Seventy-six countries criminalize sexual activity by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and 38 of them, including Ethiopia, are in Africa. According to the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project, 97 percent of Ethiopians think homosexuality should be outlawed. Unlike Mauritania, Sudan, and Northern Nigeria, Ethiopia doesn’t mandate the death penalty for same-sex sexual acts, but thanks to draconian laws that forbid activism while allowing Western evangelicals to promote homophobia, Ethiopia is on track to join their ranks.

In many countries, it’s getting better for the LGBT community. In Ethiopia, it’s getting worse.

I’m not a fan of the you think you have it bad? Imagine what it’s like to be a [insert state of personhood] in [insert African country] line of logic, but this is one instance where I think it’s incredibly important to take a second to walk a mile in shoes worn somewhere else on the globe. And to keep in mind who the pushers are of this movement—Western religious fundamentalists who are also gaining traction in Russia.

Joe Stracci