Trans Man Calls on Governments to Pressure Uganda to End Punitive Anti-LGBT+ Law – Global Issues
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MUNICH, Jul 31 (IPS) – Jay Mulucha, Executive Director of FEM Alliance Uganda, has called on governments around the world to force lawmakers in his country to reverse a new punitive law that criminalizes the LGBT+ community.
He was the first known to speak at the opening ceremony when he delivered his speech at the 25 Nations AIDS Summit in Munich last week (July 22)—the world's largest conference on HIV and AIDS, attended by an estimated 10,000 people.
Mulucha talked about how he and other members of the LGBT+ community in Uganda live in constant fear, as well as the impact of Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023, which prohibits same-sex relationships and imposes the death penalty for “homosexual crimes.” .”
IPS spoke to Mulucha at the conference about how she and other activists refuse to give up their fight for acceptance and their determination to help others despite the dangers and challenges they face every day.
IPS: Were you surprised by your reception today when you spoke?
Jay Mulucha (JM): I was very surprised because this is a really big conference that includes many people. But at the same time, I am very happy that I am here.
IPS: Today, we heard you talk about the oppression you and other members of the LGBT community face in Uganda. However, Uganda is not the only place where such laws exist. Do you think that your work and what you do can be an inspiration to other LGBT+ people who are facing oppression in other countries?
JM: Yes, it is possible. What I have achieved today by telling the world about what we are going through will bring change. That is because I have made sure that we get opportunities (to speak). It is the first time that a traveler has been a part of the opening ceremony and it is very important that we are given these opportunities to have our voices heard. You see, it's not just Uganda—people in other countries are suffering. Our voices are trampled upon, so if we are given the opportunity to speak, it gives us a great opportunity to let the world know that things are not going well for people like us.
We are working with different people in different countries to get the message out about what we are doing to fight the growing anti-sexist movements. This move is really hurting us and we are doing everything we can to try and stop them from spreading their hate.
IPS: Do you see any hope that Uganda's situation for LGBT+ people will change anytime soon?
JM: I joined an LGBTQI activist organization in Uganda more than ten years ago. When I joined, the situation was worse than today. Today, we do a lot of advocacy work, we help different people, and I can say that although the situation is not good, I am happy to say that there are some people who used to hate gays and did not like gays, and their thoughts and their stories. we have been changed by the advocacy work we have done. Compared to ten years ago, at least now people know about the LGBT community. At that time, no one could say it because people thought it was a sin to even talk about the LGBT+ community. Right now, they're talking about us, the health service providers, and the government knows about LGBT—they say that. Even if it's negative, at least they say it; they know we exist and that we need services. So, I feel that if we continue to do our work, our advocacy, and we continue to talk about all these issues in various forums, at some point things will change. I can give an example of countries with better laws, but those laws did not appear suddenly; it's not like everyone woke up in the morning and suddenly they're in the area. People had to fight and go through many things to get better. I feel that one day things will change in Uganda. We will not give up; we will continue to fight until we get what we want. We are asking different organizations, different countries, Europe, and the whole world to stand with us in this fight until we get what we want.
IPS: What impact will these laws have, or already have, on the HIV situation in Uganda?
JM: These laws make things very difficult. Various government officials criticize and tell health service providers not to care for any LGBT people, meaning access to services is a challenge. The LGBT community is restricted from accessing health services. This is because they know that if they try to get these services, they will be arrested, they will not get these services, they will be harassed, they will be discriminated against, and (that they will be told) many homophobic things. These laws have had a real impact on the provision of health services to LGBT+ people. It is so bad that some people are resorting to self-medication, which is bad and very dangerous.
IPS: How does a Ugandan from the LGBT+ community with HIV access the HIV care they need?
JM: There are refugee centers sponsored by international organizations. We also educate other health service providers. Other health care providers are welcome; they welcome us and give us the services we need. Pop-up centers support the community. The community feels safe to access services in places where they feel comfortable. Finding a doctor is done by word of mouth. There are doctors who accept but those doctors also have challenges; they have to give us services sometimes secretly because they don't want to be seen as supporting.
IPS: Do you think that homophobia and transphobia are widespread in Uganda, or is it true that there is a very visible and vocal minority who think like that and spread hatred against LGBT+, and many other people are silent on the matter?
JM: Homophobia and transphobia were rampant in Uganda even before LGBT+ people were as open as they are now. But with the anti-rights movement, it just got bigger. There was already hatred, but this current movement has increased hatred, transphobia and homophobia. Anti-sexist and anti-gay movements have recently increased and fueled everything. The proliferation of such associations between politicians and 'evangelicals'—such as religious leaders and cultural leaders—has fueled everything. Today, they talk a lot because they are funded. They have these big sponsors and people are being bribed to sponsor them. This only increases hatred.
Another thing that makes these people silent is because these anti-gay organizations are funded and they bribe people to stand with them and people are silent all the time. People are not standing with us because some of them were bribed to do so. That is why the LGBT community in Uganda asked different governments in different countries to talk about these oppressive laws in Uganda and elsewhere. But instead, other countries, especially European countries, are silent about it, including Germany. They welcome members of parliament from Uganda, such as the deputy speaker of the parliament, who was welcomed with open arms by the German government recently. And Germany is still funding our government. Why does that happen? They hide behind the US, which imposed sanctions on people involved in the passing of the laws. Germany recently released statements about this. We don't want statements; we want Germany to impose sanctions on these people. And they should stop funding them. Instead, Germany should support struggling LGBT+ organizations. And they do all this that we cannot, or cannot, think about. We ask the German government to stop this.
IPS: You talked about waking up every day and wondering if you're going to be safe. How do you and other activists work and do your jobs when you have to worry all the time about your safety?
JM: We try to do our work secretly because we need to continue the struggle; we need to continue to stand with the LGBT community here. We find ways to work safely. We are trying our best to ensure that we are not found because when the government hears about our work, they will shut down the organization, arrest us, or cancel our work permit. So we do our work in secret. The second thing we do is look out for each other's safety and try to find new ways to keep ourselves safe. Safety is a major concern for us. The situation is not good, but we are not discouraged. We have also tried to make sure that we represent them and that we also help educate people in institutions, like the police for example. We talk to people and try to make them understand who we are and why they should not be violent towards us. There are many challenges that we are facing right now, but we keep going because we know that sometimes this will change and everything will be fine with us.
IPS: What message would you like to give to the people from this conference?
JM: I would like to thank the organizers of the conference for allowing me to be a speaker here and I hope that people like me will continue to get opportunities like this to speak, because whenever we do, things take it to another level. Every time we get a chance to speak, it makes our voices heard, and because we are heard we get support.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
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