Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera (also known as Jacqueline Kasha) (born 1980) is a Ugandan
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is a ...
rights
activist
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
and the founder and executive director of the LGBT rights organization
Freedom & Roam Uganda (FARUG).
She received the
Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in 2011 and the
Right Livelihood Award
The Right Livelihood Award is an international award to "honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." The prize was established in 1980 by German-Swedish philanthropist Jakob v ...
in 2015.
Education
Nabagesera attended several schools after being continually suspended and
expelled due to her sexual orientation, as it was discovered that she wrote love letters to other girls;
she attended
Gayaza Junior School,
Maryhill High School
Maryhill High School is a catholic founded Girls’ O & A-level Boarding school located at Nyamitanga hill in Mbarara District in the Western Region of Uganda. The school is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mbarara. It was started i ...
, Mariam High School, and
Namasagali College
Namasagali College is a mixed boarding middle and high school located in Kamuli District in Eastern Uganda.
Location
The school is situated on a campus at Namasagali, approximately , by road, northwest of the town of Kamuli, where the district ...
. At
Nkumba University
Nkumba University (NKU) is a chartered private university in Uganda. It was established in 1994 as part of a group of schools and colleges that originally grew from a kindergarten established in 1951. The university is not affiliated with any pa ...
, she studied
accounting
Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "languag ...
and earned a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in
business administration
Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...
,
and in 2004 she took a degree course in
information technology
Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...
and a certificate in
marketing
Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
from the
New Vision Group in
Kampala
Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...
. In 2005, she enrolled at Human Rights Education Associates, a
human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
education and global training center for distance learners based in
,
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. In 2006, she completed a certificate in
journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...
at the
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
Media School, where she trained students from
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
n countries such as
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...
,
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
,
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
, and Uganda in
activism
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in Social change, social, Political campaign, political, economic or Natural environment, environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes i ...
. In 2008, she was certified to "train the trainers" by the Frontline Human Rights Defenders in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
.
Activism
![Kasha Jacequeline Nabagesera at panel about the African view on lgbt issues at World Pride Madrid 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Kasha_Jacequeline_Nabagesera_at_panel_about_the_African_view_on_lgbt_issues_at_World_Pride_Madrid_01.jpg)
In 1999, she campaigned to end
homophobia
Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...
in
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
, where homosexuality is illegal.
In 2010, Ugandan newspaper ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' published names and photos of people believed to be homosexual, with the headline "Hang Them". It listed Nabagesera and her colleague
David Kato
David Kato Kisule ( – 26 January 2011) was a Ugandan teacher and LGBT rights activist, considered a father of Uganda's gay rights movement and described as "Uganda's first openly gay man". He served as advocacy officer for Sexual Minorities ...
,
both of whom sued the
tabloid
Tabloid may refer to:
* Tabloid journalism, a type of journalism
* Tabloid (newspaper format), a newspaper with compact page size
** Chinese tabloid
* Tabloid (paper size), a North American paper size
* Sopwith Tabloid, a biplane aircraft
* ''Ta ...
and set a benchmark for human rights in Uganda. Nabagesera explained it set a precedence as an attempt to protect “privacy and the safety we all have against incitements to violence”. Kato was later killed following the legal battle with the publication.
Nabagasera has continued the fight for gay rights in Uganda. Under FARUG, she has fought to decriminalize homosexuality in Uganda by circumventing the
Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill. She refers to it as a
Nuremberg law that mandates stiff sentences ranging from prison sentences to the
death penalty
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
, which also rules that citizens who do not report homosexuals to the authorities can face up to three years in jail.
In 2011, Nabagesera was said to be the only founding member of the LGBT movement from the 90s still living in Uganda.
She spoke at the 2017
WorldPride summit in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, and led a discussion about LGBTQIA+ in Africa with
Najma Kousri from
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
,
South African __NOTOC__
South African may relate to:
* The nation of South Africa
* South African Airways
* South African English
* South African people
* Languages of South Africa
* Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the Afric ...
Yahia Zaidi,
Alimi Bisi Ademola from
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, and
Michèle Ndoki from
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
.
Nabagesera tried to adopt a child in Uganda, as the adoption process does not use sexuality as a bar to adoption in Uganda, but she was told that she could not adopt because she "wasn't palatable".
In 2013 Nabagesera founded a magazine, ''Bombastic'', with writing from LGBT Ugandans about the discrimination they had experienced.
Arrest
In May 2017, Nabagesera was arrested in
Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
upon arrival at
Kigali International Airport before being
deported
Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...
to Uganda. Police claimed the arrest was for
drunkenness
Alcohol intoxication, also known as alcohol poisoning, commonly described as drunkenness or inebriation, is the negative behavior and physical effects caused by a recent consumption of alcohol. In addition to the toxicity of ethanol, the main p ...
and
gross misconduct
''Gross Misconduct'' is the second album from crossover thrash metal band, M.O.D. It was released in 1989 on Megaforce Records and Noise International and follows 1988's extended play '' Surfin' M.O.D.'' It was three years until the band releas ...
, while Nabagesera claimed it was prompted by political motivation.
Awards
Nabagesera has received international recognition for her work as an activist.
''
Velvetpark
''Velvetpark: Dyke Culture in Bloom'' is a lesbian and feminist arts and culture American website that regularly features music, literature, theater, fine arts, film, television, and social activism as it impacts queer culture. ''Velvetpark'' a ...
'' magazine, an international queer women's magazine, described her as a "Braveheart” and voted her the most inspiring queer woman in the world in 2010.
In 2011, Nabagesera was named in the
centenary
{{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation)
A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years.
Notable events
Notable centennial events at ...
celebration of
International Women's Day
International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...
. That same year she was a guest speaker at the
Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy is an annual human rights summit sponsored by a coalition of 20 non-governmental organizations. Each year, on the eve of the United Nations Human Rights Council's main annual session, activists from a ...
. Nabagesera was listed among the 50 most inspiring Feminist Women in Africa in 2011 and is the first gay rights activist to receive the
Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders.
According to Michelle Kagari of
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
, the award "recognises
abagesera'stremendous courage in the face of discrimination and violence against LGBT people in Uganda. Her passion to promote equality and her tireless work to end a despicable climate of fear is an inspiration to LGBT activists the world over ..."
In November 2011, she was awarded the
Rafto Prize in
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, with
Sexual Minorities Uganda
Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) is an umbrella non-governmental organization based in Kampala, Uganda.
In August 2022 SMUG was ordered by the Ugandan government to immediately shut down.
Organisation
Founders included Victor Mukasa and Sy ...
, an umbrella organization that she co-founded in 2004.
In February 2013, Nabagesera was given the Honorary Award of
QX magazine in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. That same year in April, she received the
James Joyce Award
The James Joyce Award, also known as the Honorary Fellowship of the Society, is an award given by the Literary and Historical Society (L&H) of University College Dublin (UCD) for those who have achieved outstanding success in their given field; r ...
from the
University College Dublin
University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...
, the
Sean McBride Award from
Amnesty International
Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
Dublin, the
Civil Courage Prize
The Civil Courage Prize is a human rights award which recognizes "steadfast resistance to evil at great personal risk—rather than military valor." The prize was founded in 2000 by the Northcote Parkinson Fund. The goal of the prize is not to cr ...
in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, the International Activist of the Year Award for the GALAS (Gay and Lesbian Awards, organised by the
National Lesbian and Gay Federation of Ireland), and the
Nuremberg International Human Rights Award
The Nuremberg International Human Rights Award is a German award founded on September 17, 1995. The date chosen is significant; 60 years earlier, the Nuremberg Race Laws were adopted. Also, on September 17, 1939, Poland was invaded by the Sovi ...
.
In 2015, she won the
Right Livelihood Award
The Right Livelihood Award is an international award to "honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." The prize was established in 1980 by German-Swedish philanthropist Jakob v ...
s for her "courage and persistence, despite violence and intimidation, in working for the right of LGBTI people to a life free from prejudice and persecution".
In April 2019, Nabagesera was presented with the Bonham Centre Award from The Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies,
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
, for her contributions to the advancement and education of issues surrounding sexual identification.
See also
*
List of LGBT rights activists
A list of notable LGBT rights activists who have worked to advance LGBT rights by political change, legal action or publication. Ordered by country, alphabetically.
Argentina
* Claudia Castrosín Verdú, she and her partner were the first lesb ...
*
LGBT rights in Uganda
References
External links
Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera speaking at the ICM 2011 Amnesty International's YouTube Channel
Appreciation of the Jury - 2013 Human Rights Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nabagesera, Kasha
Ugandan lesbiansKasha Jacqueline Nabagesera speaking at the ICM 2011"What is Amnesty practically going to do for a lesbian like me in Uganda?" 5:16 -->
Ugandan LGBT rights activists
Living people
1980s births
People from Kampala
Nkumba University alumni
People educated at Maryhill High School
21st-century Ugandan LGBT people