Gay Pride in Uganda

On Saturday August 8 members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Uganda 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.

The LGBT people I met during this assignment were humble, energetic, honest, hardworking and full of life. Most were aged between 23 and 30.

“Bad Black", pictured above, who was born male but prefers to be identified as a trans-woman, stood out for me. Despite the daily barrage of insults because of her feminine style of dressing, she still manages to make friends around her amid a climate of hate.

Time and again I heard from people without jobs because they got fired once their sexuality was in the open. Most of those I met were rejected by their families and sent away. Others still live at home but are in hiding.

Shooting such an assignment was delicate. It was a challenge to put together a story that gives some context about the community and their day-to-day lives.

I was limited to shooting in isolated areas and mostly inside to protect the people portrayed.

I was working in an extremely difficult environment not least because the stories of many of these incredible people were hard to comprehend. Driven out of home at tender ages, many had to navigate homelessness and abuse.

Most of those I met were facing difficult personal struggles, dealing with family rejection and contending with a homophobic community all around them.

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 of those I met 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.

In spite of everything, I kept hearing that this year’s Gay Pride would be an act of celebration.