The Ugandan National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organizations NGO Bureau under the Ministry of Internal Affairs said on Friday that the group tried to register its name in 2012 but was rejected on grounds of being undesirable. The refusal to legalize SMUG's operation that seeks to protect LGBTQ people who are still being discriminated against in Uganda, actively encouraged by political and religious leaders, was a clear indicator that the government of Uganda and its agencies are adamant and treat Ugandan gender and sexual minorities as second-class citizens. The government must uphold their duty to protect all Ugandans regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, expression, and sex characteristics. In 2009 Uganda introduced the Anti-homosexuality bill that included a death sentence for gay sex. In 2014, the bill was passed by the country's lawmakers, but they replaced the death penalty clause with a proposal for life in prison. The law was eventually struck down, but some lawmakers tried to reintroduce it. In 2014, Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni told CNN in an exclusive interview that sexual behavior is a matter of choice and gay people are disgusting. Uganda is a socially conservative country, and introduced the Anti-Pornography Act in 2014, which included a mini-skirt ban. In recent years, the law has resulted in the arrest of revenge porn victims. In May 2019, Uganda's ex-gay community petitioned Uganda's parliament to bring back the 2014 Anti-Homosexuality Bill to create awareness of sexual orientation, according to a statement on the Parliament website. Ugandan activists have told CNN that the LGBTQ community faces arrests, attacks and persecution.