Gay in Uganda, and Feeling Hunted
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
Published: January 4, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/world/africa/04gay.html (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/world/africa/04gay.html)
KAMPALA, Uganda — Isolation, insults, threats and violence: this is what Uganda's mostly closeted gay community has dealt with for years.
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Nikki Mawanda is a 27-year-old who was born female but lives as a man — he describes himself as a "trans-man." He said that as a child, he would stare at the sun for long stretches, hoping the trauma would change his sex. Now, he binds his breasts with tight bandages, wears a baseball cap backward with little dreadlocks hanging out, and dates women.
"This year terrible things happened to me," he said.
also
Four Ugandans, Four Points of View
A transgender man, an anti-gay politician, a taxi driver and a gay activist share their perspectives on the gay and transgender issues in their country in light of a proposed bill to impose a death sentence on homosexuality.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/01/03/world/africa/20100103_UGANDAGAY_FEATURE.html (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/01/03/world/africa/20100103_UGANDAGAY_FEATURE.html)
I have seen a couple of stories on the SBS TV news here about this. I don't know what we can do to help this situation, but will think about writing to my Federal MP for a start.
The tragedy is that for all the talk of HIV, in Africa AIDS is a heterosexual's disease.