A 26-year-old climate activist says he had to flee Uganda after facing horrific threats due to his support for LGBTQ+ rights.

In addition to his work with environmental non-profit Earth Volunteers, Nyombi Morris, who identifies as straight, has been outspoken about LGBTQ+ rights in Uganda ever since his sister was outed and expelled from school, according to The Guardian.

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Morris’ environmental activism, most notably on campaigns against the east African crude oil pipeline (EACOP), have resulted in threats before. But after tabloid newspapers began falsely reporting that he was gay and “promoting homosexuality,” he feared he could be prosecuted under Uganda’s “Anti-Homosexuality Act.”

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The law, signed by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in May 2023, punishes “aggravated homosexuality” — including same-sex acts that transmit HIV — with the death penalty and imposes a life sentence for “recruitment, promotion and funding” of same-sex “activities.” The law even bans identifying as LGBTQ+ in Uganda.

The law has been roundly condemned by human rights organizations, members of the U.S. House of Representatives, President Joe Biden, and even Pope Francis.

“The consequences [of LGBTQ+ advocacy in Uganda] are scary,” Morris told The Guardian. “Since these claims started, people are afraid of being associated with me because they risk being labeled a [gay] activist.”

Morris has been accused online of using his influence to “advance foreign ideologies” and of recruiting high school students into “gay clubs” through his youth-led climate activism. Schools began withdrawing from projects with Earth Volunteers. Morris’s mother was warned that he had been banned from their village, and she was later questioned by police, who seized her phone, about his whereabouts. His brothers have also been suspended from school.

Morris himself received an anonymous call in which he was threatened with rape and arrest. He eventually went into hiding and was able to flee to Denmark, where he has applied for asylum, according to The Guardian.

“I cannot go back to Uganda because politically I’m not on the same page as the government, and that puts me in danger,” Morris said.

Roland Ebole of Amnesty International, which recently released a report on the chilling effect Uganda’s anti-LGBTQ+ law has had on freedom of expression in the country, said Morris’s case illustrates the far-reaching consequences of the law.

“Because of the punitive nature of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, human rights defenders and political activists face the threat of being accused of being LGBTQ+ themselves, just to gag or intimidate them into silence,” Ebole explained.

“The overzealousness of [law] enforcement to make arrests or prosecute these cases means that proper investigations may not be carried out,” Ebole added. “In some cases, the police use the stringent laws and penalties to extort [those under investigation].”

Morris said his life and work have ground to a halt while awaiting a decision on his asylum status in Denmark. He said his bank account has been frozen and he is barely able to meet his basic needs on the stipend provided by the country’s government. But while he described the ordeal as “challenging,” he said he’s committed to continuing his work.  

“I can’t stop now,” he said. “I have to be part of the solution in climate justice and human rights, that’s what keeps me going.”

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