Ugandan gay
rights advocates appealed for acceptance Friday, saying gays
face regular abuse by police in a country where being gay is
punishable by life in prison.
''Our message is
simple and clear: Let us live in peace,'' said Victor
Juliet Mukasa, 32, head of Sexual Minorities Uganda--a
previously little-known group that spoke to the media
for the first time this week. ''We are human beings
and should have the same rights as any other citizen
of Uganda.''
Attitudes toward
gays in Uganda are typical of those across the
continent, where many countries outlaw homosexuality and
where gays are prone to prejudice and violence.
''There is no
question of equal treatment for these strange fellows,''
government spokesman Kirunda Kivejinja said. ''Homosexuality
is repugnant to the people of Uganda.''
Police denied the
accusation of abuse.
''Our role is to
enforce the law, not to decide what is right or wrong,''
police spokesman Asan Kasingye said.
But Mukasa said
the group's aim is to ''start a conversation'' about
homosexuality and to urge the government to reach out to the
gay community as part of its national AIDS policy.
''We want people
to see who we are, so we can dismiss these rumors that
homosexuals are rapists and pedophiles,'' she said. ''So
many of us have been abused by police.''
Uganda has been
lauded for its success in fighting HIV over the past 20
years, reducing prevalence from 18% in the early 1990s to
6.5% in 2005. However, recent studies by the Health
Ministry suggest prevalence has increased slightly in
the past two years. (Katy Pownall, AP)