LAGOS, Nigeria –Pride celebrations start this week in Uganda, fully funded by more than 2,500 members of All Out, a global movement for the rights of LGBT people. The event, themed “Standing together!”, will culminate with a Pride march in Kampala Saturday, Aug. 6.
“As a gay man living in a country where my love is illegal, it’s so crucial to me that we don’t let hate keep us down”, says Isaac Mugisha, one of the activists organizing the event. “We will continue to fight for the right to love. We will continue to stand together. We will show our Pride louder than ever before.”
“Against the backdrop of so much homophobia, hate and violence directed against LGBT people in Uganda, this Pride celebration is a rare and precious moment of community, solidarity and visibility for the local LGBT community”, says Matt Beard, All Out’s Executive Director, who’s in Kampala for the event.
In June, All Out launched a crowdfunding campaign to help fund Uganda Pride. More than 2,500 individual donors from around the world contributed and secured the $20,000 USD needed for the event. The campaign website with an up-to-date donor count is available at https://go.allout.org/en/a/
Uganda has one of the world’s worst anti-gay laws. It’s one of the 73 countries around the world where being LGBT can cost you your freedom or your life. Pride Uganda is one of the rare chances for LGBT Ugandans to express their identities publicly and safely. A Pew study from 2013 showed that 96% of Ugandans do not think their society should accept homosexuality. Same-sex activity has been illegal in Uganda between men since 1894, and between women since 2000.
