Pretty Peter, a Ugandan transgender woman, is relatively safe in neighboring Kenya. Her friends in Uganda, however, continue to feel threatened by the recently passed anti-gay law, which mandates the death penalty in cases defined as “aggravated homosexuality.”
Terrified, LGBTQ people look for a way to flee, just like Pretty Peter did. Some have stayed in their homes since Monday, when the law was signed, for fear of being attacked, she said.
government validation
“Homophobes have received validation from the government to attack people,” the 26-year-old said, in a room decorated with grim portraits of a global project called “Where Love Is Illegal.”
“My friends have seen a change in attitude in their neighbors and they are looking for documents and money to travel and get refuge in Kenya,” he said.
It’s Hard: A message to Pretty Peter says “Me and the girls want to come but it’s too hard.”
Homosexuality has long been illegal in Uganda under a colonial-era law that punishes sexual activity “contrary to the order of nature.” Violation of the law is punishable by life imprisonment. Pretty Peter, who asked to be identified by her pseudonym for security reasons, fled the country in 2019 after police arrested 150 people at a gay club and presented them to the press before charging them with disorderly conduct.
widespread condemnation
The new law signed into law by President Yoweri Museveni was condemned by activists and others around the world. It does not penalize those who identify as LGBTQ, following outrage over an earlier version. Museveni had returned the bill to the national assembly to ask that it distinguish between identifying as LGBTQ and engaging in homosexual acts.
The new law preserves the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”, defined as sexual relations infected with HIV, as well as with minors and other vulnerable persons. The sentence for “aggravated attempted homosexuality” can reach 14 years. And there’s a 20-year sentence for “promoting homosexuality,” a broad category that encompasses journalists and activists.