Uganda’s New Anti-LGBTQ Law Includes Life In Prison, Death Penalty

The president of the conservative East African nation of Uganda has signed one of the world’s most restrictive anti-LGBTQ laws that not only intensifies a crackdown on queer folks, but includes the death penalty in some cases. https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1663189720405344257 From the New York Times:

The law, which was introduced in Parliament in March, calls for life imprisonment for anyone who engages in gay sex. Anyone who tries to have same-sex relations could be liable for up to a decade in prison.

The law also decrees the death penalty for anyone convicted of “aggravated homosexuality,” a term defined as acts of same-sex relations with children or disabled people, those carried out under threat or while someone is unconscious. The offense of “attempted aggravated homosexuality” carries a sentence of up to 14 years.

The Ugandan legislation, known officially as the Anti-Homosexuality Act, was first passed by Parliament in March. But instead of signing it immediately, Mr. Museveni sent it back for amendments, seeking to make clear a distinction between being gay and engaging in gay sex.

The original legislation would have made just the act of identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer a crime. https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/1663229464417910797 The United Nations, several Western governments and civil rights groups approached Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni asking him to not sign the legislation into law. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has stated the bill would “damage Uganda’s international reputation.” But in a video statement released to the public, Museveni declared his country had “rejected the pressure from the imperials,” a reference to Western nations. https://twitter.com/WHCommsDir/status/1663231239157956631