Ugandan activist’s heartbreak as she’s blocked from adopting because she’s lesbian

An internationally acclaimed Ugandan LGBT activist has opened up about the devastation of being denied the opportunity to adopt a child because of her sexuality.

On Monday, Jacqueline Kasha Nabagesera wrote on Facebook about the heartbreaking experience after she was interviewed by a government adoption panel, following years of planning and weeks of trying to set up an appointment.

The interview appeared to start off well but soon took a turn for the worse. “Your application was too good so we had to dig deeper and discovered the human rights you refer to are LGBT rights,” said one of the 15 panelists. “Are you a homosexual or just a gay rights activist?”

Nabagesera replied that she is both and that, “who I am and my work doesn’t hinder me from providing a home to one of the unprivileged million children across the country”.

The panel told her that unfortunately her “social setting and work” are not in the best interests of the child. Despite her desperate pleas, the panelists unanimously rejected her application.

“I stopped listening as I went to another world with tears flowing,” said Nabagesera. “The social worker followed me out of the room saying all sorts of apologies that didn’t mean anything to me. Over a decade of planning, waiting, stress… [and] it just got blown up.”

She added: “I will be taking time off to get myself together. I just want to be alone now. plz don’t call.”

Nabagesera is the founder and executive director of the LGBT rights organisation Freedom & Roam Uganda (FARUG). She is also one of the organisers of the annual Uganda Pride event (which last year was raided and blocked from going ahead by the authorities).

In 2011, Nabagesera was awarded the prestigious international Martin Ennals Laureate Award for Human Rights Defenders for her work in promoting the rights of LGBTI and marginalised people in Uganda.

In 2014, she founded Uganda’s first ever LGBT magazine, Bombastic. The following year she appeared on the cover of Time magazine to highlight an article about Africa’s LGBT community.

While most of the founders of Uganda’s LGBT rights movement have left the country (or been killed, in the case of David Kato) Nabagesera has defiantly remained in the country to fight for her community’s liberty.

Under colonial-era legislation criminalising gay sex, the courts in Uganda may sentence anyone found guilty of homosexuality to life in prison.

Below is Nabagesera’s full Facebook post.

It’s done.

After weeks of fighting for due course to get my appointment to meet the government adoption panel after the first failure and excuses, this morning I was granted my wish. I met the 15 persons board and they unanimously rejected my application

In their words

” Your application was too good so we had to dig deeper and discovered the human rights you refer to are lgbti rights, are you a homosexual or just a gay rights activist?”

My answer: iam both but am not surprised this came up I was prepared for it that’s why I chose to go through the long process of adoption instead of just picking any child across town because to me who iam and my work doesn’t hinder me from providing a home to one of the unprivileged million children across the country. That’s why I decided to face the government panel .

Panel: ” We are sorry Jacqueline but our first priority is the interest of the child and your social setting and work doesn’t provide that.
Blah blah blah all my pleas n reasoning fell on deaf ears as their sentiments crowded the room.

I stopped listening as I went to another world with tears flowing. The social worker followed me out of the room saying all sorts of apologies that didn’t mean anything to me. Over a decade of planning, waiting, stress n name it just got blown up.

Thank you all you have prayed n wished me luck and to those who have walked this journey with me. Am grateful.

Ps: I will be taking time off to get myself together. I just want to be alone now.plz don’t call
Thank you all once again