More than a hundred people gathered in Uganda’s capital city two weeks to debate the future of LGBT rights in the notoriously homophobic nation.

According to Uganda’s Penal Code Act, homosexuality is a criminal offense. In 2004, the government fined a radio station $1000 for airing a positive portrayal of LGBT people. More recently, James Nsaba Buturo, Minister for Ethics and Integrity, told the All Africa news agency that gays are “trying to impose a strange, ungodly, unhealthy, unnatural, and immoral way of life on the rest of our society.”
The debate was organized by Queer Youth Uganda and was a part of a conference whose other participants included several local human-rights organizations. As an outcome, a national chapter of the organization IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia) was founded. The assembled group was addressed by France-based IDAHO founder Louis-Georges Tin, who is working toward a UN Declaration of Decriminalization of Homosexuality.