Now Reading
Uganda LGBTs strategize, unite as ‘Kill the Gays’ bill nears

Uganda LGBTs strategize, unite as ‘Kill the Gays’ bill nears

Frank Kamya performs during the Valentine's Day gathering of Standing on the Side of Love. Kamya is secretary/administrator of the Youth on Rock Foundation. (Photo courtesy of Frank Kamya)
Frank Kamya performs during the Valentine’s Day gathering of Standing on the Side of Love. “Abuses and extortion by the police, insults by the community, and being abandoned by our families — we really go through a stressful life. That’s what my face expresses” in this photo, he says. Kamya is secretary/administrator of the Youth on Rock Foundation. (Photo courtesy of Frank Kamya)

As the harsh Anti- Homosexuality Bill moves closer to a vote in the Ugandan parliament, some opponents of the bill gathered on Feb. 14 to encourage each other,  to discuss the next steps to take against the bill, and to relax.

They assembled for the third annual Standing on the Side of Love gathering at a hotel in Kampala. On the agenda were the status of the bill, as well as an exchange of ideas about LGBTI rights and about how to improve the safety of  LGBTI people in Uganda.

The drama and music group Rock Angels provided entertainment, as shown in photos above and below.

Rock Angels is one of several projects of the AIDS-fighting Youth on Rock Foundation, which has recently been under attack by police in Kampala. Three of the group’s leaders have been detained temporarily by police, accused of promoting homosexuality but not formally charged, then released with orders to return for further questioning.

Members of Rock Angels from the Youth on Rock Foundation put on a short play during the Valentine's Day gathering of Standing on the Side of Love.  (Photo courtesy of Frank Kamya)
Members of Rock Angels from the Youth on Rock Foundation put on a short play during the Valentine’s Day gathering of Standing on the Side of Love. (Photo courtesy of Frank Kamya)

Youth on Rock is a community organization run by and for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex youth. Its projects are aimed at educating youths about HIV/AIDS and LGBTI rights.

The foundation is seeking financial support so it can reopen an office for counseling LGBTI youth and for coordinating its grassroots efforts.  Contributions may be made through a Web page on the Fundrazr site, organized by Youth on Rock supporter Suzanne Zelei of Sweden. That appeal is about a third of the way to reaching its $1,000 goal.

Standing on the Side of Love is an interfaith public advocacy campaign, sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association, that seeks to harness love’s power to stop oppression.

See Also

Local sponsors of this year’s event included:

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill, nicknamed the “Kill the Gays” bill, has gradually moved higher on the parliament’s Notice of Business to Follow list. At the end of last week, it was at No. 3.

Related articles

View Comments (4)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

© 2022 ERASING 76CRIMES
Scroll To Top

Discover more from Erasing 76 Crimes

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading