NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 30 – Transgender people in Uganda have asked international communities to channel financial support directly to the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) in the country and not through the government.
This is after President Yoweri Museveni signed the ant-LGBTIQ bill into law.
The ant-LGBTIQ bill has thrown the community into distress not knowing what will happen because of the harsh environment with social stigma and attacks.
Speaking during the 2024 AIDS international day, Jay Muluncha Executive Director and founder Fem Alliance,Uganda representing transmen in Uganda said the community members are targeted, beaten and even denied access to essential medical services.
He noted ,being HIV positive is extremely dangerous saying there are many misconception that transmen cannot acquire the disease and those who acquire it are always discriminated against.
“Choosing who we are in Uganda is a crime, we face stigma from the public ,and recently got evicted from where we stay because no one wants to associate with us,” Muluncha said.
Muluncha is the first trans person in history to speak during the opening of the International AIDS Conference hosted by International AIDS Society and said the needs of LQBTIQ people were not adequately.
He noted it’s difficult for transmen to speak about their experiences because they are always discriminated against and threatened.
“it’s no longer safe for many of us fearing to disclose your HIV status because threats are massively increasing and for us with physical identification fear of getting out in public,” he added.
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said when governments such as Uganda are hurting LQBTIQ as criminals simply because of who they are and who they love is a crime because those people will not come out to the clinics to get life saving medication.
“Leaders and political leaders remove this hateful and harmful laws now because this is injustice and punitive approaches to the LQBTIQ community,” said Byanyima
