On this World AIDS Day, we stand united under the theme Take the Rights Path: My Health, My Right! as we reflect on the urgent need for inclusive healthcare and the fight against HIV/AIDS. The reality that LBQ women in Uganda face is one of exclusion, discrimination, and ignorance—particularly in spaces where decisions about health and funding are made.

For too long, LBQ women have been invisible in HIV/AIDS discussions. The narrative has been shaped by ignorance about our sexual practices, with many assuming that we are immune to HIV because we do not fit the stereotypical profile of those at risk. This dangerous misconception has led to our exclusion from important health interventions, education, and funding—because we are simply not seen as a priority. Our sexual health and rights are not taken into consideration, and we have been left out of policies and programs aimed at tackling HIV/AIDS.
This silence has allowed discrimination to persist, not just in society, but also in the spaces where resources are allocated to fight this epidemic. How can we hope to eradicate HIV/AIDS if we are excluded from the conversation? How can we fight an epidemic if we continue to ignore the lived realities of LBQ women, who too can contract HIV? Our health, our rights, and our bodies matter, and we deserve the same attention, care, and resources as any other group affected by this pandemic.

We refuse to be left behind. We demand that our sexual and reproductive health be recognized and included in all HIV/AIDS-related programs, funding, and policies. This World AIDS Day, we remind the world that our health is our right, and we will continue to speak up, advocate for our needs, and demand that the rights of LBQ women be taken seriously. Only by addressing the discrimination that keeps us at the margins can we begin to hope for a world where HIV/AIDS is no longer a threat to any of us.
Take the rights path, because our health is our right—not on the table of money, because we are not on the table of sex.