In March 2020, The Victor Mukasa Show was broadcast live for the first time. Ugandan trans and LGBTI activist, Victor Mukasa envisioned the show as a space that would bring emerging issues for LGBTIQ+ people from the continent and the Diaspora to light. It aims to feature everything Queer and African, ranging from education, activism, …
March 2020 — First Live Broadcast of The Victor Mukasa Show, Uganda Read More »
On 1 August 2014, the Ugandan constitutional court dismissed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which had caused controversy both in Uganda and across the world. The court ruled that the Anti-Homosexuality Bill was null and void, citing procedural irregularities during its passage and asserting the vote cast on the Bill in Parliament technically lacked the necessary quorum to have been …
1 August 2014 — Constitutional Court Dismisses the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, Uganda Read More »
The Ugandan parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality Bill into law on 14 February 2014. The Bill criminalised any sexual acts and relations between people of the same sex. The maximum sentence for such offences would be the death penalty or life imprisonment. In the few years leading to the signing of the Bill into law, although the language …
14 February 2014 — The Passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, Uganda Read More »
In June 2013, Neo Musangi, a Kenyan non-binary artist and activist, performed publicly in front of the building of the Kenia National Archives. The aim of the performance was intended to dismantle the gender binary and create awareness about non-binary identities. In a street performance, as citizens looked on, Neo Musangi took the audience through …
June 2013 — Non-Binary Street Performance by Neo Musangi in Nairobi, Kenya Read More »
On 10 December 2009, Ugandan activist, Victor Mukasa, co-founder of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and program associate for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLRHC) spoke at a landmark meeting of the United Nations General Assembly panel. The panel focused on ending human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity and …
10 December 2009 — Ugandan Activist, Victor Mukasa, Speaks at the United Nations Read More »
On 14 October 2009 the Anti-Homosexuality Bill was introduced to parliament in Uganda, sparking international outrage and condemnation. The Bill sought to further criminalise homosexuality in the country, imposing life imprisonment for those found guilty of engaging in homosexual acts, as well as imposing harsh penalties for those who failed to report known homosexuals to …
14 October 2009 — Anti-Homosexuality Bill Draft Introduced to Parliament, Uganda Read More »
17 May 2019 — The Death and Humiliation of Aunty Victoria, Tanzania Auntie Victoria was reportedly the first openly identified trans woman in Tanzania. She received gender-affirming surgery in Europe many years ago (surgery dates undocumented). When she returned to Tanzania, her home country, she owned a tavern, and generated her own income. She was …
17 May 2009 — The Humiliation and Death of Auntie Victoria, Tanzania Read More »
In 2009 the first Miss Woubi beauty pageant was held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The event takes its name from an Ivorian slang word (‘Woubi’) meaning ‘effeminate’ — the more feminine partner in a relationship, or as Ivorians put it, the one who “plays the role of the woman”. In 2016, 13 contestants competed in …
2009 — First Miss Woubi Beauty Pageant for Gender-Variant Ivorians, Ivory Coast Read More »
On 2 June 2008, Daisy Dube, a gender-variant person, and four friends who self-identified as drag queens, went out clubbing in the evening in Yeoville, Johannesburg. Men outside the club called them izitabane,* referring to their gender identity. In resistance, Daisy and her friends shouted back, asking them to stop insulting them by calling them …
2 June 2008 — The Murder of Drag Queen Daisy Dube, South Africa Read More »
In 2007 Nigerian Reverend Jide Macaulay from House of Rainbow attended the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) meeting in Johannesburg. This ILGA conference presented the opportunity for organisations to meet and network and important organisational relationships formed. The conference was the beginning of the alliance between House of Rainbow and Gender …
In May 2007, the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) hosted a conference in Johannesburg with the aim of establishing an organisation affiliated with them on the African continent — a Pan Africa ILGA (PAI). Background The African caucus had to determine the ILGA-Africa constitution and one of the decisions was to establish the Pan …
On 3 March 2004, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), now known as SMUG International, was founded by trans man and activist, Victor Mukasa, along with Sylvia Tamale. The earliest members included Val Kalende, Kamuhangire E. and David Kato, who were among the first board members. SMUG is an umbrella non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Kampala, Uganda, advocating …
3 March 2004 — Founding of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), Uganda Read More »
Featured in international film festivals in 1998, the documentary, Woubi Chéri, directed by Laurent Bocahut and Philip Brooks, focused on the lives of Woubis*, Yossis**, and other members of the Branché*** community in Ivory Coast. The award-winning documentary was featured globally in various film festivals and on a number of documentary platforms. The film won Best …
In the Ivory Coast, the Travesti* was a prominent group, recognised and documented from the early 1990s, but they were most likely active before the 90s**. They formed L’association des Travestis de Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast Transvestites Association), under the leadership of Barbara (full name withheld for safety reasons). The first record of the group …
1994 — First Printed Media Reference to The Travesti, Ivory Coast Read More »
In the early 1970s, Mozambique was still under colonial rule. In April 1974, political upheaval in Lisbon, Portugal resulted in a coup within the Portuguese military and the dictatorship in Portugal was overthrown. This had a ripple effect on the colonies, including Angola and Mozambique. The Lusaka Accord was signed in September of that same …
1975 — Military Coup Ends Carnival Festival, Mozambique Read More »
While cross-dressing, queerness, homosexuality, and all forms of LGBTIQ+ identities as known today were not widely accepted in day-to-day life in Mozambique, during the 1950s through to the mid-1970s, the annual Carnival provided an opportunity for ‘male’ femininity, cross-dressing, and queer performances. There was no explicit link to what we now recognise as trans or …
