Uganda: Gay Pride.
Homosexuality is taboo in almost all African countries and illegal in most including Uganda, where rights groups say gay people have long risked jail. Fear of violence, imprisonment and loss of jobs means few gays in Africa come out.
It’s almost a year since a constitutional court overturned legislation that would have strengthened punishments for anyone caught having gay sex. Influential evangelical pastors have urged Ugandan legislators to reintroduce the law since it was quashed.
Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Uganda do celebrate Gay Pride near the capital Kampala.
It’s a community that still largely lives in the shadows.
A march took place in an undisclosed location, with people holding information posters and playing music about being gay in Uganda. They kept the exact location under wraps because of concerns about safety.
While homosexuality is illegal in Uganda, many in the LGBT community are more afraid of hostility from their next-door neighbours than from the law. Those who have found places to live are always afraid of who notices them and how the general wider community reacts.
The solidarity among the LGBT community in Uganda is very strong. Many are searching to affirm their identity and looking for people they can identify with. Members of the LGBT community in Uganda generally live and hang out together.
The overturn of more draconian legislation last year was an important victory, one of many the LGBT community hopes to fight for and win in the future.
U.S. President Barack Obama’s vocal support for gay rights in Africa has given them an extra pinch of encouragement and zeal to fight repressive laws.
Participants in Pride are hopeful that, with time, fellow Ugandans come to accept them as their brothers and sisters
