“Not only is it now illegal to be LGBTQ+ in Uganda, but many of us, especially those who are trans, face threats, family and community rejection, homelessness, threats to our lives. And we can’t go to many social services for help because of the AHA.”
In 2021, Benjamin pooled what few resources he could find and established the Happy Life Youth Empowerment Centre, (HLYEC), with the aim of empowering homeless young trans women in Kampala’s Wakiso District through health programmes, advocacy, and legal support, and by providing emergency shelter.
Large enough to support 25 transwomen at a time, HLYEC has been forced to limit its housing services to ten women because of both lack of money and safety issues. Benjamin says that he has received almost 40 requests to enter the shelter since the passage of the AHA.
“The LGBTQ+ community in Uganda is under siege and while we have friends in the non-LGBTQ+ community in Kampala it’s dangerous for them to be seen as helping us,” Benjamin says. “We have no choice but to reach out to LGBTQ+ people outside of Uganda to come to our aid.”
Benjamin says that unlike many other LGBTQ+ people in Uganda who can hide their identities in order to work or go to school, the women supported by HLYEC face extraordinary stigma and discrimination. “Even supportive landlords are afraid to rent to them,” he says. “It’s the same with employers and healthcare providers.”
Benjamin says that the residents grow their own vegetables and have started a bakery to support themselves and other trans women. But in the end, “HLYEC relies on the kindness of strangers, especially those from outside Uganda who can help us without fear of reprisal.” In addition to funds to pay for the day to day needs of HLYEC members, Benjamin is hoping to one day afford security cameras to keep the residents safer in their home.
David Fair, a longtime US LGBTQ+ activist based in Philadelphia, said that it is vital that LGBTQ+ communities help organisations like HLYEC that are on the front lines in countries that are intolerant of sexual minority people.
“Thousands of LGBTQ+ people in Africa, especially but not only in Uganda, live every moment of every day in sometimes paralysing fear because of intolerance unlike any we have seen in the US for many years,” Fair says. “In Uganda, that intolerance is actively encouraged by the government and civil society. I believe that those of us who have more need to step up and not only advocate for LGBTQ+ people in Africa but share some of our money and resources to keep them safe in their daily lives.”
Fair has established a GoFundMe page to raise awareness of HLYEC and funding to support its work. The page can be found HERE.