As a gay Ugandan activist who found asylum here, I urge Massachusetts residents to reject the candidacy of Scott Lively for governor (“No more Gov. Nice Guy,’’ Yvonne Abraham, Metro, May 10).

I am a victim of Lively’s homophobic campaign in Uganda. In 2009, he came to my former country to sow hatred and tell lies, preaching that homosexuals, peace-loving citizens, had an agenda and were a danger to society.

Lively’s propaganda opened an avenue for the administration of President Yoweri Museveni to incite a witch hunt against LGBTQ Ugandans. I bear witness to the violence, persecution, and painful divisions his words created. Many have been forced to flee a country we love for our safety, leaving behind our life’s work, family, and friends.

In 2014, the Anti-Homosexuality Act, Lively’s brainchild, was signed into law (then subsequently ruled invalid). Facing threats of death or life imprisonment, I too was forced to seek asylum here in the United States.

My new home, Massachusetts, which championed marriage equality, is better than this. Lively’s place on the Republican primary ballot would set a dangerous precedent, risking a backlash against LGBTQ people. We must not lend him new authority to push his agenda of hatred around the world.

John Abdallah Wambere

Woburn

The writer is cofounder of the Kampala-based gay rights organization Spectrum Uganda Initiatives.