI MEVENI, THE PRINT OF THE EAST AIN NATN, SIGNED THE ANTI-HOMOSEXUALY ACT 2023, A BILL THAT MAK HOMOSEXUALY PUNISHABLE BY LIFE IMPRISONMENT AND “AGGRAVATED HOMOSEXUALY”—A VAGUE PHRASE THAT APPLI TO BOTH PREDATORS AND THOSE WHO E “MISREPRENTATN” OR “UNDUE FLUENCE” TO ENGAGE GAY SEX—PUNISHABLE BY ATH. EVEN ATTEMPTG “TO M THE OFFENSE OF HOMOSEXUALY” ULD LEAD TO A SEVEN-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE. MOREOVER, ANYONE FOUND GUILTY OF “PROMOTG” HOMOSEXUALY THE UNTRY ULD FACE UP TO 20 YEARS PRISON, WHILE SO-LLED “SERIAL OFFENRS” AND THOSE WHO TRANSM HIV/AIDS THROUGH GAY SEX ULD BE SUBJECT TO PAL PUNISHMENT.THE LAW HAS FACED WISPREAD NMNATN ABROAD. IN A MONDAY STATEMENT, JOE BIN NMNED AS “A TRAGIC VLATN” OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND SAID THE WHE HOE WAS “NSIRG ADDNAL STEPS, CLUDG THE APPLITN OF SANCTNS AND RTRICTN OF ENTRY TO THE UNED STAT AGAST ANYONE VOLVED SER HUMAN RIGHTS AB OR RPTN.” (FOR HIS PART, MEVENI PREVLY PRAISED UGANDA’S PARLIAMENT MEMBERS FOR FYG “IMPERIALIST” PRSURE MPAIGNS AGAST THE LAW, WHICH IS ALSO BEG CHALLENGED URT BY -UNTRY ACTIVISTS.)ANTIGAY SENTIMENT UGANDA HAS CLIMBED RECENT YEARS DUE NO SMALL PART TO AMERIN EVANGELILS, WHO SPENT MORE THAN $20 LN FIGHTG LGBTQ RIGHTS THE UNTRY BETWEEN 2007–2020, ACRDG TO THE WASHGTON POST. STT LIVELY, AN AMERIN PASTOR, SPEARHEAD THIS EFFORT THE EARLY 2000S, PARTICIPATG A SERI OF POPULAR ANTIGAY LECTUR UGANDA AND SCRIBG HOMOSEXUALY AS A “DISEASE” PROPAGATED BY THE WT. SEVERAL YEARS LATER, UGANDA’S PARLIAMENT PROPOSED IAL LEGISLATN, KNOWN AS THE “KILL THE GAYS” BILL, THAT WAS SUPPORTED BY A NUMBER OF AMERIN CHRISTIAN GROUPS AND EVENTUALLY SIGNED TO LAW. WHILE THAT MEASURE ULTIMATELY BUCKLED UNR URT SCTY, S DRANIAN VISN HAS NOW BEEN REVIVED AND ETCHED TO LAW BY MEVENI’S PEN.IN A STRANGE TWIST, ONE OF THE LEADG EVANGELIL POLICIANS THE US HAS JOED THE WHE HOE, THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE, AND A RPORATE ALN NMNG THE LAW. “THIS UGANDA LAW IS HORRIFIC & WRONG,” TWEETED SENATOR TED CZ, A TEXAS REPUBLIN. “ANY LAW CRIMALIZG HOMOSEXUALY OR IMPOSG THE ATH PENALTY FOR ‘AGGRAVATED HOMOSEXUALY’ IS GROTQUE & AN ABOMATN. ALL CIVILIZED NATNS SHOULD JO TOGETHER NMNG THIS HUMAN RIGHTS ABE. #LGBTQ.” IN HIS OWN UNTRY, CZ HAS NSISTENTLY ADVOTED AGAST THE CIVIL RIGHTS OF GAY AMERINS. AS RECENTLY AS LAST YEAR, HE LLED OBERGEFELL V. HODG, THE SUPREME COURT LG THAT LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE NATNWI, “CLEARLY WRONG” AND AN ACT OF JUDICIAL OVERREACH. (THOSE REMARKS WERE D PARED TO HIS IAL REACTN TO THE 2015 CISN, WHICH HE SCRIBED AT THE TIME AS “THE VERY FN OF TYRANNY” AND “AMONG THE DARKT HOURS OF OUR NATN.”)ANA AMONG, UGANDA’S PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER, RPOND TO CRICISMS OF THE LAW BY STATG THAT MEVENI HAD “ANSWERED THE CRI OF OUR PEOPLE.” IN A SEPARATE STATEMENT, AMONG URGED THE “DUTY BEARERS UNR THE LAW TO EXECUTE THE MANDATE BTOWED UPON THEM THE ANTI-HOMOSEXUALY ACT.”MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMCAN YOU NAME THE FILM THAT LNCHED BRIE LARSON, RAMI MALEK, AND MORE?THE ABSOLUTELY WILST DETAILS OF THE GOVERNMENT’S LATT INDICTMENT AGAST DONALD TMPIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI ETON COLLEGE, HARRY AND WILLIAM’S POSH ALMA MATERTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)MOST POPULARTHE ELVIS PRLEY WE DIDN’T SEE ELVISBY KATEY RICHRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVCALEB ERMA

On Monday, Yoweri Meveni, the print of the East Ain natn, signed the Anti-Homosexualy Act 2023, a bill that mak homosexualy punishable by life imprisonment and “aggravated homosexualy”—a vague phrase that appli to both predators and those who e “misreprentatn” or “undue fluence” to engage gay sex—punishable by ath. Moreover, anyone found guilty of “promotg” homosexualy the untry uld face up to 20 years prison, while so-lled “serial offenrs” and those who transm HIV/AIDS through gay sex uld be subject to pal law has faced wispread nmnatn abroad.

)Antigay sentiment Uganda has climbed recent years due no small part to Amerin evangelils, who spent more than $20 ln fightg LGBTQ rights the untry between 2007–2020, acrdg to The Washgton Post. Stt Lively, an Amerin pastor, spearhead this effort the early 2000s, participatg a seri of popular antigay lectur Uganda and scribg homosexualy as a “disease” propagated by the Wt. Several years later, Uganda’s parliament proposed ial legislatn, known as the “Kill the Gays” bill, that was supported by a number of Amerin Christian groups and eventually signed to law.

Uganda is one of several Ain natns where is illegal to be queer; the natn enacted s Anti-Homosexualy Act 2014, which allowed for life imprisonment for some homosexual acts between nsentg adults, and dified the reprsn of LGBTQ Ugandans. The latt bill, ially passed by parliament March, tak Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ polici much further, punishg LGBTQ advocy wh up to 20 years prison and proposg the ath penalty for “aggravated homosexualy” — homosexual acts volvg children or members of other at-risk groups, or volvg a person who is HIV posive. Uganda was already hostile to LGBTQ people, even before the 2014 Anti-Homosexualy Act; lonial fluence was baked to the penal , and a 2009 bill lloquially lled the “kill the gays” bill sparked ternatnal outrage for a provisn that would allow gay people to be hanged.

UGANDA PASS STRICT ANTI-GAY BILL THAT IMPOS DEATH PENALTY FOR SOME

The bill also required cizens to spy on their neighbors, iends, and fay members and report those they spected of beg LGBTQ or advotg for gay rights or face a three-year prison sentence, acrdg to a Human Rights Watch report at the time. The 2023 bill also appli to trans and genr-nonnformg people, punishg wh up to 10 years prison anyone who “holds out as a lbian, gay, transgenr, a queer, or any other sexual or genr inty that is ntrary to the bary tegori of male and female.

In realy, the US particular has fluenced or supported anti-LGBTQ polici and attus Uganda, particularly via evangelil groups like the Fellowship Foundatn, which had a hand craftg the 2009 “kill the gays” bill, acrdg to a 2020 report om Open Democracy. In 2012, SMUG sued Amerin evangelist Stt Lively a US urt for his role promotg the anti-LGBTQ agenda that fluenced the “kill the gays” bill and led to the persecutn of LGBTQ people Uganda. “The prodigal son parable has propped up the ex-gay movement Uganda, ensurg there are open arms to gay people who n speak about prevly beg that life of ‘s’ and nounce their gayns publicly, ” Okereke wrote.

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

“The wave of homophobia and transphobia Uganda, and the regn, has nothg to do wh Ugandan or Ain valu, ” Ugandan human rights activist and lawyer Nilas Opiyo told the Guardian. What's TeA Ugandan ernment mister announced an tentn to make homosexualy punishable by ath October 2019; the Natnal Christian Foundatn has fund projects that opposed LGBT rights Uganda; and the WShape Foundatn, closely lked to Chick-fil-A, has fund the Natnal Christian Foundatn.

What's FalseHowever, the Ugandan mister did not signal an tent to legalize the murr of LGBT people, and his remarks were quickly ntradicted by the ernment; also, 's not clear to what extent Natnal Christian Foundatn-fund enti were volved the creatn or promotn of a bill to make homosexualy punishable by ath. 10, Uganda's Mister for Ethics and Integry, Simon Lokodo, told the Rters news agency that the untry's ernment tend to revive a failed 2014 bill, known at the time as the "Kill the Gays" bill, that would make "grave acts" of homosexualy punishable by ath.

Uganda announced plans on Thursday for a bill that would impose the ath penalty on homosexuals, sayg the legislatn would curb a rise unnatural sex the east Ain natn.

UGANDA'S PARLIAMENT HAS PASSED ITS “KILL THE GAYS” LAW

“Homosexualy is not natural to Ugandans, but there has been a massive recment by gay people schools, and pecially among the youth, where they are promotg the falsehood that people are born like that, ” Ethics and Integry Mister Simon Lokodo told the Thomson Rters Foundatn. By 2014, however, a bill signed to law would have troduced life imprisonment for homosexualy, but the ath penalty punishment had been removed om s text, part as a rult of ternatnal prsure. Two days after Lokodo signaled the ernment's tentn to revive the troductn of the ath penalty for homosexualy October 2019, the ernment prs office self tervened, directly ntradictg the mister's assertns, and wrg a statement:.

Until or unls Lokodo issu a retractn of his remarks, or further clarifitn is forthg, is simply not clear what the Ugandan ernment's rolved tentns are, as of October 2019, regardg the possible troductn of the ath penalty as a punishment for homosexual acts. Some observers might see an ethil equivalence between imposg state executn as a punishment for homosexualy, on the one hand, and legally permtg any and every civilian to murr another civilian, on the basis of sexual orientatn or genr inty.

A NEW ANTI-GAY LAW UGANDA LLS FOR LIFE PRISON FOR THOSE WHO ARE NVICTED

David Behati — who first troduced the Anti-Homosexualy Bill 2009 and was a key player the ensug mpaign — scribed to Sharlet the fluence of a ntroversial Amerin Christian nservative movement known lloquially as "The Fellowship" and "The Fay" visg and enuragg the legislatn, cludg at the early stag when still clud a ath penalty provisn. Bob Hunter, signated by the Fay as a spokman to rpond to the Uganda fias, has referred to David Bahati, the thor of the Anti-Homosexualy Bill, as a member of the Fay. For rears not faiar wh , by the way, “harsh” is an unrstatement: life imprisonment for gay sex, ath for “serial offenrs, ” seven years for “promotn, ” and three years for failg to turn a known homosexual.

However, spe plsible reports, is not clear to what extent NCF-fund enti or dividuals were volved the nty grty of draftg and promotg legislatn, begng 2009, which would have imposed the ath penalty for homosexualy. It passed by a vote of 387 to Lubowa/RtersLawmakers Uganda have passed a sweepg anti-gay law that n brg punishments as severe as the ath penalty — the culmatn of a long-nng mpaign to crimalize homosexualy and target L. People the nservative natn East law, which was passed late on Tuday night after more than seven hours of discsn and amendments, lls for a life sentence for anyone engagg gay sex.

Even tryg to have same-sex relatns would be met wh a seven-year prison ath penalty would be applied to people nvicted of “aggravated homosexualy, ” a sweepg term fed the law as homosexual acts mted by anyone fected wh H. Most of the acts are already crim regardls of genr unr the Ugandan penal , but the ath penalty has been add to this bill to target s which the perpetrator and victim are of the same parliamentary vote ps a stggle over gay rights Uganda that has drawn ternatnal attentn for nearly 15 years.

UGANDAN PRINT SIGNS ANTI-GAY LAW THAT INCLUS DEATH PENALTY AS A PUNISHMENT

It as anti-gay polici and discrimatn have been on the rise several Ain natns, cludg Kenya, Ghana and legislatn Uganda, lled the Anti-Homosexualy Bill, also impos a penalty of up to 1 billn Ugandan shillgs, about $264, 000, on any enty nvicted of promotg homosexualy. ”“This hoe will ntue to pass laws that regnize, protect and safeguard the sovereignty, morals and cultur of this untry, ” Ana An Among, the speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, said after legislators fished bill will now go to Print Yoweri Meveni, Uganda’s lear for nearly four s, who has been an outspoken driver of anti-gay measur. Katumba/Agence France-Prse — Getty ImagThe bill’s passg was sharply cricized by rights groups and by a few lawmakers Uganda who said that ged on the eedoms of Ugandans and further erod the rights of gay Türk, the Uned Natns human rights chief, lled the anti-gay law “probably among the worst of s kd the world” and said that uld “serve to ce people agast each other.

Around the world, a ath penalty sentence for same-sex relatns is imposed only a handful of untri, cludg Iran and Mrania, acrdg to a survey by Human Rights bill was troduced early March by the lawmaker Asuman Basalirwa, who has said that homosexualy threatens fay valu and the safety of Ugandan children. Basalirwa doubled down, sayg the law was need bee there was a “public outcry” over a plot to rec schoolchildren to homosexualy — an allegatn that rights advot have said is Uganda, a untry of about 46 ln people — about 85 percent Christian and 15 percent Mlim — relig lears have jotly veighed agast homosexualy and what they say is s impact on the sancty of fay and children. Many relig lears say that homosexualy is a Wtern import and have held protts and ralli urgg legislators to troduce laws that would harshly penalize gay even as anti-gay sentiment Uganda has bee pervasive, L.