#david kato

[makingqueerhistory]

David Kato — Making Queer History

David Kato is considered the father of the queer movement in Uganda, as well as the first openly gay man in Uganda. He was also well-known i

David Kato is considered the father of the queer movement in Uganda, as well as the first openly gay man in Uganda. He was also well-known in international politics for his work in his country. However, it was incredibly dangerous for him to even be on the radar in Uganda, as same-sex relationships are illegal as of when this article was written in 2023, and all throughout David Kato’s life.

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[celluloidrainbow]

CALL ME KUCHU (2012) dir. Malika Zouhali-Worrall & Katherine Fairfax Wright In Uganda, a new bill threatens to make homosexuality punishable by death. David Kato - Uganda's first openly gay man - and his fellow activists work against the clock to defeat the legislation while combating vicious persecution in their daily lives. But no one, not even the filmmakers, is prepared for the brutal murder that shakes the movement to its core and sends shock waves around the world. (link in title)

[queerafricans]

Fearless Ugandan LGBT+ activist David Kato Kisule died 10 years ago today. This is his legacy

Remembering fearless Ugandan LGBT+ activist David Kato Kisule, who was brutally murdered in his home 10 years ago

[yourdailyqueer]

David Kato (deceased)

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Gay

DOB: Born 1964  

RIP: 26 January 2011

Ethnicity: African - Ugandan

Occupation: Activist

[makingqueerhistory]

Queer history fact: David Kato is considered the father of the queer movement in Uganda and the first openly gay man in Uganda. He was also well-known in international politics for his work in his country.

[makingqueerhistory]

David Kato

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10 years on: Celebrating David Kato, other LGBT Ugandans we’ve lost

The Kuchu Remembrance Day 2021 statement is reproduced verbatim below:

Today we remember and celebrate the life of a remarkable man, an outstanding Human Rights activist, a friend, a brother, a drinking buddy and all-round lover of LGBTIQA+ Ugandans — the late David Kato Kisule.

The last year wasn’t very kind to the Ugandan LGBTQIA+ community. The hate crimes committed by the Uganda Police, enabled by an equally homophobic society, led to the arrest of 23 of fellow community members living in a shelter. The brutal arrest and unlawful detention of those living at the shelter would have been something Kato would be up arms, protesting and calling for their release.

Through the last couple of years, there has been an increase in the harassment, detention and brutal arrests of members of the sexual and gender minorities’ community. [Editor’s note: On Dec. 31, SMUG published a report on LGBTIQA+ Ugandans’ safety and security that documented the causes of human rights abuses.]

The pandemic (Covid-19) plus the election has made LGBTQIA+ life more uncomfortable and hostile than it already was.

This 2021 election, like many before, politicians like President Museveni scapegoated sexual minorities‘ lives by saying that “the homosexuals were funding the opposition”. The allegations he made have not been substantiated with any evidence except for the apparent homophobia behind his words.

Uganda continues with the criminalization of LGBTQIA+ lives through archaic legislation alongside violating fundamental human rights of our community. These laws have their roots in the old days of colonial rule. A colonial rule that was mirrored by a Victorian-style Christian morality. This morality tradition is now carried over by right-wing Christian groups in Uganda fueling homophobia.

We have lost members of our community due to the homophobic and transphobic backlash of the Ugandan society.

But today, we gather digitally because of the pandemic to pay tribute, to celebrate, to collectively mourn but importantly to draw onto each other for strength at a time when the pandemic has locked many of us back to our homophobic families and neighbourhoods.

Let us honour David Kato’s memory and the countless kuchus we have lost by recommitting to the values they sought to defend: the equal worth and dignity of every human being, regardless of their sexuality or gender identity.

[makingqueerhistory]

To celebrate Pride Month this year Dean made 30 portraits of queer people from history!

Starting at the top left there is Tamara Łempicka, Ada “Bricktop” Smith, Sappho, Magnus Hirschfeld, Sophia Parnok, Reinaldo Arenas, Rita Hester, Brenda Fassie, Yosano Akiko, Federico García Lorca, Joël Gustave Nana Ngongang, Holly Woodlawn, David Kato, Luisa Isabel Álvarez de Toledo, Albert Cashier, Osh-Tisch, Carmen Rupe, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Salim Halali, Michelle Cliff, Langston Hughes, Marlene Dietrich, FannyAnn Eddy, Chrystos, Maryam Khatoon Molkara, Sir Ewan Forbes, Frida Kahlo, Josephine Baker, Jackie Shane, and Lou Sullivan.

You can read about them all on makingqueerhistory.com and buy them on Redbubble

Patrons got access to these portraits early