Names: Mulucha Jay
Country: Uganda
How do you identify
Transman
Challenges being Trans person living in Uganda
– Trans people face discrimination and are exposed to transphobic violence and discrimination especially in schools, church, health service centres, sports, family, workplaces and others.
Coping in a hostile environment
I live my authentic life and do not hide who i am . I also try to do a lot of good things in my society this has helped me change people’s perspectives about me. To increase knowledge of Trans issues I also conduct sensitisation trainings for service providers as well as engage communities in discussions on sexuality and gender identity.
I also contribute to the Trans community through participation in support groups where we share a lot of coping mechanisms and ideas to help improve our lives it is important to have a support system as well as having access to Trans friendly health services. It helps me a lot to share my challenges with people who I know can relate and can also advise me. I also like to engage in sport for my wellbeing.
Fruits of activism work
The sensitization work that we do as activists is yielding positive results as we now see a shift in mindsets and behaviour of some health service providers towards LGBTQI especially Trans people.
I am most proud of
My young sister, my partner and myself for the work that I do.
My Work
I am the Executive Director of Fem Alliance Uganda an LGBT organisation I am also on the board of ILGA world .I also run a small family business with my partner.
Aspirations
I want to be more vocal and educate both the people around me and the broader society about LGBTI issues in order to create positive change in the world.
If i had one wish
It live in a world where LGBTQ people do not have to ask for acceptance, we just live our lives the way we are. We would not be judged because of who we sleep but rather by character or contribution to society
I am inspired by
The appreciation i get from people whose lives i have impacted through my work, this motivates and keeps me strong
Message to Trans people
This is who we are and it will never change, let’s join hands and push for equality, acceptance and understanding. There’s nothing in this world that has no solution, so never give up, work for progress.