On 8 July 2022, the Iraqi LGBTQ+ community reacted in shock to the news that MPs had taken steps to pass legislation that would ban homosexuality in the country. At present, Iraq’s criminal penal code does not explicitly mention homosexuality, but Article 401 states that “any person who commits an immodest act in public is punishable by a period of detention not exceeding 6 months plus a fine not exceeding 50 dinars or by one of those penalties”. This law is often used to target the LGBTQ+ community, who already face verbal insults on the street, violence, torture, arrest, and death threats. S…