The Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Art and Media hosted a presentation and conversation addressing LGBT activist efforts in Uganda as well as the current state of the country's LGBT rights. The presentation, held on Jan. 31 at Columbia College, fell just days after the brutal murder of David Kato, one of few openly gay activists in Uganda. Kato served as the litigation and advocacy officer for Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), an underground effort to restore basic human rights for the LGBT community in Uganda, a country notorious for its inhumane treatment of LGBT people.
"We're not here tonight because David Kato was murdered," said Jane Saks, executive director of the ESB Institute, "We're here because he should be alive."
Frank Mugisha, who serves as the current executive director of SMUG, sat in the first row as Saks recounted meeting the 27-year-old Mugisha a year prior in Kampala, Uganda, "I have grown to admire him as a leader," she said of Mugisha, "as a young man making courageous decisions." Saks introduced Mugisha, who approached the podium with a big smile, seemingly careless and worry-free.
"If you're gay you can be expelled," Mugisha began, "your family can throw you out and the church can throw you out. And I love my faith." Mugisha grew up thinking he was alone and described trying everything to cure his homosexuality from laying out in the sun to hours of prayer. He soon realized that there was nothing he could to do to change, so he came out.
"When I got family support I said, 'why can't I also reach out and get support [from other people]?' " leading Mugisha to come out publicly. He met David Kato during a Ugandan court case where Kato spotted a smiling Mugisha from across the room. He insisted Mugisha become involved in his efforts to promote fair treatment for the LGBT community in Uganda. "He became a father to me in the movement," Mugisha said of Kato. "He became a supporter of me in the movement."
Mugisha was already en route to Chicago when he learned of Kato's murder. Local authorities quickly dubbed the murder the result of a robbery, but Mugisha knew otherwise, "Many of us will get killed in the struggle," he said nonchalantly much to the surprise of many in the crowd, most under the age of thirty. "David was hammered twice on the head. Neighbors came to the rescue but he died en route to the hospital."
A statement issued by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Jan. 27 offered sympathy for the murder of Kato and promised continued support for LGBT rights in the United States on behalf of those abroad.
Mugisha maintained a calm demeanor as he described the horrors that befall LGBT citizens in Uganda, including a story of a girl who was repeatedly raped by relatives in order to "convert" her. The girl ended up pregnant, contracted HIV/AIDS and had to get an abortion.
Thirty-eight countries in Africa criminalize homosexuality and, in some places, it is punishable by death. South Africa, on the other hand, stands in stark contrast to most of the continent. In 1996, the South African constitution was the first in the world to specifically outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference. But this progressive stance has not changed the way many South Africans think about or treat gays and lesbians. Hate crimes are on the rise, particularly against black sexual minorities.
"We are not advocating for marriage," Mugisha said, "the only thing we are asking is to be accepted with everyone else." He explained that many people in Uganda view South Africa as a western country and homosexuality as a "western import" a fear that has been kindled recently by American evangelicals on mission in Uganda using fear tactics to enrage church communities.
In March 2009, three American evangelicals in collaboration with local churches, Christian organizations (spearheaded by the Family Life Network) held a seminar in Uganda called "Coming Out Straight."
The individuals (Scott Lively, Don Schmierer and Caleb Lee Brundidge) told Ugandans that gays can be healed, that there is a gay agenda from the western world and that they (people from the west) have paid homosexuals to come to Uganda and spread homosexuality.
Mugisha noted that many in Uganda started organizing in response to these fear-infusing seminars. He recalled that several Ugandans were told that SMUG had a school that recruits gays and converts people to being gay.
The drivers of homophobia in Uganda are numerous. Mugisha explained that there is very little information about homosexuality in Uganda, and what is available is typically a grotesque misrepresentation.
Hostility towards LGBT people is only worsened by local media which often promotes a negative view of the gay community and tends to talk about gays only in the context of anal sex.
As many health practitioners have no understanding of LGBT or MSM health, many gays and lesbians fear coming out to their doctors, as they may be refused treatment. Currently the Uganda Ministry of Health does not recognize MSM. "Do you say who you are and possibly die?" asked Saks in reference to a the death of one gay man in Uganada who had AIDS, "Or conceal your identity and receive medical care?"
Mugisha has been asked repeatedly how he has sex. "Who says I am having sex?" Mugisha asks, "Why are you talking about sex?" The ignorance is fueled by Ugandan media.
In the October issue of Rolling Stone, a local newspaper in Uganda, the photographs and addresses of 100 LGBT people were published with a subtitle that accused gays and lesbians of recruiting children and asked for their execution. This story sparked the initial death threats that Kato received. Saks pointed out that there are approximately 11-15 openly gay people in Uganda willing to speak up, meaning the Rolling Stone article outed dozens of individuals putting their safety and security at high risk. SMUG successfully sued Rolling Stone shortly after the article was published.
The political climate towards the LGBT community continues to be unstable. Legislators and government officials have uttered statements which often fuel homophobia. In 1999 the president of Uganda called for the open shooting and killing of homosexuals. "That kind of talk from our leaders has sparked a lot of violence and homophobia in Uganda," said Mugisha.
In 2005 an amendment to the Ugandan constitution criminalized same-sex marriage. Further, Mugisha explained that the equal opportunities act of 2007 states that "the minority can enjoy their rights only if the majority accept them," a clear hindrance towards human rights.
Section 140 of the penal code of the Republic of Uganda criminalized "carnal knowledge against the order of nature" with maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Sec. 141 prohibits "attempts at carnal knowledge" with maximum seven years imprisonment.
Section 143 punishes acts of procurement of or attempts to procure acts of gross indecency between men in public or private with up to five years in prison. All these laws and more have been used to legally mistreat the LGBT community in Uganda.
A notorious 2009 law called the "anti-homosexuality bill" punishes the promotion of homosexuality. Activists like Mugisha may be punished with life imprisonment. If Ugandans do not report those who have confided their homosexuality, they may be imprisoned as well. In fact, Mugisha pointed out, his presence at the evening's forum would be considered illegal in Uganda. If the offense is committed many times, it may lead to execution.
SMUG is known but is operated underground for the safety and security of its members. If the location of their offices and operations becomes known, they have to move. "We live our life where we have to watch our back," said Mugisha, "I have to live in areas that are not so populated." Saks noted that Mugisha may not return to his apartment in Uganda but due to continued support from people within the U.S., a new apartment has been found for him when he returns to Uganda. Despite the constant moving around, SMUG remains organized and can boast many successes. Aside from winning the case against Rolling Stone, SMUG continues to challenge the state and take cases to court under the leadership of Frank Mugisha.
"What is happening in Uganda can happen somewhere else," Mugisha said bringing to mind a famous 1963 quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Mugisha wrapped up the evening remembering the courageous and tireless efforts of David Kato: "He's the kind of person who would get beaten because he says he's gay. He was very open. He stood out for anyone. We looked at him like our father in the movement."
A broadcast of the presentation will be aired on CAN-TV Sunday, Feb. 13, 10 a.m. on Channel 21 and Thursday, Feb. 17, at 8 a.m. on Channel 19.
More on SMUG can be found online at sexualminoritiesuganda.org .