Around 100 activists and family members gathered today in Kampala, Uganda to mourn the one-year anniversary of David Kato’s death, according to Yahoo! News.
“We are here to celebrate and thank God for our beloved friend and human rights activist David Kato,” former Anglican bishop and gay rights campaigner Christopher Senyonjo said to the crowd.
Although the current climate for gays in Uganda is slightly better considering the “Death to Gays” bill was tabled, a lot of progress remains to be made. Gay activist Frank Mugisha is still scared thugs might poison his water or food.
There are hopeful signs for gay rights in Africa, though. Thabo Mbeki, the former president of South Africa, recently blasted Uganda’s anti-gay bill as reminiscent of apartheid. Hillary Clinton‘s gay-rights foreign policy is already making progress in gay-unfriendly places like Honduras, and Uganda is on its hit list too.
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And Call Me Kuchu, a documentary about Kato and other Ugandan gay activists that raised funds through Kickstartr, should raise awareness in the international community to their plight. It debuts at the Berlin Film Festival on February 11th.
Here’s the trailer:
Lyn
…brilliantly brave, astoundingly courageous
perdeep
Braver than you or I will ever be. May they never be forgotten.
jason
These people are the world’s bravest gay rights activists. Hillary’s speech, however, seems more like pandering than a commitment. What has the Obama administration actually done to reduce homophobia? While I realize its power is limited, a few sanctions here and there wouldn’t go astray.