A Nobel Peace Prize nominee and LGBT activist spoke to a crowd of law students and community members about both his experiences as a gay man and his thoughts on Ugandan views of homosexuality during the 11th Annual Midwest LGBTQ Law Conference held at Washington University’s School of Law on Friday.

Frank Mugisha is the executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), an umbrella, non-governmental organization based in Kampala, Uganda. SMUG’s mission is to monitor, coordinate and support member organizations that aim to aid in the liberation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

Dane Lewis, executive director of the Jamaica Forum of Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG), delivers a keynote address entitled “Toward an Appreciation for Sexual and Gender Diversity” in the Caribbean. The event was part of the 11th Annual Midwest LGBTQ Law Conference.

He addressed the increasing homophobia in Uganda and told students the best way to help was to call on the United States government to press for equal rights.

Mugisha noted that the shifting political and social views in Uganda have increased homophobia among the population and stigmatized the gay community—noting certain pieces of legislation in particular.

Mugisha made particular mention of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which was passed into law in 2013. Mugisha acknowledged that intimidation born from such legislation may be preventing young people from coming out to their loved ones.

“I came out when I was fourteen. If I was fourteen now, I would not come out,” Mugisha said.

Such legislation has also made it increasingly difficult for Mugisha and SMUG to continue their advocacy work amid the lack of support from the government and religious propaganda in Uganda.

“Since 2007, we’ve [SMUG] had to move more than six times because of intimidation by the police,” Mugisha said.

Despite government intimidation and persecution, Mugisha said he continues to fight legislation that continues to reduce the rights of the LGBT community and expressed gratitude at his invitation to speak at the conference.

“I was very excited to receive the email inviting me to St. Louis because it shows that my work is going beyond borders,” he said.

Mugisha’s speech was the keynote of the Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute and Public Interest Law & Policy Speaker series. The conference serves to discuss social, political and legal issues facing the LGBT community with a focus of “Rights Beyond Borders.”

Mugisha’s work has also already received recognition outside of Uganda’s borders through various awards and accolades, most notably with a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2014. In 2011, Mugisha was named the recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award for his activism. He is also the recipient of the Rafto Prize for Human Rights during that same year.

During a Q&A session following Mugisha’s lecture, an audience member asked what Americans can do to help aid LGBT advocacy efforts in Uganda. Mugisha advised students to pressure the U.S. government to assist in the fight for equal rights for all people.

Shanti Parikh, an associate professor of Anthropology and African and African American Studies, followed Mugisha with a brief lecture in response to Mugisha’s talk. She noted the importance of Uganda taking initiative when tackling issues of homophobia.

The West’s involvement can make third world countries appear incapable of addressing certain issues, Parikh said.

“Whenever we do things, we have to understand that all of our interventions in the global south are also seen as an act of domination,” Parikh said.

Both Mugisha and Parikh received a long round of applause following their talks. Audience members were intrigued by Parikh’s discussion of Western involvement and Mugisha’s depiction of advocacy in a homophobic environment.

John S. Meyer, Jr., a St. Louis native and 1984 Washington University law alumnus, appreciated Parikh’s discussion of the role of first-world nations in addressing third-world issues.

“I thought the political dynamic was really interesting. It goes to show that nothing is simple. The good wishes of nations like ours who want to impose what we think is right on another nation can have a backfiring effect,” Meyer said. “It’s best when these changes come from within a nation.”

Second year University law students Brittany Armour and Lauren Verseman discussed the tendency to forget about the slow progression of human rights among different countries.

“It’s interesting to see how this is a human rights issue and how countries are just moving at different paces…it’s 2016 and countries are so drastically different,” Armour said.

Verseman noted the U.S.’s intervention in Uganda as a multi layered issue.

“The articulation between various aspects of the colonial heritage and how that tied into [this]…I don’t often think about those connections anymore. Because it’s so easy in the West to assume that advocating for gay rights in other countries is a pure good,” Verseman said. “There’s a lot bigger and historical issues happening. Being mindful of colonial heritage is really important.”