African gays in U.S. and abroad seek legal help amid spate of harsh criminal penalties

[mahatmakanejeeves]

African gays in U.S. and abroad seek legal help amid spate of harsh criminal penalties

By Pamela Constable,

For years now, a gay man from Liberia named Bill has been living quietly in suburban Maryland, working at various hotels. He never worried seriously about what would happen if his long-term visa expired and he had to return. Until now.

Liberia, caught up in a wave of homophobia that is spurring an anti-gay legal crackdown across Africa, recently passed a law that mandates lengthy prison terms for anyone committing a homosexual act. Bill said a relative of his was caught and beaten by a mob that demanded he “renounce” being a homosexual.
....

Bill is one of hundreds of gay Africans — some living at home and others in the United States — who have flooded legal-aid groups in the United States with appeals for help after the aggressive legal campaign against homosexuality. Lawyers and rights groups say the demand has intensified in the past two months, since Nigeria and Uganda enacted laws that criminalize homosexual behavior, identity and activism.

Homosexuality has long been banned in many African countries, but a powerful mix of religious fervor, fear of AIDS, anti-Western nationalism and political expediency is ratcheting up anti-gay sentiment to unprecedented levels, rights advocates said.

[mitchtv]

1. Make no mistake

getting legal relief for this segment of society will very very difficult