half of me will always be waitin' for ya ♪ ♪ double x-l ♪ [ cheers and applause ] tonight, inside uganda. people living in fear in what's considered the world's largest anti-lgbtq law. >> fears of being identified. >> reporter: being gay can be beneficial by death. >> you believe there should be the death penalty? >> for homosexuality. >> reporter: the secret shelters at risk for shutting down. >> i don't think i was prepared

for how vulnerable some of these young men and women are. >> how some ewe gaun dans find their way to live their druth. >> outstanding to be that person who is not scared. >> will the u.s. change how it deals with euganda, and how thi extreme crackdown has ties to u.s. evangelical groups? this special edition of u.s. evangelical groups? this special edition of "nightline," "am i next? my most important kitchen tool? my brain. so i choose new neuriva ultra. unlike some others, it supports 7 brain health indicators, including mental alertness from one serving. to help keep me sharp. try new neuriva ultra. think bigger.

it's a ritual that plays out in cities all around the world. friends going out to celebrate a night on the town. >> i love you! >> reporter: here in the african country of uganda, being yourself has become a crime. discovery is an ever-present danger. hiding all the time must be exhausting? >> it is very much exhausting. it feels like you're in lockdown. >> reporter: here, being gay is a matter of life and possibly death. because earlier this year, uganda passed a new law. it's one of the most oppressive in the world. it makes being gay illegal, punishable by prison or even execution. >> i'm more at risk.

why? because i'll easily be identified. >> it could be a life on the run for you? >> it will be on the run. >> you do believe there should be the death penalty? >> for aggravated homosexually. >> reporter: we're here to witness the impact of this extreme crackdown. i don't think i was really prepared for just how vulnerable some of these young men and women are. >> reporter: to see how the people who live here find ways not just to stay alive but to fight back and risk everything to save each other. people have been coming here to get treatment after having been beaten because of this law? >> people are so, so, so heartless. >> reporter: why some activists call this a campaign of hate and claim it's being fueled by u.s.-based evangelical groups. >> the biggest import of the western world is homophobia. >> reporter: 7,000 miles from the united states, uganda is about the size of the state of oregon. has a total population of about 50 million people.

the human rights violations of this new law made headlines around the world and unleashed new levels of homophobia. given i'm gay, covering this story may be all the more dangerous. i've just driven past the police station. every time you see police here, you feel a bit uneasy. hi, henry, how's it going? henry spends every day facing the fear of police harassment. he runs this local clinic. >> our clinic doesn't only support the gay community, it supports the general community. >> reporter: henry's been targeted and arrested for helping gay people. with the new law, he knows it will likely happen again. you could be accused of running a criminal enterprise? are you scared? >> right now, i'm one of the victims. so the bill. >> reporter: henry runs a shelter which houses two dozen

people, many evicted by their landlords since the new law went into effect. you can see how basic the conditions are at this shelter. this is all we have now in the world. suddenly henry gets a call. >> right now somebody has just called that they need shelter. he has been evicted. and he's on his way, he's coming. >> reporter: henry gets at least three calls a day like this every day. this man named emanuel hasn't slept in days. now he must wait to see if henry has an open spot to keep him off the streets. >> i just live in fear for the last month. >> reporter: all this fear is coming from the 2023 law which creates new, harsh punishments. a person found guilty of same-sex conduct could get life in prison. someone advocating for gay rights could serve 20 years

behind bars. even renting a room to a gay couple is seven years of imprisonment. critically, failing to report same-sex acts to police is a crime. it certainly turns everyone into a potential snitch. some people here have to hide in plain sight. james, nice to meet you, how are you? thank you for speaking to us. >> yeah, thank you for coming over. >> i guess we'll go inside, yeah? >> reporter: i meet magara out on a public street. you live on the top? >> yes, i live right on the top. this is almost my safe space of sorts. it is my space where i'm comfortable and sit and like, okay, the world is not that bad inside here. >> reporter: this apartment is the only place magara feels safe. because the 29-year-old is really mona lisa. >> i do identify as a trans woman. >> reporter: prized outfits stashed away in a suitcase to

keep them secret. >> every day, you wake up, you feel different. so for me, this is always my difference all the time. for me, it's about freedom. let us live in the moment. and be loved. >> there you go, there she is. so you feel you now? >> i feel perfect. i feel like this is the woman i want to be like on a daily basis. >> was there a time where you could go out dressed like this? >> yes. there was a time i would go out dressed like this. it's still happening now. >> reporter: all this has left her struggling with thoughts of suicide. authorities recently raided her home and jailed her for three months. she was charged with homosexuality propaganda. this is the police report? >> yeah. >> reporter: that was just before the new law came into effect.

hello? hi, i'm james. >> hey, james. >> reporter: eric is 27 years old. he was also arrested earlier this year. >> this is a bit of a hub for your friends? >> yeah, yeah. >> reporter: inside his home, the young activist wears his identity with pride. there's color all over the house, but you don't feel safe going out dressed like this? >> currently, no, it's not safe. >> reporter: for eric and his friends, just existing as a form of defiance, and tonight going out to a club, their act of resistance. do you feel nervous before you go out? >> a little bit. you can't go alone out in case anything happens. you can't just go alone. >> reporter: so what we're doing now is waiting for a ride to a club. even in this situation, it's

what these kids are risking. gay clubs have been shut down, so friends head to a local dance party instead. it's not illegal to have a good time, but for those who are gay, they understand the risks. so do we. to avoid unwanted attention, we use iphones to take this footage. inside, there's an immediate release. instant joy. ♪ >> reporter: even amidst all this positive energy, there's danger lurking. one complaint, one annoyed neighbor, one overcurious passerby, and this could all end with police sirens and violence. and yet for these young people, they say this release is crucial for their survival.

>> i surround myself with people that accept me. it's important. >> reporter: when we were last with henry, a young man came looking for help. he's now been placed in one of henry's shelters, and we're going to go meet him. for so many gay people here, anonymity is essential. but emanuel is tired of hiding. so he's willing to show his face. so you feel people getting suspicious, threatening you? >> every day that goes by, you feel like it's becoming more like you're in a box. >> reporter: emanuel is estranged from his family and just recently got kicked out of his home after the landlady spotted his boyfriend visiting. >> my biggest fear is the police

can find me anywhere. >> we're obviously concerned about your safety. we want to make sure that you being on tv in america is not going to put you in danger. >> thank you. nobody would want to live in the fear i stand to. to be that person who is not scared of being who i really am. >> hi, welcome. >> thank you so much. >> reporter: asaman is one of the ugandan lawmakers who sponsored the new law. >> in africa, we never sought to imprison gays, no. >> reporter: he says other countries should respect uganda's sovereignty. >> for us we look at gay as a deviation. >> a deviation? >> yes. there's no doubt about it. >> reporter: for two hours, i sat and listened to denial after denial. >> you are trying to make, to create a mountain out of an anthill. >> the suggestion that gay people somehow -- >> oh, no, oh, no --

>> reporter: occasionally our conversation got heated. do you see the impact it's having on ugandans, on young lgbt people in this country who feel persecuted, who feel that their government has turned against them? >> where are they? >> well, we've met a number of them. >> no, no, no. don't believe that trash. let me tell you. >> okay. >> i am a lawyer here. if anybody's being persecuted for existence, give me their contacts, i'll represent them free of charge. where are they? >> well, i don't think i want to give you their locations because they're afraid of the government. >> they are afraid how? the stories i hear every day is different from what he would want to tell you. >> reporter: human rights attorney nicholas says in the short time since this law went into effect, the repercussions have been swift. >> i have people who have been raped. who are afraid to go to hospitals because they fear being reported. i have people who are hiding in their houses and calling me for

medical help, for food. when we come back -- >> we stand up to homosexuals, we don't allow homosexuals! >> how many say the origins of this crackdown are imported from america. and why does an evangelical group from arizona have connections to the president of group from arizona have connections to the president of uganda today? i told myself i was ok with my moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. with my psoriatic arthritis symptoms. but just ok isn't ok. and i was done settling. if you still have symptoms after a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq is different and may help. rinvoq is a once-daily pill that can dramatically relieve ra and psa symptoms, including fatigue for some. it can stop joint damage. and in psa, can leave skin clear or almost clear. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal;

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church here as really spearh spearheaded the anti-lgbtq movement. so we've got some questions to ask. it's hard to understate just how important and powerful religion is in uganda. nice to meet you, thank you very much for seeing us. >> thank you. >> reporter: pass pastor simeo leads a church, a supporter of the new anti-lgbtq law, considered the harshest in the world because it includes the death penalty. >> it's not a human right to be gay. it's not. >> reporter: uganda is more than 80% christian and nearly 14% muslim with a heavy emphasis on traditional family. you believe it's possible to teach a person to be gay? >> yeah. because this is -- it's not, you know -- to me, homosexuality is not innate, it's not inborn. the parliament of uganda voted 100% in favor of anti-lgbt law.

i mean, the whole country voted that way. >> reporter: really interesting conversation with the pastor just now. i mean, he said the words, gay rights are not human rights. his basic argument was that, i'm sick as a gay person, i need help, but it's my choice and given i'm foreign, it's not really his business. human rights watch found that more than 30 african countries banned same-sex relations. >> the idea of the persecution of african lgbtq people did not come from africa. american christian rightists are behind it. >> reporter: platforms like open democracy have reported u.s.-based christian groups, known for fighting everything from access to abortion to limiting lgbtq rights, spent

tens of millions of dollars across africa over the last decade or more -- >> we stand up to homosexuals! we don't allow homosexuals! >> reporter: the origins of this new law in uganda can be traced back to 2009 when a bill nicknamed "kill the gays" was drafted in parliament. >> the gay movement doesn't care about what you think. >> reporter: this is american evangelical leader scott lively. this video was filmed by this man, working as a preacher in uganda. it became part of "god loves uganda" which claims the country's anti-lgbtq sentiment was being influenced by american evangelicals. >> we need public policy that discourages homosexuality. >> reporter: that so-called "kill the gays" law was passed in 2014. it was struck down before it went into effect. >> the american evangelicals also learned something. what they started doing is having conferences, africans with american christian

rightists coming together. >> reporter: just before the new anti-lgbtq law went into effect earlier this year, the government of uganda hosted a conference titled "protecting african culture and family values" which included members of parliament and uganda's president, who posted part of it on his social media channels. >> there will be no promotion of homosexuality in uganda. >> reporter: sharon slater, the head of arizona-based evangelical group family watch international. >> i cannot tell you the power that i think will reverberate across africa that will affect the whole world from this conference. we must stop this cultural imperialism that is destroying our children and our families. >> reporter: shortly after the conference, the ugandan president signed the bill. >> she cannot deny those connections. >> reporter: family watch international denies they helped

author this anti-lgbtq law, and according to their website the group says it opposed the bill, the penalties including the death penalty, and the part that would punish people for not turning in others. family watch pleaded with the eugandan >> who i have sex with, who i love, is less important to the common person in the village. evangelical groups have jumped on this campaign as an issue for them. and have created a sense that there's widespread hatred in this country. >> reporter: the united states gives a lot of money to uganda, nearly $1 billion in aid. so we've come here to d.c. to see if they have any plans to change that as a result of this law. i'm wondering what material

response the administration is planning and when we can expect that? >> it infringes very clearly on the human rights of ugandan citizens. president biden directed the government to evaluate all aspects of our engagement with uganda. that process is ongoing. when i have any news for you on that front, of course we'll share it. >> reporter: it's unclear if u.s. sanctions will have any effect. the world bank, though, has already stopped lending to uganda. the european union denounced the bill as well. but ugandan leaders remain defiant. the young people we met in uganda wonder how they'll survive in a country determined to punish them for merely living their lives. we'll be right back.

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