Victor Juliet Mukasa, transgender leader of the Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), an umbrella organization of LGBTI groups, bravely stepped forward with approximately thirty other members (some masked) of the LGBT community,to hold an unprecedented press conference
“Please, let us live in peace. Stop persecuting us. God created us this way. We are children of God as well. I am a transgender. I was born with a vagina but my mentality is different. In a landmark case, we, Ugandan LGBTI people assembled at the High Court of Uganda two months ago to reinforce our right to privacy, dignity and property. There were no charges against us. We had done nothing wrong. We were treated in a degrading and inhumane way. Many of us have suffered similar injustice. We are here today to proclaim that these human rights violations are completely unacceptable.”
According to AllAfrica.com, “She said her group went to court because the Police raided her home in 2005, arrested her guest, stole many documents, dragged them to Kireka Police post and forced her guest to strip naked in order to prove that she was a woman.”
Homosexuality in Uganda is punishable by life in prison.
The group chanted: “Leave us to live in peace. Don't lay a hand on us, we are the homosexual chidren of God. God created us this way and all we ask is let us live in peace.”
