Kuchus and HIV in Africa; The Failure of Africa’s Medics & Health Care Workers (2)

 

We esteem our doctors, medical and other health care workers tremendously in Africa. We should. In a continent with a dire lack of education, they are our educated elite. They also struggle to work under some pretty tough conditions, because of a lack of funds, lack of necessary instruments of care, and lack of political and other support.

With knowledge comes power, socially.

Medicine and the health sciences have a very rich background of study of my sexuality, because we are different from the common heterosexuality. It is not a new thing.
 I mean, we Kuchus (LGBTQ+) human beings, have been under study since life immemorial. We are a uniquely different part of humanity that persists in life to the contrary of expectations.

So, why are our African medical and health care professionals so clueless with regards to sexuality and other sexualities?
The excuse that it is not taught in African medical schools is not a good one. This is the internet age.
But our doctors have failed to explain issues. Yeah, Museveni asked twice, but I don’t think he wants a real answer… But his questions reflect a lot of the ignorance in Uganda. He is not wrong to ask our in-house docs. Even while he doesn’t listen.

Even lay people can educate themselves about a subject as interesting as homosexuality, and of course human sexuality.

The words of a Seniour psychologist and professor in Ghana pulled me down this line of reflection. I posted on it: - Kuchu Mental Health in Africa; The Failure of Africa’s Medics & Health Care Workers (1)

But, there is an even more immediate and urgent example of medics in Africa failing Kuchus as individuals and our nations collectively  because they are prejudiced on homosexuality. The case of HIV/AIDS.

When the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 was signed into law by the President of Uganda, UNAIDS/PEPFAR/Global Fund released a cautionary statement on the possible impact of the law.

 

“.., are deeply concerned about the harmful impact of the Ugandan Anti- Homosexuality Act 2023 on the health of its citizens and its impact on the AIDS response that has been so successful up to now.”

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“Progress has been made thanks to the implementation of large-scale prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care programs, all provided on the principle of access to health care for all who need it, without stigma or discrimination. This approach has saved lives. The strong health systems built to support the AIDS response serve the entire population of Uganda.”

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“Uganda’s progress on its HIV response is now in grave jeopardy. The Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 will obstruct health education and the outreach that can help end AIDS as a public health threat.”

 

The resulting media storm was quite embarrassing. Shouts of ‘imperialism’, ‘colonialism,’ ‘promotion of homosexuality’, ‘blackmail’.
Winnie Byanyima, a Ugandan our country woman, currently Director General of UNAIDS was vilified and shamed in the papers and the people of her old constituency in Mbarara.

And why blame Uganda’s medics?

The issue was HIV/AIDS. Ugandan trained medical workers have a good grasp of HIV/AIDS. When UNAIDS, literally the World’s Most Important Specialist Doctor on HIV/AIDS comes out with such a statement, It was reasonable to expect Uganda’s HIV specialists to explain why UNAIDS was concerned. What was wrong? Why was there a problem? Why would PEPFAR, UNAIDS and Global Fund gang up on poor, homophobic Uganda?

And where were Uganda’s specialists to explain the problem?

They did. Medics say no to UN, US claims on gay Aids was the title headline in the Monitor.
The text revealed tremendous ignorance and our under current of homophobia. Of course these, our Ugandan medics, were much more believable than UNAIDS, even headed by Winnie Byanyima.

 

says Dr Daniel Kyabayinze, the head of public health affairs at the Ministry of Health

““Americans are trying to frame it as if we are against certain groups. I don’t know why they are attaching the Anti-homosexuality Act to the Ministry of Health. It has nothing to do with health,””

 

Sorry Dr Daniel Kyabayinze for calling you out, but that statement is really…, out there ignorant. That the Head of Public Health Affairs at the Ministry of Health of Uganda can actually state that legislation that criminalises Kuchus (LGBTQ+ individuals) has nothing to do with health and HIV/AIDS programming reveals considerable ignorance, and prejudice.
Blaming the Americans for our ignorance is not okay. HIV/AIDS has been about LGBTQ+ individuals and communities for the last 40 years of the pandemic. Why don’t you know it?

In Dr Kyabayinze’s defence, not many medics in Africa equate HIV/AIDS to homosexual sex. Heterosexual sex, yes. But Dr Kyabayinze is the Head of Public Health Affairs of the Ministry of Health. He is not ‘all doctors’.

If the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 doesn’t concern the Ministry of Health, why is it a long time policy of UNAIDS to strongly advocate for decriminalisation (removal of laws that criminalise homosexuals)?
This is a long standing policy of UNAIDS, the ‘Americans’ are not to blame...

As Head of Public Health in the Ministry of Health, Dr Kyabayinze should have been explaining to the Parliament of Uganda and the President, this long standing HIV prevention measure, and why it is important.

Another influential medic, and person living with HIV, also couldn’t help but reveal his ignorance. And his bias.

 

Dr Stephen Watiti, a person living with HIV/Aids (PLHIV), and chairman of the National Forum of People Living with HIV/Aids
““I know some of them who have HIV. [But] the majority of those people are not even HIV positive. Many LGBTQ members also get their medicines from abroad. The majority of those who are speaking here don’t even have HIV,””

 

The chairman of the National Forum of PLHIV should be aware of the actual issues. To him the problem was the politics, not the science. As a heterosexual person living with HIV, he doesnt understand. He has no understanding of the DOUBLE STIGMA of HIV and homosexuality.
Rev. Gideon Byamugisha also showed this lack of understanding even though he is also a PLWHIV. It is a reality of our kuchu lives.

And Dr Watiti, according to the statistics, I most kuchus living with HIV are actually Ugandans living in Uganda.

It was a crucial point in time.
At that time, the hype making the rounds was all about the big and bad and dirty, extremely evil Americans who were daring to caution that there was a problem with the very beautiful and lovely Anti-Homosexuality Act, 2023.
In these cringe worth moments, when fellow Ugandans are puffing out their chests and loudly shouting how tough they are in standing up to ‘the Americans’, proof of their holy aims…,

And, our doctors, who should be in the know, failed us. Spectacularly.

 

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Ghana, Uganda.., (Un)-African Kuchu

  Why do fellow Africans believe that we Kuchus, LGBTQ+ Africans are not Africans?

I think once upon a time, I (knew…), or believed so. That, unfortunately is the truth. I am an African. Bred and born and grew up in Africa. In my developing years, questioning, un-understanding, unable to comprehend what was nose close, I somehow came to believe that I couldn’t be gay.., because it was something that was a mzungu (white people) problem. Of course that denial didn’t solve my problem…, I was still African- and a human being

In my defence, I was 12-14 years of age?! With zero access to real knowledge on sexuality. (eish…, discount curious childhood experimentation!)

Now, at this moment in time, I am ashamed that fellow Africans, adult human beings, are so clueless with regards to sex and sexuality that they are convinced that kuchus cannot be African.

Yet we are. Queer Africans, Kuchus, are part of our communities and societies in Africa. But, the basic denial is still a thing in the thinking of the ‘elite’ of Africa, the educated and leaders and those in power. And it shows in a myriad ways.
The ‘anti-homosexuality’ bills in our parliaments are a desperate attempt to deny homosexuality from invading our communities. A dangerous and silly farce.

Queer Africans exist in every community, in every village, town and city of Africa. We kuchus, queer (LGBTQ+) Africans, are African.

Ursula Owusu Ekuful, minister from Ghana points out the facts, even while defending a bill criminalising homosexuality in Ghana. Its weird to think that the lady felt a need to assert what should be undisputed fact.

 

““In every community in this country, we know of somebody who is a homosexual and that is why our language has a description for that purpose. If our language has a description for a person, it means it exist unless we are disputing that,””

 

Oh yeah, many do dispute. As apparently Minister Owusu-Ekuful was debating another MP. That MP must presumably have been denying the existence of kuchus…, and Owusu-Ekuful spoke up? Pure speculation, on my part, with a nudging semblance of knowledge of popular conversations on my sexuality in Africa.

It is very, very lazy thinking.
But, our leaders regularly entertain it. President Museveni is famous for denying the existence of kuchus, explaining why the HIV epidemic in Africa seemed to be heterosexual.
We kuchus came out…, and he changed tack, to asserting kuchus in Africa were ‘few’.. and didn’t need any particular notice (in HIV programming), and that assertion was done on BBC.
Very lazy thinking. Unworth of modern day leaders and leadership.

On 5^th Jul 2023, Parliament in Ghana debated an Anti-Homosexuality bill, titled the;

 

“Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, popularly known as the anti- LGBTQ+ bill.”

 

The underlying message.., Kuchu Ghanaians are ‘anti-family values’, and denial of their right to sex is ‘Promotion of Proper human sexual rights’. Classy, isn’t it?! That was the second reading of the bill.

The bills purpose…, nicely summarised

 

“primarily to ensure proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values while banning the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and all their related activities”

 

Homosexuality is taken to be a ‘foreign import’, a very dangerous trope for us Kuchus. Because there is continual denial of our African-ness, our existence, our needs. Justifies our families throwing us out when we are exposed. And it is the very basis for many of the anti-homosexuality bills. We are coming out…, so that means that we are the tip of the seed of corruption, which has to be stamped on, now…

It is difficult for us Kuchus, to educate fellow Africans. Yeah, it is.
And, putting a dent in prejudice is tough. Very tough.
The influencers; politicians, religious leaders, and others, are convinced of our un-African-ness. The laws now, courtesy of the anti-gay American Right sponsors, typically forbid ‘promotion of homosexuality’. That is, advocacy. Of any kind.

Shit. But silly tough shit.

The denial and erasure, overt and covert, justifies the homophobia and the state support. We cannot but be criminals because the law criminalises us, and we cannot be decriminalised because the law criminalises us. Circular reasoning, but it is in the vogue in much of Africa.

Of course we are, and it is that fact that trumps all. (Touch wood, the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 mandates prison for life, and death, for the homosexual. So, maybe Uganda will manage the Final Solution that Hitler failed at.)

 

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Myths and misconceptions from Gideon Byamugisha’s article

Reading Reverend Gideon Byamugisha’s article, a few things rubbed me the wrong way.

True, ours is a toxic environment, and his was a great call out of the pharisees in the churches, but I had to remind myself that allies are allies.
Kuchu (LGBTQ+) allies are necessary.., we are a minority. In our countries, in most of Africa, our allies literally speak for us. In many cases that is because we cannot speak on our behalf, for one reason or another.
But, they don’t necessarily truly know us.

We are a minority, however much the haters mobilise more hate by painting the farce of us ‘taking over’, or ‘turning the world homosexual’ as Archbishop Kaziimba and President Museveni believe. Sincerely held beliefs.
(Snigger, ridiculous and sad as it is, the President and Archbishop believe we homosexuals have an agenda to literally destroy the world.., in some way, and that is from their own mouths.)

Reverend Byamugisha is also a person in the Ugandan environment. He has been influenced by the lies, disinformation and myths that are peddled without challenge in Uganda. (Just like we, kuchus, internalise the homophobia in our environment).

In the first paragraph Byamugisha states

 

“Our grave challenges from some selfish homosexual practice recruiters and promoters notwithstanding…”

 

It is important to assert, again and again. We do not ‘promote’ homosexuality. We don’t need to promote what comes naturally to us. We just are. The rest is an invention of those who literally hate and tell lies about us.
In the same breath, we kuchus have to assert, we do not recruit into homosexuality. If one really thinks about it, it is a very ridiculous assertion, a BIG LIE that has taken root, especially in Uganda, promoted literally by anti-gay activists like Martin Ssempa, transplanted as is from the American Far Right. We kuchus, LGBTQ+ people, do not recruit! We don’t make people gay. We dont have an army to ‘recruit’ for. That language and the lies have only one purpose, to dehumanise and demonise kuchus, making us feared and hated by the public. To increase the prejudice against kuchus.

It infuriates me.., that the world has fallen for this false narrative of LGBTQ+ ‘recruiters and promoters’.
Byamugisha is stating what is general belief in Uganda. Homosexuals are dangerous because of ‘recruiters and promoters’. Apparently we as homosexuals have the itch to increase in some way. Thus the ‘recruiting and promoting’.

It is not only in Uganda. It is not only the ‘under-educated’ masses in Africa who believe this nonsense, though we are an easy mark. The anti-gay activists like Family Watch International (FWI), right wing proselytisers have been quite successful pushing the narrative that we kuchus of the world are ‘recruiting and promoting’ homosexuality. And of course the icing on the cake, we homosexuals are supposed to be ‘coming for your children’.

And the world believes that nonsense.

It shows a basic lack of understanding of sexuality. And an underlying desire to believe any and all evil of a stigmatised group. A willingness to suspend common sense, when the target is wrapped in ignorance, myths and there are some willing to push the big lie, in the name of religion or culture, or sovereignty…, or for whatever the reason is.

It is a lie. It is believed. And that is what is…

Yet I still wouldn’t want an ally to drop into the cesspool of thinking that we kuchus have this agenda to ‘recruit’, ‘promote’ and of course ‘come for their children’.

Yes. I know. ‘Promoting’, in the minds of anti-gay forces, especially in Uganda, means me defending myself, like I am doing in this post, debunking myths. That is what is called promoting…, and it is currently illegal in Uganda (Bite me. If that is promotion, I will promote…!). This blog is a shameless promoter of homosexuality.

Rev. Byamugisha also states

 

“Just like people living with HIV/Aids, suspected homosexuals suffer…”

 

Byamugisha has experienced first hand the stigma and prejudice of HIV/AIDS. And in his mind, the stigma and prejudice of ‘homosexuality’ in Uganda might seem similar.

I don’t think it is, though the processes might be similar in social psychology. Ultimately, HIV/AIDS is an infection. Its stigma was largely based on fear. The stigma and prejudice due to homosexuality especially in Uganda and much of Africa is different. Most people don’t realistically fear that they will become homosexual. We are a small, marginalised population which is not growing, despite the anti-gay hype. We are not going to make YOU homosexual! Most adults confident in their sexuality would not believe it so…, but, the anti-gay activists play to that fear, extensively.

HIV infection particularly affects kuchus. We then suffer a double stigma. Stigma of HIV infection and the stigma due to our sexuality.
In Uganda, at the moment, it is easier to come out as a person living with HIV. It is much, much harder to come out as kuchu. And those of us who are forced to come out would embrace being HIV positive before we embrace or come out as kuchu. That is brutal, but it is what is on the ground.

In the end, Rev Godfrey Byamugisha was very, very courageous. Calling out one’s bosses for moral failings is suicidal…, metaphorically speaking. But, he does it. And he does it on behalf of a minor, marginalised, persecuted social group, the kuchu in Uganda.

Damnation…, whenever I start cementing my belief in the evil of religion; Christian and Islam in Uganda and Africa…, there comes someone with the guts to call out my budding prejudice.
Most Christians and Moslems would lynch me, literally and metaphorically in Uganda and Africa, because of my sexuality. But, most does not mean all. There are a brave few willing to challenge the rivers of hate flowing.
Yeah, they do deserve a certain respectful notice. The Godfrey Byamugisha’s, Justin Welby and Pope Francis’ of this world. They are boulders rolling against the flow of rivers of institutionalised hate, and deserve my respect.

 

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Toxic Environment: Kuchu in Uganda, Africa.

 

Without a doubt, for a Kuchu (LGBTQ+) individual living in Uganda, and pretty much of Africa, the environment is quite toxic.
We discount it.., a matter of personal safety, physical and personal mental health. We have to grow calluses to our sensitivity. We have to have skin the thickness of crocodile hide to weather the hate and toxicity around. When the state and its politicians, church and mosque, and every influencer of note preach firmly the belief that we kuchus are horrible people, it is simply a wonder if and when we don’t start believing the same.

Of course we are human beings. We, kuchus inhale the poison and toxicity. We are insane in our sanity. We internalise the homophobia. That is a matter of fact.

Stephen Fry, prominent British comedian, had reason to visit Uganda during the hysteria surrounding the Anti-Homosexual Act 2014. He met and talked to Simon Lokodo in 2012, then Uganda’s Minister for ‘Ethics and Integrity’, and prominent, official anti-gay activist..., and Stephen Fry went back to his hotel room and attempted to commit suicide.
An adult LGBTQ+ individual, from a country and environment that accepts people of differing sexualities. Fry just had a whiff of the air in Uganda…, and he was lucky he survived. True, he leaves with bipolar disorder, which most likely made our daily lived reality precipitate, for him. It was reported

 

“he was prompted to attempt suicide after conducting a television interview with Uganda’s minister for Ethics and Integrity, Simon Lokodo, in 2012. “[He] was a foaming, frothing homophobe of the worst kind [and] behind the bill in Uganda that was supposed to make homosexuality a capital offence, in other words a death sentence,” says Fry”

 

And the ‘foaming, frothing homophobe’ is a literal and accurate description of many of Uganda’s anti-gay activists, including the churchmen Martin Ssempa and Stephen Kaziira, and the politicians of course.

Wonder how damaged we kuchus on the ground are, in comparison?
Oh yes. We are damaged individuals. We wouldn’t be human, to live in this toxic environment and come out sparkling. We are simply human.

Wonder what effect that reality has on the children, teens questioning, discovering their sexuality?
Well, we are damaged…, But, that is life. We have to bear with it. Yeah, quite a few die, by suicide and otherwise. And of course we hide, however we can. That is the basic of survival, as and when one can.

Why the introspection?

An article in the Monitor newspaper. A guest writer, Reverend Gideon Byamugisha. He is a churchman. And, as a person living with HIV, he shattered perceptions when he came out positive, saying he had HIV. Put a face to the virus, confronted the prejudice, in and out of the church… And apparently he remembered. And remembers.

The article.
Yes, it has a lot of issues…, Reverend Gideon Byamugisha happens to be a Ugandan, and he believes quite a number of myths and prejudices that are taken as truth in Uganda. But, he also comes from a time and space that is intimately conversant with the might and cruelty of majority prejudice.

A simple breath of less polluted air, in the toxicity of ‘debate’ in Uganda about my sexuality.
It is not enough. We need a cleansing wind to remove the fog and smog. But, we don’t have winds in the foulness of air in Uganda. We only can celebrate this little breeze.

To contrast, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda is calling for a Crusade, Africans to ‘evangelise’ the world.., presumably with the gospel against homosexuality. Should we be thankful he is not yet calling for a pogrom?
The Moslems think us beneath the notice of a Jihad, thankfully. At least that is what I hope. The President of the Republic believes Uganda should lead Africa to save the world from homosexuality.

How astonishing, and embracing, for a churchman, a Ugandan, living in Uganda, to come out and assert that “Anti-gay anger is neither Christian nor African”.

Breath of fresh air, in a toxic smog indeed.

 

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1 Popular Ugandan, and African Parsing of Homophobia

 This is a 3 part reply to an article written by one, Mathew Otieno, a Kenyan, published on a mecatornet.com . This is Part 1.

First, I am kuchu, (LGBTQ+ Ugandan

The article was interesting. Refreshing. In Uganda, a down to earth examination of issues is hardly publishable.

Mr Otieno seems to write under the illusion that ‘what should be’, is ‘what is’, reality.
For example, he asserts that

“the New York Times, went downright colonial by trying to connect the law’s passage with the American conservative backlash against the LGBT+ agenda, laying the blame partly at the feet of organisations like Arizona-based Family Watch International, which has organised and participated in pro-family conferences in Uganda. This is rubbish”

Matter of fact, the rubbish is Mr Otieno’s assertion. The reporting might have been inconvenient, but it was accurate.

That US Arizona  group Family Watch International (FWI) was involved in the first 2014 Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda.

On the weekend after the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2023 was first passed by Uganda’s Parliament, FWI held a 2 day conference for African legislators in Entebbe, Uganda. Supposedly supporting African sovereignty and ‘family rights’, its focus was on its staple 3 ideological issues: anti-LGBTQ+, anti-contraception and anti-abortion; against ‘Comprehensive Sexuality Education’.
Museveni made an appearance. He was so convinced of the threat to humanity paused by homosexuality that he called on Africa to save the world.

One of the attendees, Kenyan MP Peter Kaluma left for home (Nairobi, Kenya) trumpeting on Twitter his determination to table an anti-Homosexuality bill. Indeed, he did so, the Family Protection Bill, directly reflecting FWI rhetoric, and some of the provisions, an FWI wishlist. He admitted the influence.

FWI in its Africa specialisation, talks about our ‘sovereignty’, and plays deftly on ‘western hegemony’ and the ‘LGBTQ+ agenda’. ‘Racism’ and ‘colonialism’ are always in the background, cards to play.
Frankly, they cone us. They understand, just as Mathew Otieno reacted, those are trigger points for Africans post colonialism.  They can manipulate us, and do so.  Winking and nudging they intimate that their governments are playing colonialism. We fail to ask WHY they would go against their national interests.

Reacting with knee jerk reflex like this blinds us to the obvious manipulation from the likes of FWI. And, Mr Otieno fell into the trap, angrily claiming agency, our sovereignty in the face of colonialism and racism. We are sovereign in FWI’s eyes only as long as we follow their agenda, grounded in our ignorance and prejudices, which they reinforce.

 

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