A mudslide in eastern Uganda Monday evening left at least 80 people dead and over 300 missing. The mudslide, triggered by a day of heavy rain, has buried three villages in Bududa district and displaced more than 2000 people from their homes. As of Wednesday morning, the search continues for survivors.

Read the full post at Global Voices Online »

Posted in global voices, uganda | Leave a comment

This is the clearest explanation of the full weight of the Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill that I’ve seen. To sum up: there are lots of ways this bill can kill you, even if you’re not gay. Watch:

Posted in GLBT, human rights, uganda | 1 Comment

How to celebrate the new year, from GayUganda:

I looked at the trans guy, and I decided that, even if dancing with him outs me fully, his feelings do matter.

He wants to dress, flamboyant, flashy in Uganda. That is an expression of what he is, of what he feels. He might not fully understand himself. He might know less about what he is than I do know. Life is a journey, and he is still discovering what it is. In a place and hostile to gender role crossing like Uganda, his is a difficult journey. A very lonely journey even when he seems to be so confident and bright, a kingfisher bird amongst weaver birds.

I didn’t take pity on him.

I understood what he felt. And, I understood what I felt. And, we danced. Right there on the floor, with other guys around us, looking on.

The music flowed, life pulsed, the lights throbbed. And, we were in heaven.

Read the full post here.

Posted in GLBT, uganda, ugandan blogosphere | 1 Comment

My next piece is up at Global Voices Online:

Uganda’s proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009 still awaits a final decision by the country’s Parliament, but the country’s Daily Monitor newspaper reported Wednesday that President Yoweri Museveni has “assured the US State Department of his willingness to block the Bill”:

President Museveni has reportedly assured American authorities that he will veto Ndorwa West MP David Bahati’s proposed anti-gay law, a position that breaks with his recent stance and the statements of officials in his government.

Read more »

Gay Uganda and AfroGay, both of whom have been blogging tirelessly about the threat the Bahati Bill poses, are featured in the post.

Posted in GLBT, global voices, human rights, museveni, uganda, ugandan politics | Leave a comment

Bloomberg is reporting that the Ugandan anti-gay bill will no longer include the death penalty or life imprisonment. The revision is an attempt “to attract the support of religious leaders who are opposed to these penalties,” according to ethics and integrity minister James Nsaba Buturo.

Posted in GLBT, uganda | Leave a comment