Activists For Gay Rights in Uganda Risk Lives To Publish LGBT Magazine

Activists For Gay Rights in Uganda Risk Lives To Publish LGBT Magazine

Most African countries are a testament of how much LGBT visibility is needed in them. And Uganda is one of them.

Now, despite risks to the livelihoods of publishers, interviewed subjects, experts, writers and more, the country is getting just what it needs in the form of a courageous gay magazine, Bombastic.

According to The Independent:

‘Campaigners in Kampala have launched Bombastic to “share the realities of being gay” in Uganda, where homosexuality activity is illegal, the mainstream media is openly hostile towards gay people and the government has repeatedly tried to introduce new laws to ban the “promotion of homosexuality.”

‘“Bombastic came about because we wanted to put right many of the falsehoods spread by the Ugandan media, which regularly publicly humiliates and degrades homosexuals,” said Jacqueline Kasha, a lesbian activist and the magazine’s organiser. “Instead, we are sharing our stories in the hope that we can change social attitudes. The people we are trying to reach out to are the people who are threatening to burn our houses and beat us.”

The first issue of the free magazine contains 20 personal stories, as well as articles on the clergy and homosexuality and health advice; 15,000 copies were printed before Christmas last year and a further 15,000 are expected to be delivered this week.bombastic

“We are not journalists and I don’t respect the media here in Uganda,” Ms Kasha said. “The media is furious with us because we are reclaiming our stories. We expect them to retaliate. We are always frightened, but nobody else is going to stand up for us; our community needs a face.”

Kasha has gone on to report that volunteers for the magazine have already been detained in parts of the country, while she has received threats of court action from Uganda’s Christian clergy.

*

PS: This is a follow-up on the idea of support proposed by Sensei. The official email address is kds.system14@gmail.com. And the support system is comprised of three categories: members of the gaybourhood who are struggling with their HIV positive status, those recovering from Kito attacks, and those suffering from bouts of depression.

If you intend to volunteer as a counselor, simply send a mail to the address above, indicating your interest and which category you want to play a part in.

And if you are a brother (or sister) suffering through any of these three phases, kindly send a mail to the address above, and we’ll do our best to get you the help you deserve.

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26 Comments

  1. Lord II
    January 06, 17:02 Reply

    Oh that line got me…”we are always frightened, but nobody else is going to stand up for us; our community needs a face.”…..wow! just wow!

  2. trystham
    January 06, 17:04 Reply

    Uganda will accept this thing by force. LOL! I imagine they be like “in ur faces suckers”

    • pinkpanthertb
      January 06, 23:05 Reply

      Seriously o. That nation is on a short road to acceptance of homosexuality if its LGBT maintains their doggedness.

  3. tobby
    January 06, 17:18 Reply

    I’d advice them to just stop

    • Pete
      January 07, 04:25 Reply

      Why will they stop? Why criminalize something that has no effect on your life? They are not asking for special privileges, only the right to love

  4. Max
    January 06, 17:24 Reply

    Who’ll be our face in Nigeria?

    • Peak
      January 06, 18:23 Reply

      Hmmmm *the million dolla question

    • gad
      January 06, 20:59 Reply

      You can. Can’t you?

  5. Ace
    January 06, 18:37 Reply

    One, i am excited! More than two posts today. Finally more reason to refresh the page.

    Second, thumbs up Ugandans. Tell your story

  6. gad
    January 06, 21:11 Reply

    A welcome development but I bet you the road is going to be rough and tortures. I remember the days of the “African Pilot” a daily used to give a voice for the struggle for political independence from Britain. Many might even lose their lives and freedom. Again, I remember the era of the ” the church behind the iron curtain”, a period in the former Soviet Union when Max and D,s grandparents tried to wipe Christians off the surface of the earth but instead the blood of the martyrs became a strong and formidable foundation for Christianity. Thus the story of gays shall be in Africa but alas our greatest enemy is ourselves.Fellow gays…sad

    • Pete
      January 07, 04:22 Reply

      Gad,you remember the days of the African pilot edited by Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe? Or you heard about its exploits? The Iron curtain fell not cos of the church but cos events like the weakening of USSR’s influence (read about the cold war), the USSR was the standard for all communist countries. Hell,even China had to tweak their own brand of communism. Only North Korea & Cuba remained true to the communist principles ; Cuba is on the path to change while NK is a pariah nation.

  7. My Chemical Romance
    January 06, 23:19 Reply

    I wonder if it is possible in present day Nigeria…

    @post..I wish them all the best because they will need it, the battle has not even began yet.

  8. Dave
    January 06, 23:55 Reply

    Even the name Bombastic is an appropriate “in your face” we are here and we have every right to be here and anywhere name. Uganda still lives in the past as do many other countries. Being openly gay is anathema when it should be mainstream. And dating as a homosexual should be able to be done without stigma. In case there is anyone reading this who wishes to find a gay partner, http://gayboyz.com/ is a site that researches and reviews personal sites. I do think by the way, that like here in the US, it will be the media leading the way ahead of the government of Uganda in finally accepting what should have been accepted there years ago. Good luck and stay brave.

    • pinkpanthertb
      January 06, 23:59 Reply

      You’d think that’d be the case, the media speaking on behalf of that minority. But at the end of the day, the media in African countries is a majority report.

      • Pete
        January 07, 04:15 Reply

        PP,why will Dave brazenly advertise a guy hookup site here? I thought we had rules against such

        • gad
          January 07, 04:23 Reply

          In as much all these gay hook ups disgusts me, I don’t think the rule as we know it has been violated. Kd should not be used as another hook up site like the notorious manjam but one can refer another to manjam from here. Pls correct me if I’m wrong

        • pinkpanthertb
          January 07, 05:00 Reply

          I only just saw his comment. And i believe he’s a first time commenter. So I’m letting it slide. Thanks for your diligence, Peter.

      • Pete
        January 07, 07:14 Reply

        PP,it is Pete & not Peter

  9. KyrxxX
    January 07, 07:55 Reply

    Hmmn…… Nice! But I don’t really get the name of d mag!
    Am sure when we finally get ours in naija it would have a name like “TB”(I hate that name!).

  10. Constant
    January 07, 17:27 Reply

    A brave step…I wonder when such will occur in our dear Nigeria…….

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