For some time now, nothing has been heard or seen of this act of lesbianism and gay as most of the former activists in favor of these same sex practices have since disappeared. A recent impromptu visit by our society writers to a Wandegeya Bombo Road clinic near YMCA, where self-professed LGBTQ activist Shadia Namyalo used to operate from gave some insights into why much hasn’t been heard from the group of bubbly babes that used to profess the same among clients and workmates. Much as the clinic is open like before, the staff revealed that Shadia for some time has not been around and that the psycho-social section was closed after repeated harassment and cruel raids by security operatives of the same section that was offering psychological support to people involved in lesbian and gay practices.
Uganda being a religious and culturally conservative country, LGBTQ practices are abominable and punishable by society that tends to shun and scorn such people. In the past the debate as to whether LGBTQ is either inborn or learnt and addictive attracted the attention of President Museveni who famously said he had scientific proof it’s something learned as opposed to being inborn. He immediately signed into law the anti LGBTQ bill after debate in Parliament though Court later invalidated the enactment.
To date, a video clip still makes round on social media where he even questions youth about the use of the mouth that it’s for ‘okulya’ (eating) not sex when he was commenting about oral sexual practices.
Shadia who sometimes used to don men wears and actively used social media to defend participation in solidarity-support events is among those now underground having been overcome by stigma. She was equally shunned by pals for sensitizing some youths at nearby YMCA trying to popularize the homosexual practices. She would lure many to attend symposiums on depressive symptoms among LGBTQ clients that would sometimes be successfully thwarted by the security authorities. In her hey days, relentless Shadia hoped to use such symposiums as recruit avenues for especially University students into homosexuality.
On getting freed from detention, Shadia became terrified, cowed and went underground keeping a low profile most of the time. Her jailors must have done something tremendous to significantly alter her excitement and boldness towards the prohibited sex practice and orientation. Much as the acts of LGBTQ seem to have reduced in the public domain, a lot needs to be done in schools. A number of secondly school going children are feared to be practicing the vice especially in single sex schools.
Government will need to establish more psycho-social support to prevent these acts from affecting secondly school going children since this poses danger to the generations ahead instead of gallivanting around laws. Tabloid media snoops still look forward to unmasking Shadia and what she has lately been up to since going incognito.
