This week read about transgender people in Puerto Rico feeling invisible, and the Ugandan government calling LGBT people "economic gays" for leaving the country.
Trans People In Puerto Rico Feel Invisible
Lina, a trans woman, alleged an older guy drugged her and attempted to rape her while celebrating her 16th birthday at a gay bar in Puerto Rico a few years ago. She then went to the police station to report her ordeal.
"When I turned to the police station, they said, 'You were in a gay bar, what were you expecting?'" she said in an interview with CBS News. "And it's stuff that may, to them, be so insignificant, but for us, it changes our life."
Transgender persons face assault from both Puerto Rican residents and local police for expressing their gender identification, according to activist organizations and victims, and police are typically dismissive of transgender crime victims.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, six transgender or gender non-conforming persons were tragically shot or killed by violent means in the United States in 2020, accounting for 14% of the total — more than any other state or territory.
Ugandan Government Calls LGBT People Who Leave ‘Economic Gays’
Foreign ministry general Jeje Odongo. Photo via Twitter.
The Ugandan government has made the insulting assertion that some LGBT asylum seekers fleeing the country are just pretending to be gay in order to reside in Western countries.
According to PinkNews, in Uganda, which has among the harshest anti-LGBT legislation in the world, homosexuality is outlawed and punished by life imprisonment. Most LGBT Ugandans live by becoming invisible, and those who manage to flee risk being killed if they return.
Yet, as foreign ministry general Jeje Odongo pointed out, many male LGBT asylum applicants had spouses and children, casting doubt on the legitimacy of queer asylum claims.
“These Ugandans who went out on the pretext of being homosexuals. Now their lie is catching up with them because when they settle, they ask to bring their wives and children,” he said.
