This morning, the LGBTI community in Uganda woke up to the griping news of the sudden death of one of her great allies, Tim McCarthy. He passed away at the age of 61 in his hometown, Provincetown- Massachusetts over the weekend.
Tim McCarthy was born on 17th July 1957. He was an ardent Human Rights Activist and an American gifted film maker who worked largely with the LGBTI community in Uganda. Together with DeJones Deus and Pepe Oziema, Tim birthed the idea of "Voices: Combating Homophobia in Uganda" in 2012. The main objective of the project was to tell and share stories by LGBTI Ugandans to tackle homophobia. In 2017, the trio edited the interviews from their prior project and developed a Ugandan LGBTI documentary called "See Me As.” Driven by his love for the community, Tim came to Uganda annually since 2013 and his next visit was slated for December this year. Besides his work, Tim was passionate about travel and adventure while in search of LGBTI stories to document. Mark Zustovich praised McCarthy as "A videographer who used the lens to capture the many facets of LGBTQ life particularly in Uganda." He will always be remembered for using his passion as a videographer to advocate against injustice of the LGBTI community.
To many, Tim was a friend, brother, father and mentor. Several LGBTI Activists eulogized him through their social media platforms. Deus who worked closely with the late said, "He loved the LGBTI family in Uganda. He was full of energy, hilarious and generous. I’m proud to have worked with Tim." Umulugede Richard Lusimbo posted, "He lived a fulfilled life and shared it with an open heartedly with us all. Rest in Power, warrior." Ambrose Barigye shared, "Memories of your good work for humanity will take forever to fade, Tim McCarthy. Even a million posts now can't help. Rest with the angels, dear friend." Tim fought a good fight in his contribution to promote LGBTI rights in Uganda. The cause of his death is still unknown.
Our deepest and sincere condolences to Tim's partner, Douka, his family and friends.
Rest in Power, McCarthy
