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

Contents:

• UGANDA'S ANTI-GAY LAW: HOW RTRICTED ARE LGBTQ RIGHTS AI?
• GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN KAMPALA, UGANDA
• UGANDA TO JAIL PEOPLE WHO INTIFY AS LGBTQ ONE OF WORLD'S MOST ANTI-GAY LAWS
• GAY PRI UGANDA
• UGANDA PASSED ONE OF THE WORLD’S HARSHT ANTI-GAY LAWS. LGBTQ PEOPLE SCRIBE LIVG THERE AS ‘HELL’
• NO, UGANDA IS NOT MAKG ILLEGAL TO BE GAY (AGA)

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

KAMPALA, March 21 (Rters) - 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 than 30 Ain untri, cludg Uganda, already ban same-sex relatns.

The new law appears to be the first to outlaw merely intifyg as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (LGBTQ), acrdg to rights group Human Rights Watch. Supporters of the new law say is need to punish a broar array of LGBTQ activi, which they say threaten tradnal valu the nservative and relig East Ain addn to same-sex terurse, the law bans promotg and abettg homosexualy as well as nspiracy to engage homosexualy. Vlatns unr the law draw severe penalti, cludg ath for so-lled aggravated homosexualy and life prison for gay sex.

Aggravated homosexualy volv gay sex wh people unr the age of 18 or when the perpetrator is HIV posive, among other tegori, acrdg to the law.

GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN KAMPALA, UGANDA

[1/4]Bugiri Municipaly Member of Parliament Asuman Basalirwa, addrs the hoe as he participat the bate of the Anti-Homosexualy bill, which propos tough new penalti for same-sex relatns durg a stg at the Parliament buildgs Kampala, Uganda March 21, 2023. Meveni has not mented on the current proposal but he has long opposed LGBTQ rights and signed an anti-LGBTQ law 2013 that Wtern untri nmned before a domtic urt stck down on procral recent weeks, Uganda thori have cracked down on LGBTQ people after relig lears and policians alleged stunts were beg reced to homosexualy month, thori arrted a sendary school teacher the eastern district of Jja over accatns of "groomg of young girls to unnatural sex practic" was subsequently charged wh gross cency and is prison awag police said on Monday they had arrted six people acced of nng a work that was "actively volved the groomg of young boys to acts of sodomy".

Qu Karala, 29, a member of the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, tersex and queer (LGBTQ) muny and a sgle mother of one pos for a picture wh rabow lours at the offic of Rella Women's Empowerment Program, for LGBTQ rights advocy, after a Rters terview Kulambiro suburb of Kampala, Uganda April 4, 2023.

UGANDA TO JAIL PEOPLE WHO INTIFY AS LGBTQ ONE OF WORLD'S MOST ANTI-GAY LAWS

* In 2017, Chad crimalised same-sex acts what the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (ILGA) lled "a worryg example of legal regrsn the regn". * Although homosexualy is not a crime Egypt, discrimatn agast the LGBTQ muny is rife. Gay men are equently arrted and typilly charged wh bchery, immoraly or blasphemy.

* Ivory Coast do not crimalise gay sex but there have been rerd s of tentn and prosecutn.

GAY PRI UGANDA

* South Ai is the only Ain untry where gay marriage is legal. However, South Ai has high rat of homophobic crime.

* Botswana crimalised homosexualy 2019 and Gabon 2020. Sourc:* Rters burex* Global review by the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (ILGA), last updated December 2020. Ugandan print says 'homosexuals are viatns om normal'.

Ugandan lawmakers on Tuday approved some of the world’s harsht anti-gay laws, makg some crim punishable by ath and imposg up to 20 years prison for people intifyg as LGBTQ+. It targets an array of activi, and clus a ban on promotg and abettg homosexualy as well as nspiracy to engage homosexualy, Rters reported.

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

Acrdg to the bill, the ath penalty n be voked for s volvg “aggravated homosexualy” – a broad term ed the legislatn to scribe sex acts mted whout nsent or unr durs, agast children, people wh mental or physil disabili, by a “serial offenr, ” or volvg ct. “A person who ms the offense of aggravated homosexualy and is liable, on nvictn to suffer ath, ” read the amendments, which were prented by the chairperson for legal and parliamentary affairs Roba Rwakoojo. Opposn lawmaker Asuman Basalirwa troduced the Anti Homosexualy Bill 2023 to parliament, sayg aims to “protect our church culture; the legal, relig and tradnal fay valu of Ugandans om the acts that are likely to promote sexual promiscuy this untry.

Meveni last week rid homosexuals as “viants. Uganda ma headl 2009 when troduced an anti-homosexualy bill that clud a ath sentence for gay sex.

Uganda was not always the extremely homophobic untry has transformed to. It first gaed ternatnal notoriety 2009 when David Bahati, a member of the Ugandan parliament whose views were heavily fluenced by Amerin evangelils, troduced the now famo “Kill the Gays” bill.

NO, UGANDA IS NOT MAKG ILLEGAL TO BE GAY (AGA)

Unr the guise of “protectg the tradnal fay, ” the bill advoted for the ath penalty for “aggravated homosexualy” and the imprisonment of anyone “promotg” or failg to report homosexualy. Supporters of the bill equated homosexualy wh pedophilia, suatg that gay adults groomed vulnerable children to homosexualy. Although the ath penalty was dropped om the 2009 versn, the bill was still signed to law 2014 as the Anti-Homosexualy Act.

Six months later, and after wispread ternatnal prsure, the Ugandan Constutnal Court led the Anti-Homosexualy Act valid on procral grounds.