Iraq passes harsh new law criminalising LGBTQ+ relationships [Video]

Iraq has just passed a sweeping new anti-LGBTQ+ law that criminalises same-sex relationships, with anyone breaking it potentially facing up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The law also criminalises simply existing as a trans person, with penalties for anyone who changes their “biological gender” or dresses in an effeminate manner, reports the Independent.

Up until now, Iraq was one of just a few Islamic nations which did not explicitly criminalise gay sex, although morality clauses in its penal code have been used to target LGBTQ+ people in the past.

The Law on Combating Prostitution and Homosexuality was passed on Saturday (27 April), and makes it abundantly clear that same-sex relations are now entirely banned in Iraq, punishable by a prison sentence of at least 10 years, up to a maximum of 15.

It reportedly aims to “protect Iraqi society from moral depravity and the calls for homosexuality that have overtaken the …