Even through a long-distance line from Uganda, you can hear the fear and anxiety in the young man's voice. Nathan, 19, is gay. NPR is not using his surname because he fears arrest.
"Right now we are not safe," he says. "Because we are hearing some people say ... 'If we get you, we will kill you. If we get you, we'll do something bad to you.' "
More than 70 countries have laws on the books criminalizing homosexuality, including Nigeria, Russia and India. And on Monday, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed into law a measure that greatly expands the penalties for being gay in that country.
These laws also raise the likelihood of a tide of LGBT immigrants seeking asylum in the United States. But advocates say there is no smooth path for those claiming a fear of persecution.
In Uganda, the new law means a first-time offender can be sentenced to 14 years in prison. A lifetime sentence can be imposed for so-called "aggravated homosexuality," defined as sex with a minor or while HIV-positive.
Those sanctions are already driving gays and lesbians underground. Nathan and his partner fled Uganda's capital, Kampala, for a village where they hoped to find refuge. In the city, he says, he was threatened by neighbors for being gay.
"They take us as criminals. That's what I can say. They say we have evil in us," he says.
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