Crisis in Uganda

Trans-Atlantic Parallels of Homophobia and Racism:

the Export of a US Conservative Agenda to Uganda

A Panel Discussion with:

‰ Frank Mugisha, Chairperson, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG)
‰ Grace Stowell, Executive Director, Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,
and Transgender Youth (BAGLY)
‰ KJ Ward, Director, Boston GLASS, JRI Health

A Conversation with Frank Mugisha

Thursday, January 13, 2011
6:00 to 8:00 PM
Arlington Street Church
351 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116

FRANK MUGISHA

Most recently honored by the UN Office of the High Commission for Human Rights as a human
rights defender and later quoted by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for Frank’s call for
UN help to decriminalize homosexuality world wide, Frank was named by the Advocate
Magazine as one of the leading 40 under 40 activists worldwide. From university days
establishing the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) organization
“Icebreakers Uganda” to today as Director of SMUG, Frank works with leaders in the faith
communities, civil society and government organizations to bring human rights for GLBTI
community to his beloved home of Uganda and other parts of the world.

Come hear & talk with Frank so we can better understand & lend our
support for LGBTI human rights in Uganda and beyond.

If you are not able to attend, please consider supporting SMUG by going to
www.jri.org: click on “donate” and write “donate to SMUG” in the comment box. 

Sponsored by:

JRI Health – Boston GLASS; BAGLY, and GLAD

 FRANK MUGISHA

Mr. Mugisha is the executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda

(SMUG), an umbrella organization that works to advocate for the rights of
LGBTI people in Uganda. Named by The Advocate magazine as one of the
leading under 40 activists worldwide, he was honored in December 2010
by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights
as a human rights defender and given recognition by United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon when he called for the decriminalization
of homosexuality world wide, citing Frank and his work.

During his leadership at SMUG, Mr. Mugisha has participated in demonstrations, parades, press
conferences and talk shows to reject the cruel treatment of gays and lesbians in Uganda. He has
lobbied and worked with civil society organizations, diplomatic missions, and development
partners of good governance to fight the anti homosexuality bill that was introduced in the
Ugandan parliament in 2009. As part of the global campaign to fight discrimination of LGTI
people in Uganda and Africa, he has toured the US, Europe, and the UK, speaking at
international conferences and human rights forums and engaging in political meetings. Mr.
Mugisha has been harassed, lost jobs, friends and family, and endured hostility, threats,
intimidation and discrimination in the fight for the recognition of gay rights in Uganda. He has
intervened in helping LGBTI people who have been arrested because of their sexual orientation
be released from prisons and detentions, and successfully got dismissals of some cases.

In 2004, while still in University, Frank started advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
and intersex (LGBTI) rights when he founded a support organization for LGBTI people coming
out of the closet, called Icebreakers Uganda. He is the current chair of the board of executives of
this organization.

In August 2007, he was among the brave Ugandan LGBTI people who first came out in a media
campaign entitled “Let Us Live in Peace”.

In 2008, he was in a demonstration at the implementers meeting in Kampala, Uganda to request

the inclusion of LGBT people in the national strategic plan. This demonstration led to the arrest
and detention of 3 Ugandan LGBTI activists. In December of that year, during his leadership at
SMUG, the LGBTI community celebrated a victory of winning a court case based on
discrimination against LGBTI people, entitled Oyo Yvonne and Victor Mukasa Vs the State.

In 2009 he led religious leaders and HIV/AIDS activists in a massive march to petition the
Ugandan parliament to stop the anti homosexuality bill. In 2008, 2009 and 2010 he was named
and shamed in Uganda’s media tabloid.

Mr. Mugisha has spoken alongside Chris Bryant MP, who is a Minister at the UK Foreign and
Commonwealth Office and Alvaro Bermejo, Chief Executive of the International HIV/AIDS
Alliance, at the houses of parliament in London and with Birgitta Ohlsson, Sweden's EU
minister. In 2010 he spoke at the movers and shakers “Left Forum” New York.

In December 2010, on Human Rights Day, Mr. Mugisha was honored by the UN’s Office of the
High Commissioner on Human Rights as a human rights defender, and given recognition by
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calling for the decriminalization of
homosexuality world wide in this quote:

During my recent trips to Africa, I urged leaders to do away with laws criminalizing
homosexuality. I was particularly happy and pleased that, when I was visiting Malawi, I was
able to secure the release of a young gay couple sentenced to 14 years in prison. President
Mutharika kept his promise and he released them during my stay, on the very day when I
urged him to do so.

Yesterday evening, I spoke to a Human Rights Day event at the Ford Foundation. It was
called “Speak Up,” a conversation with human rights defenders. Some of you are wearing
badges. One of my fellow speakers was a young activist from Uganda. Frank Mugisha
has been working with a variety of civil society groups to stop legislation that
institutionalizes discrimination against gay and lesbian people. With extraordinary
eloquence, he appealed to us, the United Nations, for help. He asked us to rally support
for the decriminalization of homosexuality everywhere in the world.

And that is what we will do. We have been called upon, and we will answer.

In all these kinds of cases, I put myself on the line. I take pains to find the right balance
between public and private diplomacy to reach difficult solutions. I will continue to do so. I
will continue to speak out, at every opportunity, wherever I go. And I will do so because this
is the right thing to do.

Because this cause is just. That is why this day, this very special day, means so much to me.
Human Rights Day commemorates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Mr. Mugisha’s contact information is below:

Frank Mugisha
Director
Sexual Minorities Uganda - SMUG
P.O. Box 70208, Clock Tower
Kampala, Uganda. EA
Email: fmugisha@sexualminoritiesuganda.org or frankmugisha@gmail.com
Website: www.sexualminoritiesuganda.org