The fate of legislatn to crimalize intifyg as LGBTQ Uganda is unclear, but across the regn, anti-gay sentiment has people livg fear. Stephanie Bari reports.
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GAY AND LIVG ON AI'S EAST COAST
Mohamed Ali don't believe gay Ains exist. He says homosexualy is a Wtern ventn imposed on the ntent. Openly gay Ains are liars seekg visas to the Wt or money om rights groups, he adds. * lgbt east africa *
REUTERS/Monih MwangiRtersBy Ayenat Mersie and Melwa HlatshwayoNAIROBI (Rters) -Mohamed Ali don't believe gay Ains exist. Openly gay Ains are liars seekg visas to the Wt or money om rights groups, he is a member of Kenya's parliament.
"I will ask them to take me to vote for that, to kick them out, kick LGBT people out of Kenya pletely, " he after Uganda enacted one of the most dranian anti-LGBT laws on Earth, Kenya uld be poised to follow su wh a siarly formulated bill that punish gay sex wh prison or even ath some s, acrdg to a draft of the law and two lawmakers backg parliament. Some regnal lawmakers ame the issue as an almost existential battle to save Ain valu and sovereignty, which they say have been battered by Wtern prsure to pulate on gay draft of Kenya's Fay Protectn Bill, seen by Rters, mirrors many aspects of the Ugandan law, which was signed by Print Yoweri Meveni at the end of May to the dismay of the LGBT muny, human rights mpaigners and Wtern sex is punishable by at least 10 years jail unr the proposed Kenyan law, while "aggravated homosexualy", which clus gay sex wh a mor or disabled person or when a termal disease is passed on, brgs the ath penalty. "It is a hateful piece of legislatn that will tly make the liv of queer Kenyans unbearable if passed, " said Ante Atieno of the Natnal Gay and Lbian Human Rights Commissn mpaign group.
Meanwhile, Tanzanian lawmaker Jacquele Ngonyani said she planned to troduce a private motn parliament later this year to clamp down on gay activy an attempt to "ntrol the ongog moral y". "If the (gay) people crease, this will be the end of generatn, " she add.
ON GAY RIGHTS, YOUNG AINS SHARE THE TOLERANCE OF THEIR ELRS
Mohamed Mbata, Deputy Director of LGBT Voice Tanzania This past November, I sent my associate Chris Wtlg to Dar Salaam, Tanzania, to meet wh LGBT activists and discs the lack of progrs the area of human rights as related to LGBT issu. Currently, is a crime punishable by imprisonment to be lbian, gay, bisexual, or transgenr Tanzania. This year, the * lgbt east africa *
Tanzania's mister of nstutnal and legal affairs, Damas Ndumbaro, said there was ltle room to tighten existg lonial-era laws agast homosexualy, though. "Let review why the problem is persistg, " he said, referrg to gay activy.
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"'PROMOTING' HOMOSEXUALITY: 5 YEARSThe Kenyan anti-gay bill is beg vetted by a parliamentary mtee, which n then refer to the full chamber for a vote. Several lled for legislatn to strengthen penalti for same-sex acts, cludg the puty majory lear, who said gay sex uld be punished by hangg.
"We nnot travel the road of women marryg their fellow women and men marryg their fellow men, " he said at the proposed Kenyan law reflects a signifint gree of agreement and ordatn on anti-gay polici between lawmakers across the regn, acrdg to the draft of the bill as well as Rters terviews wh the Kenyan MPs and activists.
Several new crim appear both Uganda's law and the proposed Kenyan one, cludg the aggravated homosexualy offence, "promotg" homosexualy and allowg gay sex on your property, which affects landlords. "The Uned Stat advanc efforts around the globe to protect LGBTQI+ persons om vlence and abe, crimalizatn, discrimatn, and stigma, and to empower lol LGBTQI+ movements and persons, " the spokperson said rponse to qutns about this REIGNS AT NAIROBI PRIDEThe Kenyan bill would toughen up a lonial-era statute unr which gay sex was already illegal, though the olr, ls tailed law was rarely proposed law would signal the ath knell for Kenya's stat as a place of relative refuge for gay people East Ai as the only untry the regn to host refuge fleeg persecutn bee they are draft bill stipulat that no one should be granted asylum on grounds of persecutn lked to sexual orientatn.