Uganda's parliament passed a law on Tuday makg a crime to intify as LGBTQ, handg thori broad powers to target gay Ugandans who already face legal discrimatn and mob vlence.
Contents:
- UGANDA'S NEW ANTI-GAY LAW: PART OF A BROAR TREND AI
- UGANDA'S ANTI-GAY LAW: HOW RTRICTED ARE LGBTQ RIGHTS AI?
- UGANDA PASS BILL BANNG INTIFYG AS LGBTQ: OTHER UNTRI WHERE IS ILLEGAL TO BE GAY
- WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?
UGANDA'S NEW ANTI-GAY LAW: PART OF A BROAR TREND AI
Homophobia is on the rise across much of the ntent. Uganda's 200 Top Homos Named, " the headle of a popular Ugandan tabloid, the Red Pepper, screamed on Febary 25, the day after Print Yoweri Meveni signed the untry's Anti-Homosexualy Red Pepper's wch hunt and fearmongerg was predited on a nflatn of homosexualy and pedophilia—the ia that nefar homosexuals are out to groom and rec Ugandan new law and the largely posive wele 's received left members of Uganda's lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) muny fearful. "It's cg vlence agast anyone who's assumed to be gay, " said Pepe Julian Onziema, a transgenr rights activist and program director at Sexual Mori Uganda (SMUG), who was among those named by the paper.
Homosexuals Ai are unr unprecented attack. Gay rights, never strong, are beg alt severe year a wave of anti-gay sentiment propelled by social nservatism, relig fervor, domtic polickg, and anti-Wt posturg has led to tough new legislatn Nigeria as well. Others will likely lonial-era laws homosexualy is illegal the majory of Ain untri (36 out of 54, pl Wtern Sahara, acrdg to Amnty Internatnal), but Uganda's legislatn ratchets up the punishments.
UGANDA'S ANTI-GAY LAW: HOW RTRICTED ARE LGBTQ RIGHTS AI?
Although the ath penalty clse ntaed an earlier draft was dropped, the new law prcrib life sentenc for homosexualy, whether actual or tend, and jail terms for people or groups promotg this means, for stance, is that a gay uple ught kissg n be locked up for life.
So n someone found to have touched another person "wh the tentn of mtg the act of homosexualy. " Rights groups found guilty of supportg homosexualy n be shut down and their directors jailed for up to seven PolicsWhen the law was proposed five years ago, Meveni showed no likg for .
Autocratic by nature and a soldier by profsn, Meveni is ed to givg orrs, so he ma an unfortable Ponti Pilate over the Anti-Homosexualy said he'd sign the bill only if homosexualy was proved to be a choice. Then he washed his hands of rponsibily by appotg a panel of Ugandan scientists to le on whether homosexuals were born or ma. Then he jtified his wholehearted support as an act of fiance the face of "arrogant and rels Wtern groups that are fond of g to our schools and recg young children to homosexualy and lbianism.
UGANDA PASS BILL BANNG INTIFYG AS LGBTQ: OTHER UNTRI WHERE IS ILLEGAL TO BE GAY
"At root, Ai's homophobia is polil: domtic polics tmpg both human rights and threats of aid cuts om Wtern donors.
And lears will readily sacrifice gay rights the qut for polil Nigeria, Print Goodluck Jonathan's passg of siar legislatn last month was wily terpreted as a way of shorg up support ahead of electns next year and distractg attentn om an Islamic surgency spng out of ntrol the FearSce Uganda's law me to force, Onziema, the activist, has "registered an crease fear the [LGBT] muny. "Onziema said gays and other sexual mori have been evicted om their hom and creasgly fear for their liv. In 2010 a short-lived tabloid lled the Rollg Stone published a list of homosexuals unr the headle "Hang Them: They Are After Our Kids!!
Soon afterward Kato was beaten to ath what police lled a botched other parts of Ai where anti-gay rhetoric is beg more strint, the most powerful people are often the most vol. Hateful RhetoricIn a speech this month to mark his untry's 49th pennce anniversary, Gambia's Print Yahya Jammeh lled homosexuals "ungodly, Satanic... Verms" (sic) and threatened to impose the ath celebratg his 90th birthday last week, Print Robert Mugabe took the opportuny to remd Zimbabweans that "we don't accept homosexualy here.
WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?
"In Liberia, a legislator wants homosexualy listed as a "viant behavr" for which public officials uld be relatively liberal Kenya, a cross-party parliamentary group was set up this month to strengthen laws agast homosexualy. MP Ingu Kangata, one of the uc founrs, argu that the current 14-year jail sentence is sufficient to unter "rampant and active pro-gay activi Kenya.
"In an email exchange, Kangata parsed the anti-gay posn Ai. He cricized Print Obama's pro-gay "outbursts, " Wtern meddlg, and moral rptn.
He poed fay valu, warned of disease, and discerned "a subtle racism" and elism the gay rights movement.