Uganda: Mothers disregard the anti -gay law to support children

In a country where recognizing as a gay can lead to life imprisonment, and “enlarged homosexuality” is punished, some parents are defying law and society to stand by their queues to stand by children, where the Uganda kingdom only punishes.Among them are Mama Joseph, a mother of Madhya Uganda, whose sons came out as gay at one time when being openly gay can result in life-threatening results.

‘Very African and very queuing’ – challenging the myth of ‘imported queue’:

His voice does not quote. For him, the relationship between queue and African identity is not contradictory. He never left Uganda. Nor is his son.“People say that cureness is un-abusive, but I know this is not true. I did not pick up my child on foreign TV, where some claim that he could be ‘learned’ to be gay,” she told DW. “He did not go to the boarding school, where other people think that such things happen. I picked him up here, very African and he is very queuing.”His defective voice challenges a comprehensive belief in Uganda that homosexuality is a Western import.“So, when people judge us, I ask myself, what do they really mean by ‘Un-African’? This journey is not easy,” he said. “Being an African mother for a quir baby comes with a separation, but I am proud of my son.”He said that some relatives threatened him, and neighbors have avoided him.

Selection of love on fear in Uganda’s homes:

In the room living in the East African country, some parents have chosen love over fear, including uncle Arthur, who shared his way to understand with DW.“When a child opens about his sexuality, it is not easy at first. Many of us, the beginning is the most difficult. But as -as time passes, you start walking that trip together and you know your child on a deep level, and they get close to you.”His openness represents a change between some Uganda families, where a new generation of parents is rejecting traditional dogma in favor of closeness and honesty.“I have always tried to guide my child, to show them what is good and what is not. And because I have created that place, they are very open to me,” he said. “People often judge children harshly, but they miss goodness in them. These are amazing children.”Mothers’ advocacy does not stop at home. They speak at public forums and community ceremonies, even doing so are put on obstacles with neighbors, churches, and sometimes expanded family.Mama Arthur’s son came to him in 2021. First, she was confused and scared, but over time, she chose to walk with her.“Because I made that place, my child became more open. I came to know him better,” he told DW.When the law becomes a weapon: understanding the rift of UgandaUganda President Yovery Museweni signed the Act in the law on May 26, 2023 despite global condemnation.The enforcement of law has triggered arrests, crowds and eviction waves from dozens of LGBTQ+ Uganda, who escaped in neighboring countries like Kenya, or hidden.Nevertheless, in the midst of this repression, the courageous parents are breaking cultural and religious norms to stand in private living rooms with their children and interact. Mothers like Mamas Arthur and Joseph are not opposed with love, not with placards or opposition.

South African mothers: the same conflict, various laws:

In South Africa, in South Africa, a country where LGBTQ+ rights are legally protected, but remains social stigma, similar stories emerge.Mama Thandi, a long -time advocate and careful for the youth who has taken care of those who have been rejected by their families for more than a decade.“I am encouraging parents to love their children to teach the society to teach them how to love them,” she told DW.“Because South Africa is a progressive country, even though we have a lot of queues, who are being raped, being brutally killed, and some are being displaced to commit suicide, some have issues of mental health, some have issues of mental health,” he said, it is difficult to ignore contradictions in society.“Churches will have sessions where they pray for all these diseases in the society, yet they are finishing them through homophobia,” said Mama Thandi.Mothers under fire: what happened after arrestThree other Uganda Mothers-Maa Rihanna, Mama Joshua and Mama Hazjat-their children faced acute public backlash after their children were arrested in 2016 and 2022 in high-profile anti-LGBTQ+ cases.Their families were emphasized in the national spotlight as the media outlet published name, face and allegations – every woman forced to navigate the result alone.One sold his only cow to pay legal fees, the other escaped from his house after facing enmity with the neighbors, and the third was forced to hide his daughter from an abusive spouse.In each case, their safety, dignity and livelihood were put at risk.Despite the trauma, mothers remain unheard of their support.“The sexuality doesn’t matter,” Mama Hazat said, who said that her once a rigid husband started changing after seeing her daughter’s strength.For maternal uncle Joshua, this issue is cut deeply. “Our children are the easiest goals,” he said, accusing the government of using LGBTQ+ people, as a sacrifice of sacrifice to mask failures.Mothers interviewed by DW at Chetch Bookstore in Kenai Capital, Nairobi and a documentary screening at Cafe are part of the Quir Support Network associated with Human Rights Watch and PFLAG-Uganda as part of the Chapter Four’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program.

Uganda’s tightening hold criticizes global:

According to Human Rights Watch, the reports of violence and discrimination related incidents against people in Uganda have increased since the law was enacted.The United Nations High Commissioner Human Rights Volcker Turk called for the cancellation of the law last year. “The criminalization of the death sentence for equal-sex relations and the International Human Rights Treaty of Uganda for equal-sex relations is contrary to the Turk.” Still the government remains. In court, the state has defended the law as security of “African values”.However, critics say that it has deepened an atmosphere of fear that carries forward LGBTQ+ Uganda and tears its families between loyalty and existence.The law of Uganda continues to condemn international condemnation, some donors reconsiders development assistance with countries.But for mothers like Mama Joseph, international headlines mean very little if family remains silent.“I won’t bury my child because of shame,” he said. “We have already buried a lot.”As the second anniversary of the law comes, these women are quietly writing the story of Uganda to a child at one time, a work of love at one time. They say that this is not the revolution of the crowd, but the revolution of mothers.