WRITTEN BY LEON POSADA Trinah Kakyo Meet
or an American audience, it is easy to forget that people like Trinah Kakyo exist. It is even easier to ignore, whether willingly or not, her struggle for recognition in a place so distant from our homes. Ignorance inevitably transforms into admiration upon listening to Kakyo, a native of Uganda. Once she speaks, it becomes quite difficult to forget her—or the fact that she very much exists, often as a thorn in the side of a world bent against her. When asked who she is, the words out of her mouth are almost instinctive. “I am a creative,” she says. But she is also a dreamer, with her feet firmly planted on the ground, her dreams are the fuel for a boundless activism. In a way, Kakyo is a woman who speaks to us from an increasingly plausible future, where the human condition itself has already crumbled under the threat of conservatism, homophobia, and religious zealots. Considering the current state of affairs in the US, we cannot afford to ignore her, nor what she does and why she is doing it. The KAKYO Project For years, Kakyo has been fighting for LGBTQ rights in Uganda through the KAKYO Project, an initiative she founded offering gender affirmation products, support programs, and safe spaces to communities across East Africa. It is an uphill battle, perhaps now more than ever. In neighboring Kenya, the Supreme Court recently ruled allowing activists to register LGBTQ rights organizations, but same-sex marriage and intimate same-sex relations are still illegal. This represents one small step in the right direction for a deeply religious, conservative nation. It is also a goal that Kakyo can aim for in Uganda. There, any type of LGBTQ organization, even a meeting between queer friends, is prohibited; abuse at the hands of police is commonplace; friends and family are encouraged to report anyone not complying with the law; and employers risk severe penalties for hiring queer folks. Case in point: one of the shelters the KAKYO Project supports was raided during the writing of this article. Again, it is a reality that for many of us may be easier to ignore than face head-on. Not for Kakyo. The KAKYO Project was created when meetings were still an option, with the aim of transforming afro queer lives and changing the ecology of creative East Africa. Through the project, Kakyo does everything from helping community members find safe spaces for mental health to producing and selling locally- made, gender-affirming chest binders. “Today,” she says, “it is a win for me if people can meet somewhere where they will feel safe.” For those who find safety by her side, the idea of this self-
Prepare yourself so you can be a rainbow in somebody else’s cloud.”
- MAYA ANGELOU
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