Texas and Uganda pass new anti-gay laws

Lawmakers in Texas passed a law on Sunday banning "public performance of sexual conduct" which prohibits "prurient" drag and "accessories or prosthetics that enhance the female or male form" in public, or anywhere children might see it. It is "part of a broader effort in Texas and other conservative states to crack down on drag shows and limit LGBTQ rights," according to the Associated Press.

The Texas bill on sexual content in performances was initially meant to bar children from attending drag shows. It was changed to remove specific references to drag shows, but it also broadened the scope of what would be illegal. The bill would ban real or simulated groping, real or simulated arousal and display of a sex toy, if done in a "prurient" manner in front of a minor or on public property. And it includes a definition of sexual conduct that bars wearing accessories or prosthetics that enhance the female or male form in front of a minor or on public property.

In Uganda, president Yoweni Musuveni signed into law the country's new anti-gay law, which prohibits public "promotion" of homosexuality, and increases the punishment for "aggravated homosexuality" from life imprisonment to death.

"The Ugandan president has today legalised state-sponsored homophobia and transphobia," said Clare Byarugaba, a Ugandan rights activist. "It's a very dark and sad day for the LGBTIQ community, our allies and all of Uganda."She and other activists have vowed a legal challenge to the law, which Museveni was shown signing at his desk with a golden pen in a photo tweeted by the presidency. The 78-year-old leader has called homosexuality a "deviation from normal" and urged lawmakers to resist "imperialist" pressure.

The governments of Uganda and Texas receive billions of dollars in aid each year from Washington, D.C.