***STANDING IN SOLIDARITY WITH CAL***

STANDING IN SOLIDARITY WITH CAL

Freedom and Roam Uganda expresses solidarity with the Coalition of African Lesbians Secretariat on the regrettable raid on your offices. As members of CAL, our ongoing struggle to free ourselves from the tyranny of violent raids fueled by homophobia must continue. We recognize the need for all African Lesbians to join together in a common effort to free ourselves from all forms of violence. The raid on CAL offices demonstrates the evidence of vocal homophobia and repression of African Lesbians.

We are in solidarity with CAL and movements opposing homophobia on the African continent. What is happening on the continent is very real here in Uganda as human rights violations, oppression and a draconian law pending in our parliament continue to torment us. The arrest of activists, hundreds of victims of enforced disappearance, and thousands of LGBT communities affected. Our situation is the same; hence, our solidarity has become more urgent and strengthened.


All around, voices are telling us to suffer this indignity, to give up on our quest for freedom, that somehow we are unfit to choose our own destiny or our own sexual orientation.

We utterly reject this pattern of thought. It is the mental slavery from which Bob Marley calls us to emancipate ourselves. For the average lesbian, "This Song of Freedom" is truly all we need to hear.
Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

We are with you in the struggle against violence, homophobia and Transphobia.

In solidarity,

Freedom and Roam Uganda