‘Born out of hatred’: New Uganda bill terrifies LGBTQ community | Features

Kampala, Uganda — Frank Mugisha, a gay rights activist and executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), receives hundreds of requests for help daily.

“People want my intervention,” he said. “I get so many WhatsApp messages. ‘I want food’; ‘I can’t work any more’; ‘People know I’m LGBTQ and I can’t go back’; ‘I’m worried’; ‘I need housing’; ‘People are calling’; ‘I’m being blackmailed;’ ‘I’m being trailed.’… It’s overwhelming.”

In the last week, these pleas have become increasingly desperate.

There has always been hostility…