Tranz Network Uganda (TNU) stands with the rest of the world in commemorating the International Transgender Day of Remembrance 2020. TNU also celebrates the struggles and resilience of all transgender and gender non-conforming persons alive today, and the huge progress the Network and our development partners have made against the transgender dilemma in Uganda.
The struggle for legal and social recognition and respect for transgender persons in Uganda is not without its challenges. The year 2020 has particularly been difficult for the transgender community in Uganda in light of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government of Uganda tried valiantly to suppress this pandemic by issuing stringent guidelines for individuals, businesses, organizations, transporters and all other sectors of the economy during this period, a lot of which measures caused great hardship to the majority of Ugandans.
However, as is often the case for communities marginalized due to various factors, transgender persons fared far worse than the general population. Many transgender persons could not access food, medical care or even shelter, and so many lives were stripped of basic dignity in the extreme conditions of the COVID-19 lockdown in Uganda (March to August). As a Network, we have watched with horror the desperate state of affairs for many transgender persons who were in urgent need of food, shelter, medical treatment and psychosocial support services, and we have thus experienced unprecedented numbers of cases persons with serious mental health challenges, culminating in at least two suicides, over the past few months. So many transgender persons have reported being victims of arbitrary arrests and gross violations of their rights to liberty, dignity and bodily integrity during this period.
We grieve deeply the loss of those who have gone before us. We continue to mourn the death of our two sisters, Wasswa Brian and Fahad Kawere Ssemugooma, who were murdered in October and September 2019 respectively, and who have yet to receive justice to this day. We also stand with those who have suffered violations, particularly those who have not been able to get meaningful redress. We stand with our brothers and sisters who have been victims of arbitrary arrests, prolonged incarceration and violations of their bodily integrity during this period. We especially stand with those still suffering these violations even after the relaxing of the rules on combating the spread of COVID-19.
In celebrating the courage and resilience of the transgender community, we cannot fail to recognize and appreciate in a special way all organizations working with transgender and gender nonconfirming persons across the country, members of the network, individuals, the entire LGBTIQ+ community and all our partners who pulled together to ensure that the most urgent basic needs of transgender persons and gender non-conforming persons were met during this period. We see and appreciate your dedication and resilience in this cause, and are so grateful for every effort made to ensure that even just one more transgender person makes it alive to this day.
TNU remains committed to the promotion and protection of the rights, freedoms and dignity of transgender persons in Uganda, even in light of the socio-legal impediments and the limited operating space in Uganda. We will continue to provide emergency relief for transgender people as long as this difficult situation subsists, and beyond COVID-19. We shall continue to do our part to strengthen the resilience of the transgender movement in Uganda, and of transgender persons across the country. TNU will also continue to advocate and engage the policy makers and duty bearers to enact and implement transgender inclusive policies and laws. The battle against stigma and discrimination of transgender persons in Uganda remains the cardinal focus of TNU, and we are eternally grateful to our development partners who enable this work.
On this Transgender Day of Remembrance, TNU calls upon the government of Uganda:
- To repeal laws that discriminate and criminalize transgender persons and drive them away from life-saving services.
- To cause the Uganda Police Force and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to speed up investigations into the murders of transgender persons over the last several months, and cause the prosecution of the culprits.
- To continue to commit resources to the provision of specialized healthcare services for transgender persons by making friendly and stigma-free services available for transgender people in all public health facilities across the country.
- To honor its commitments at national, regional and international level to respect, promote and fulfil rights of all persons without discrimination, and to thus make human rights a reality for transgender persons in Uganda.
TNU believes much more can be done to address the plight of the transgender persons in Uganda, especially with continued support of the state agencies and development partners and the commitment of human rights activists and organizations.
A luta continua, Vitória é certa
Apako Williams Executive Director,
Tranz Network Uganda (TNU)
