Post AUWJrWEhG2e1cPqTjs by legumancer@tech.lgbt
 (DIR) More posts by legumancer@tech.lgbt
 (DIR) Post #AUWJrUwE5EH9aqCDJI by legumancer@tech.lgbt
       2023-03-28T16:54:49Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       It's become incredibly unsafe to be gay or otherwise LGBT in Uganda. TransRescue @trans_rescue is collecting donations to help LGBT+ Ugandans flee to Kenya: https://transrescue.org/donations/donate(CW, stop reading here if you're not in an okay mental place to hear about this, upsetting stuff to follow.)
       
 (DIR) Post #AUWJrWEhG2e1cPqTjs by legumancer@tech.lgbt
       2023-03-28T16:56:29Z
       
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       The current situation: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65034343"Homosexual acts" were already illegal in Uganda, but it was still possible to exist and live as a gay person there. What's changed is that simply *saying that you are gay* is illegal, prison sentences are longer, and police are making a specific effort to find and arrest gay, trans, and otherwise queer Ugandans.People are receiving blackmail saying they'll be reported for being gay if they don't pay a bribe. In some places, the police arrested people at random, only releasing them if they name a gay person they know. People have been beaten while in police custody.I'm imagining how afraid I'd be if I were vacationing in Uganda (or heck, back home in the US) and arrested for breaking a law, and it must be much more dangerous and frightening for locals who know that almost anything could happen to them and it wouldn't make the news as anything but a statistic.
       
 (DIR) Post #AUWJrXIzHZfew0rQ48 by legumancer@tech.lgbt
       2023-03-28T16:56:57Z
       
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       This is of particular relevance to Americans, because American churches and religious organizations have stoked hatred of gay people in Uganda through anti-gay preaching. https://www.hrc.org/resources/report-scott-lively-and-the-exporation-of-hate
       
 (DIR) Post #AUWJrYJNXbZu3W3FJY by legumancer@tech.lgbt
       2023-03-28T16:57:15Z
       
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       What you can do:- If you know of any travel agencies offering trips to Uganda, call, email or write them and ask them to stop. Uganda's government cares about tourism money, and a boycott might save Ugandans' lives and freedom.- If you attend an evangelical church, speak out against this to fellow church members or your church's leadership. If you have friends who are evangelical, tell them what is happening and ask them to help by talking to their own church.- Donate to TransRescue @trans_rescue https://transrescue.org/donations/donate They are organizing a bus trip to help those who wish to leave escape to Kenya, where they will be relatively safer.
       
 (DIR) Post #AUWJrZNfZ8bXN74Bdo by legumancer@tech.lgbt
       2023-03-28T17:15:14Z
       
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       Some news, TransRescue has gotten in contact with an additional 14 LGBT people who are hiding in an apartment together and need help to flee Uganda. TransRescue is trying to raise 1,000 Euro for hiring a bus and other expenses to get them to safety. If you donate towards their goal, tell me and I'll match your donation up to 500 Euro or $550. (Their payment portal also accepts dollars.) https://transrescue.org/donations/donate