Ugandan LGBTQ Activist Attributes Knife Attack to Escalating Intolerance

[Prisca]

In Kampala, Uganda, a prominent LGBTQ rights activist, Steven Kabuye, faced a brutal attack by unidentified assailants, highlighting a surge in intolerance against the LGBTQ+ community. Kabuye, currently hospitalized on the outskirts of Kampala, links this hostility to political tactics.

"The growing anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment is being fueled by politicians using our community as a diversion from the country’s core issues," Kabuye stated from his hospital bed.

Kabuye was targeted on Wednesday by two motorcyclists attempting a fatal assault. They stabbed him in the arm and stomach when he defended his neck. A disturbing video surfaced on social media, showing Kabuye in severe pain with a knife wound in his arm and stomach.

Fearing further attacks, even in the hospital, Kabuye expressed his concern for safety: "I am unsure who to trust at this moment."

Kabuye, the head of Colored Voice Truth to LGBTQ, had briefly sought safety in Kenya last year after threats escalated, following an attack on a group member. He had only recently returned to Uganda.

The backdrop of this attack is the recent enactment of Uganda’s controversial Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 by President Yoweri Museveni. Although the law stops short of criminalizing LGBTQ+ identities, it imposes the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality,' targeting HIV-positive individuals, minors, and other vulnerable groups.

Kabuye, vocal about his concerns regarding the law, shared on social media: “The Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 is a violation of fundamental human rights. It's a step towards legalizing discrimination and persecution of LGBTQ+ people. We must unite against such bigotry and hate.”

This incident underscores the precarious situation for LGBTQ individuals in Uganda, amidst the tightening grip of anti-LGBTQ laws and societal intolerance.