Defending the Mental Health of Kuchu Activists During the COVID-19 pandemic

By Douglas Mawadri, Arianna Schindle, Alden Farrar, Zoë West, Joy Mukasa, Elvis Herbert Ayesiga, Bob Bwana, Adam Brown, Sarah Knuckey, and Manaswi Sangraula

Uganda is one of the hardest places in the world to be LGBTQI (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or intersex). When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the Ugandan government adopted public health measures that were heteronormative and exceedingly harsh. The implementation of these measures both exacerbated already difficult conditions and created new forms of vulnerability for many members of the LGBTQI community.