by JANE NASIMBWA, SYLVIA NASSUNA, JANET NDAGIRE, PATRICIA NAAVA, JACKIE NABBOSA MPUNGU, FLORENCE MATOVU KANSANZE, JOSEPHINE AMONYATTA, & SHAMIM NAKAMATE
What you need to know:
It is our understanding that the Anti-gay rhetoric and messaging is targeted to demean and dehumanize our children, even as it is guised as a form of protection of children from ‘recruitment’ and a morality war
In the last few months, we, as parents of LGBTQ+ Ugandans, have watched in trepidation and deepening concern, as religious fundamentalists, publicly elected officials, and anti-gay lobbyists have organised a dangerous movement against our adult children.
It is our understanding that the Anti-gay rhetoric and messaging is targeted to demean and dehumanize our children, even as it is guised as a form of protection of children from ‘recruitment’ and a morality war. We strongly reiterate that one cannot seek to protect children from an invisible enemy by launching and sustaining a dangerous anti-gay messaging and campaign that is inadvertently putting other people’s children at risk. This is offensive at so many levels because it strips Ugandan citizens that identify as LGBTQ+ of their constitutional rights.
We have watched our children be vilified, disparaged, and publicly castigatedthat is, verbally threatened, physically targeted, and abused for who they are and for whom they love, based on unsubstantiated, false, and unchecked allegations, such as the ‘recruitment of children and erosion of Ugandan culture’, all in an attempt to misrepresent facts and manipulate the fears of fellow Ugandans. No parent should ever be put in such a position as we find ourselves today least of all by a legislative body elected by Ugandans to represent and pass laws that protect all Ugandans. We have always loved our children, and this did not change when we learned that they are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex respectively.
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