As anti-gay sentiment grows, more LGBTQ+ people seek to flee Uganda

EVELYNE MUSAMBI and BRIAN INGANGANAIROBI

Pretty Peter flicked through frantic messages from friends at home in Uganda.

The transgender woman is relatively safe in neighboring Kenya. Her friends feel threatened by the latest anti-gay legislation in Uganda prescribing the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.”Frightened Ugandans are searching for a way to get out like Pretty Peter did.

Some have stayed indoors since the law was signed on Monday, fearing that they’ll be targeted, she said.“Right now, homophobes have received validation from the government to attack people,” the 26-year-old said, standing in a room decorated with somber portraits from a global project called “Where Love is Illegal.”“My friends have already seen a change of attitude among their neighbors and are working on obtaining papers and transport money to seek refuge in Kenya,” she said.

That’s challenging: One message to Pretty Peter read, “Me and the girls we want to come but