South Ain LGBTQ+ activists march agast Uganda's anti-gay law | Ainews

Contents:

• UGANDA’S ANTI-GAY BILL IS THE LATT AND WORST TO TARGET LGBTQ AINS
• LGBT RIGHTS AI: WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?
• NAMIBIAN PARLIAMENT APPROV ANTI-GAY LAW SPE URT LG
• IT IS VAL FOR SOUTH AI TO OPPOSE UGANDA’S DANGERO ANTI-GAY BILL
• SOUTH AIN LGBTQ+ ACTIVISTS MARCH AGAST UGANDA'S ANTI-GAY LAW
• UGANDA'S ANTI-GAY LAW: HOW RTRICTED ARE LGBTQ RIGHTS AI?
• GAY AND LESBIAN HOTELS IN SOUTH AI

UGANDA’S ANTI-GAY BILL IS THE LATT AND WORST TO TARGET LGBTQ AINS

Uganda's Print Yoweri Meveni has signed one of the world's harsht anti-LGBTQ laws, cludg the ath penalty for "aggravated homosexualy", fiance of Wtern nmnatns and potential sanctns om aid donors. Same-sex relatns were already illegal Uganda, as they are more than 30 Ain untri, but the new law further targets lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer people. More than half Ai’s 54 natns prohib nsensual same-sex activy, acrdg to the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (ILGA).

In Egypt, homosexualy is not a crime but gay men are equently arrted and charged wh bchery, immoraly or blasphemy.

While there has been progrs some Ain natns to crimalise same-sex relatnships, public opn polls show overall Ains' attus toward LGBTQ people starkly ntrast those other untri where homosexualy has been more wily accepted. An creasg trend of acceptance has been driven part by younger people who have adopted more acceptg views toward homosexualy. However, Ain natns there is ltle difference between younger and olr opns on homosexualy.

LGBT RIGHTS AI: WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?

In a poll by Aobarometer of 48, 000 people across 34 untri, more than 75% of rponnts across all ag said they would strongly or somewhat dislike havg a gay neighbour. 6% of 56-year-olds and olr said they would somewhat or strongly like or not re about havg a homosexual neighbour. A 2014 study by rearchers at the Universy of Readg found former Brish loni were “overwhelmgly more likely to have laws that crimalise homosexualy.

NAMIBIAN PARLIAMENT APPROV ANTI-GAY LAW SPE URT LG

However, several former French loni have passed anti-homosexualy laws after gag pennce, cludg Algeria, Cameroon, Mrania and most recently Chad, which banned same-sex acts between men and women 2017. A more ntemporary fluence, acrdg to gay rights mpaigners, has been foreign anti-LGBTQ relig groups. An earlier Ugandan bill, known as the “kill the gays” bill for ially proposg hangg homosexuals, was troduced after a March 2009 nference Kampala that hosted reprentativ om the U.

“ex-gay” movement, cludg proment anti-gay evangelil Stt Lively. It is currently legal to be gay 22 Ain untri, acrdg to ILGA’s database summarisg laws about same-sex activy.

In the 12 untri that have never adopted laws crimalisg homosexualy, is facto legal to be gay. However LGBTQ people those untri still face homophobic discrimatn. In the 2019-2021 Aobarometer surveys, rponnts untri where homosexualy is facto legal were jt as likely to say they would dislike havg a gay neighbour as rponnts untri where is crimalised.

IT IS VAL FOR SOUTH AI TO OPPOSE UGANDA’S DANGERO ANTI-GAY BILL

Even among the untri that have officially crimalised same-sex activi, rponnts om Gabon and Lotho were jt as likely to say they would dislike havg a gay neighbour. Even untri that hold the most tolerant views towards gay people, anti-LGBTQ vlence still occurs.

SOUTH AIN LGBTQ+ ACTIVISTS MARCH AGAST UGANDA'S ANTI-GAY LAW

In South Ai, where rponnts were among the most likely to hold tolerant views on homosexualy and where gay people have some of the most broad legal protectns Ai, s of homophobic vlence are well documented. Ugandan Member of Parliament John Mira an anti-gay gown durg Anti-Homosexualy bill bate, March 21, 2023.

An ternatnal backlash to Uganda’s proposed anti-homosexualty law has ntued to grow. A Whe Hoe spokperson said the bill reprents one of the most extreme actns taken agast the LGBTQ muny anywhere the world, and UN High Commissner for Human Rights Volker Türk said “will renr lbian, gay and bisexual people Uganda crimals simply for existg, for beg who they are”. Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (ILGA); Aobarometer; Brish lonialism and the crimalizatn of homosexualy (2014) by Enze Han and Joseph O'Mahoney; ESRI GeoInquiri; Natural Earth; Rters rearch and reportg.

Image source, Getty ImagIn the latt sign of risg homophobia different Ain untri, a Kenyan opposn MP is leadg a mpaign for parliament to further crimalise the untry's small LGBTQ muny.

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

Gee Peter Kaluma's move after neighbourg Uganda adopted a tough new anti-gay law, rejectg threats by US Print Joe Bin to impose sanctns and travel rtrictns on "anyone volved ser human rights ab". "We want to prohib everythg to do wh homosexualy, " Mr Kaluma tells me, addg that his bill will be much broar than the legislatn passed by Uganda's parliament and approved by Print Yoweri Meveni May. The Ugandan law is regard as one of the harsht anti-LGBTQ laws the propos life imprisonment for anyone nvicted of homosexualy, and the ath penalty for so-lled aggravated s, which clu havg gay sex wh someone below the age of 18 or where someone be fected wh a life-long illns such as the other si of the ntent, MPs Ghana earlier this month unanimoly voted favour of amendments to the untry's anti-gay legislatn, phg closer to beg enacted to law.

Though ls harsh than Uganda's new law, the Promotn of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Fay Valu Bill propos a three-year prison sentence for anyone who intifi as LGBTQ and a 10-year sentence for anyone who promot homosexualy. "The bill will propose a total ban on what the Wt lls sex-reassignment prcriptns and procr, and prohib all activi that promote homosexualy, terms of... Gay paras, drag shows, wearg the lours, the flags, the emblems of the LGBTQ group, " Mr Kaluma says.

GAY AND LESBIAN HOTELS IN SOUTH AI

Gay sex is already illegal Kenya, but the ernment n also be tolerant of gay people - for example, has given asylum to people om other Ain untri, cludg Uganda, who faced persecutn their home untri bee of their sexual orientatn. Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Many Kenyans believe that gay rights are agast their relign - whether Christian or MlimAlthough the meetg Uganda was billed as an attempt to protect the "sovereignty" of Ain stat, was actually -sponsored by an Amerin Christian right-wg anisatn, Fay Watch Internatnal (FWI) Kapya Kaoma, a Zambian prit the Anglin Church and an amic at Boston Universy the US, says Ain untri are beg targeted by FWI and siar US-based anisatns, and that the impact of s lobbyg has been "horrible and humane" parts of Ai, fuellg what he lls "ant homophobia". "It is one thg to say: 'I don't agree wh you beg gay', but we didn't have the ant one, where policians now are sayg: 'You go to jail for life, you go to jail for talkg about beg gay, you go to jail bee you're livg wh your fellow woman', " Dr Kaoma says.