Uganda’s legislature passes harsh new anti-LGBTQ bill

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA
Associated Press

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Ugandan lawmakers passed a bill prescribing jail terms of up to 10 years for offenses related to same-sex relations, responding to popular sentiment but piling more pressure on the East African country’s LGBTQ community. The bill was passed late Tuesday inside a packed parliamentary chamber, and after a roll call ordered by the House speaker, who had repeatedly warned it was necessary to identify those who might oppose the bill. It was supported by nearly all of the 389 legislators present. An earlier version of the bill enacted in 2014 later was nullified by a court on procedural grounds. Human Rights Watch has described the new bill as “a more egregious version” of the 2014 law.