 |
| Risking imprisonment: a homosexual couple in Kampala |
Homosexuals
in Uganda risk being discriminated against, beaten up – and raped. Lillian is a
Ugandan journalist, who has been granted asylum in Germany. She was lucky: many
asylum applications are denied.
"Some
guys broke into my house and started raping and beating me," Lillian said,
playing with her short, spiky dreadlocks while explaining why she had to leave
Uganda. "The men told me: Until you stop being a lesbian, we will continue
to do this to you."
Homophobia
runs deep in Uganda. Known gays and lesbians are ostracized, said Musaazi
Namiti, a Ugandan journalist who lives in Qatar. "Most employers would
never hire a known homosexual." Homophobia is fuelled by many of the
country’s Pentecostal churches where sermons against homosexuals are common and
widely accepted, he added.
Homosexuality
is an "evil"
David
Bahati, a member of the Ugandan Parliament, said he believes homosexuality is
an "evil" that needs to be "cured" and claimed that some 95
percent of Ugandans hold the same view. As in 36 other African countries,
homosexuality is illegal in Uganda and those caught face imprisonment. The laws
date back to the colonial times and the British penal code. For Bahati,
imprisonment is not enough. He introduced a bill in 2009 that called for the
death penalty in certain cases.
The bill
was dropped, following an international outcry and condemnation - and the
threat to cut development aid. An attempt to reintroduce it in August of this
year was blocked by the Ugandan government. But Bahati said he hopes it will be
reintroduced at some point in the future. "The bill is now the property of
the parliament," he said.
The main
danger is from the public
 |
| Campaigners protesting the anti-homosexuality bill in 2010 |
The main
danger homosexuals face come from the public and their own families. When
someone told Lillian's family she was homosexual, they lured her back to her
village from Kampala, where she worked as a journalist. Her grandmother was
dying, they told her. She had to see her before she died.
When she
arrived at the village, the elders confronted her, called her a disgrace to the
clan and beat her. Someone pushed her, she fell and cut her face and throat on
pieces of glass. "One of my relatives said: If you die now, we don't
care." Thick scars run down her cheek, framing her face. She managed to
return to Kampala, where she said she thought maintaining a low profile would
keep her safe.
Like
Lillian, many homosexuals try to hide their sexuality to stay out of danger,
according to Amnesty International's Stephen Cooper.
In 2009,
Lillian wrote an article in a small magazine criticizing the proposed
anti-homosexuality bill. The response to
the article was immediate - and violent.
"I got
a lot of threats, a lot of attacks," she said, adding that she changed her
house three times only to have the threatening phone calls continue. She was
harassed in public and beaten up on several occasions. "The public beating
up homosexuals is quite a usual thing in Uganda."
No help
from the police
 |
| "I can breathe freely now": Lillian in Munich |
She went to
a police station after a group of men had broken into her flat and raped her
only to have the police officer threaten to put her behind bars. Lillian
realized that she had to leave Uganda. She won a journalism scholarship to
Germany and decided to apply for asylum.
She was
lucky, her lawyer Gisela Seidler said. Lillian's case was processed quickly and
she was granted asylum within a couple of months. She had proof that she was a
journalist and had worked as an activist in Uganda. This is very unusual, as
cases often drag on for months, according to Seidler.
While the
legal framework for asylum seekers has improved within the last few years,
Seidler said many judges still work upon the assumption that as long as
homosexuals keep their sexuality private they are no danger in their country -
an assumption the lawyer called ludicrous.
"It’s
like saying that political activists should just keep their mouth shut,"
Seidler said.
Asylum
lottery
There are
no figures as to how many homosexuals apply for asylum. But the chances of
getting asylum approved depend on the judge who is assigned to a case. While
some judges do serious research, others sometimes reply on outdated sources. A
positive decision can depend on "whether you file your case on a Tuesday
or a Thursday, or whether you file it in Munich or in neighboring
Nuremberg," Seidler said.
One of her
other clients, a gay Nigerian, was recently denied asylum. The people who see
their application rejected, Seidler said, still are not in a position to pack
their bags and return to their home countries.
"They
know that they're in real danger." Lillian said. "Had I not been
granted asylum, I would have gone to a neighboring African country."
Even now,
Lillian continues to hide her homosexuality: she is still living in an asylum
hostel.
"My
councilor told me to keep quiet about being homosexual," Lillian said,
adding that a gay asylum seeker was beaten up when the others in the hostel
found out.
Lillian
only shares her secret with close friends and asked not to be identified here
out of fear for her own safety. At the end of the year she wants to leave the
hostel and move into an apartment of her own. She said she wants to find a job
and apply for a visa for her girlfriend, who she hopes to marry.
Author: Naomi Conrad
Editor: Sean Sinico
About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channelled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.”
"The Akashic System" – Jul 17, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Religion, The Humanization of God, Benevolent Design, DNA, Akashic Circle, (Old) Souls, Gaia, Indigenous People, Talents, Reincarnation, Genders, Gender Switches, In “between” Gender Change, Gender Confusion, Shift of Human Consciousness, Global Unity,..... etc.) - (Text version) New !
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