By Melanie Nathan, October 22, 2015.
A well known Ugandan transgender activist is in hospital after being beaten by an angry anti-LGBT mob in Uganda, today.
Beyonce Karungi, 35, went into hiding after receiving several hate threats. When she emerged, she was attacked by a group of five unknown men, sustaining serious facial and bodily injuries. She has undergone x-rays in hospital and is currently awaiting the results.
Beyonce, though extremely traumatized, was able to tell me that she is in a great deal of pain: “I have injuries on my head, hands and my back because they were stomping on me and they were saying they want to kill me.”
Uganda’s LGBTI community is on alert; in just one week there have been several threats to harm the community and at least 5 other assaults on LGBT people in Uganda.
The anti-gay climate in Uganda has been ongoing for several years, and reached a heightened fervor in 2014, after passage of the new Anti-Homosexuality Act was invalidated by the Uganda Courts. Parliamentarians have been working toward returning what was once known as the “Kill the Gays Bill” to Parliament.
Gays, lesbians and trans people are subject to further assaults, ridicule and blackmail at the hands of Police in Uganda and so generally people are afraid to report such cases. For this reason and due to the criminalization of homosexuality in Uganda, under the current Penal Code, as well as the anti-gay milieu in general, Beyonce will continue to be in danger when she leaves hospital.
Pic: Beyonce Karungi
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Reblogged this on Fairy JerBear's Queer/Trans News, Views & More From The City Different – Santa Fe, NM and commented:
Terrible news from Uganda where trans activist is assaulted and hospitalized.
why attack an innocent individual?Many go un repported! beyonce i know you as a couragious woman.Nothing will bar the tide.
This is very barbaric and inhuman. What indeed is the Gov’t doing about this haters and homophobes who have taken laws into their own hands. Why can’t people understand the dynamics and diversity of sexuality and sexual orientation? Is it so compulsory that we all follow one sexual patterns even when we like it or not. You did not choose to be “hectro” likewise i did not choose to be “homo”. We all grew out of that feelings and we both entitle to enjoy the rights that comes out of the feeling.
#GodHelpAfrica
I am so sorry for BK , this has been happening and it is still happening. I propound that who ever has the platform to tell the world that we are also human beings should do so and I believe that little by little we will get there. Let us uplift the violet (spirit). SILENTIO=MORS
“Nancy Pelosi warns about ‘heartbreaking’ spike in transgender murders”
In that Pink News article, published yesterday, I see there have been “21 MURDERS of trans women in the US so far this year”. I expect that far more are beaten, like the victin whom you write about here.
Why don’t you clean up your own backyard first before meddling and criticising elsewhere?
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/10/23/nancy-pelosi-warns-about-heartbreaking-spike-in-transgender-murders/
We are cleaning up our own backyard – that IS the difference between Kenya / Uganda other African countries and the USA. Here is the difference – LOL Can you imagine Rebbecca Kedaga speaking out to HELP trans people like Nancy Pelosi has done – both having held SPEAKER office!!! Therein lies one big difference between our countries.
Uganda population is 10% of USA population of 300 million people – of that .00001% are haters causing these crimes. IN Uganda 95% of the population advocate against LGBT people.
1) We have a multitude of LEGAL and worthy LGBT organizations who are working to create awareness among our population of small % of ignorant haters – many who are ignorant and need better understanding – it will take several years – but soon you will see the awareness will be there and things will change from hate to tolerance to acceptance among the small proportion of people who are criminals and haters. There will always be criminals. There will always be haters. But that will diminish and we at least have the opportunity through our governments creation of new laws that help Trans people. HOWEVER in Uganda you cannot openly advocate or create such awareness bcause of the 95% of your population and 89% of your Parliament are against trans people/.
2) There is not room in Uganda for Trans celebrity to emerge a hero like Caitlyn Jenner
3) We talk about trans murders here as being horrific – you talk about in Uganda as being a good idea
4) NO WAY can a trans person go to police and lodge a complaint and receive justice without fear and with added humiliation in UGANDA – that trans victim will only receive further persecution in Uganda, but here in America the police will do everything in their power to catch those murderers and there will be justice in each case as the perosn is caught!!!
So with that said – we have a long way to go in the USA – AND we have hope. I cannot say the same for Uganda at this point!
LET ME ADD – we do not have mob attacks in USA against trans people – its usually one on one based on encounters – though thats no excuse. In Uganda a hiuge mob will attack one person for being gay or trans.
therein LIES THE DIFFERENCE