LGBT – I’m going to use this loosely as a term referring to lesbians, gays, bisexuals or transgenders.
http://current.com/shows/vanguard/blog/92763828_ugandas-missionaries-of-hate-influence-media-campaign.htm#more
How do people hide such things? Although the answer is seemingly easy, in general, it’s not. It hurts LGBT’s immensely inside to have to hide themselves, lie or live any kind of double-life. The amount of fear is also horridly abusive on a person’s psychology. The “how” exactly is a very complicated range. From driving hours away to a secretive remote location, living in multiple different areas from time to time. In Africa, it’s especially a problem as the public can get very violent and aggressive if they find or even suspect someone of being LGBT. There’s countless stories of victims being harassed, beaten, taunted on the streets, even killed.
What kinds of tricks do they use? As I mentioned, some of them travel hours away to find certain more “tolerable” areas just to hang out for a day or two or meet others who are LGBT. Some are very limited as far as “tricks” and therefore dont really have much to resort to. There are also cases of a gay male or female living multiple people posing as a typical, standard family to the public neighbors and neighborhood. It’s always hard.
Were men able to have gay relationships to the same extent that women did? My understanding, particularly in Uganda, is that male to male or female to female relationships are all equally frowned upon.
Was there anywhere that one could feel safe? There are certain organizations that try to gain establishment that have had and continue to have an increasingly large amount of resistance from the area. The leaders of these organizations receive anonymous death threats from multiple people on a daily basis, other organizations try to get these organizations shut down or removed. Otherwise, there are different areas or bars that are more “tolerant” towards the idea and somewhat serve as safe havens for LGBT – but it’s very difficult for any organization or establishment to outwardly say anything or remain embracing towards LGBT.
Is there anything that can be done to support gay Ugandans? Not enough, if anything significant. The area has a strong, overpowering Christian moral system as well as establishment and strong political figures who strongly oppose homosexuality. In order to do something, that political power would have to be overridden by a higher power… which is very, very tricky and raises even higher moral/ethical question, as far as global consideration goes.
Should we even care? Should we? Do you care? I believe that this is our world, we are all free people and we should all be able to do as well as we damned-as well please… so as long as we aren’t bringing any harm to anyone. The problem is, the majority believes that such a thing is doing harm to the general public. They believe that homosexuality is a sick and vile disease. I believe that their way of thinking is very behind and very dated; it fed off of bad, terrible Christian propaganda from missionaries. Thus, you have an entire population literately wanting to kill gays, for simply living.
Why is the FLN doing this? Hmm. Oh, I know – because they’re crazy, shitty people who is just as hateful as they claim to be good, loving, traditional Christians. That’s my explanation.
Stories like this really make me feel proud to be an American. Sure, we may not have a perfect country and things are not always tidy here, but Uganda and other places in Africa have a multitude of serious issues that dont even end nor begin here.
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