Non-governmental organizations and the LGBTI community struggle for rights in Uganda

Abstract

Despite several studies supporting that some pre-colonial African groups had non-normative sex practices, the African continent still provides limited protection for LGBTI individuals. In Uganda, this protection is non-existent due to the British colonial rule, an anti-Western nationalism and strong religious beliefs. These facts brought widespread disgust for LGBTI people over time and today there is an active anti-LGBTI lawmaking in Uganda. Violence towards LGBTI individuals led to the death of several activists, despite the existence of more than 500,000 people who identify themselves as LGBTI living in the country. Therefore, this paper describes the diverse issues that concern the LGBTI people in Uganda and surveys Ugandan pro-LGBTI non-governmental organizations, describing the type of work they have been doing. It was possible to find four organizations, which have been working in areas such as healthcare, labor and economic empowerment, legal aid, care and support, advocacy and cultural change, visibility and awareness. The various strategies they have been developing are supported by the literature with regard to LGBTI protection in Uganda, except for the care and aid category, which still lacks studies to support the development of counselling, social support to address loneliness issues and safety precautions. This paper suggests studies to be developed in this theme. The work developed by these few NGOs in different areas may be capable of producing local change and political pressure throughout time, as studies such as this one may do so.