The leader of one of the parties in Uzbekistan’s government coalition announced that they are working on a law to ban LGBTQ+ “propaganda” in the Central Asia country. And they’re giving credit to Donald Trump for the move.
Alisher Qodirov is the leader of the Milliy Tiklanish (National Revival) party, which, along with the Liberal Democrats, controls the lower chamber of the parliament of Uzbekistan. He posted on the social media network Telegram that his party is working on a draft law to ban discussions of LGBTQ+ people.
In the post, he referenced a post written by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump, where she promoted her father’s opposition to “inappropriate sexual content” and “transgender ideology” in schools. The idea that schools are teaching children to be transgender or exposing them to gay sexual content is false and has been used to ban all mentions of LGBTQ+ people in schools in certain states and school districts in the U.S.
“The change in the center of the disease is very good,” Qodirov wrote. “We are working on adopting a law prohibiting any kind of propaganda in this regard.”
Homosexuality is currently illegal in the Muslim-majority nation, punishable by up to three years in prison. It is one of only two post-Soviet states (along with Turkmenistan) to ban homosexuality. There are no protections against anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination or hate crimes.
A 2021 Human Rights Watch report noted that gay and bi men in Uzbekistan face abuse from vigilante mobs as well as the police.
“Because of the violence and discrimination that LGBT people are subjected to, we had to stop most of [our] projects, news feeds or groups online,” one activist told Human Rights Watch. “We’ve gone completely underground.”
Five men told the organization that they have had to pay bribes of up to $1000 to keep police from outing them to their families or to the public.
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Recently, Rainbow Railroad convened and moderated a timely dialogue on “International Peace and Security and LGBTQI+ Crisis Response” in a side event for the United Nations Summit of the Future.
We gathered with the co-sponsorship of Outright International, the Equal Rights Coalition, and the Governments of Malta, Colombia, and Canada, and through close collaboration with UNHCR’s Division of International Protection and its New York Office, as well as the UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.
Dr. Nishin Nathwani, Head of Strategy at Rainbow Railroad, moderated the discussion which featured expert interventions from:
Ambassador Bob Rae, Permanent Representative of Canada to the UN, and President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Graeme Reid, UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations
Ambassador Juan José Quintana, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the United Nations
Richard Wilson, Executive Director of Lighthouse Equality Advocacy Project
André Du Plessis, United Nations Program Director at Outright International
Mr. Sivanka Dhanapala, Director of UNHCR Office in New York
Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations and André Du Plessis, United Nations Program Director at Outright International
Prioritizing Multilateral Partnership and Queer Perspectives
The discussion explored how multilateral partnership can contribute to international peace and security. Participants examined successful partnerships with states, international organizations, and civil society, and identified areas where countries can champion the fight against LGBTQI+ persecution. Speakers shared how queer perspectives can be integrated into the Pact of the Future and in the Declaration on Future Generations, and where increased multilateralism can enhance international peace and security for at-risk LGBTQI+ people.
Richard Wilson, Executive Director of Lighthouse Equality Advocacy Project
Richard Wilson, an activist supported by Rainbow Railroad in resettling, spoke about their own lived experience on the panel, as well as their advocacy for LGBTQI+ asylum seekers. Reflecting on the conversation, they shared the following:
“Having the opportunity to share my story and listen to the proposed policies aimed at supporting displaced individuals, especially those in the LGBTQI+ community, gave me hope. I felt that the voices of people like me were not just being heard but also integrated into solutions that could make a tangible difference. Seeing global leaders take our concerns seriously and commit to taking action was incredibly powerful.”
This was Rainbow Railroad’s first event of this kind, after having recently been granted special consultative status by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Securing ECOSOC status is a challenging process, as applicants must be approved by a committee that includes members from countries like Russia, Pakistan, and China, nations that often subject LGBTQI+ groups to additional scrutiny.
Ambassador Bob Rae, Permanent Representative of Canada to the UN, and President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Consultative status significantly increases Rainbow Railroad’s access to the UN, including through bodies such as the Human Rights Council, where we are better positioned to advocate for LGBTQI+ forced displacement and elevate the work of partner LGBTQI+ civil society organizations and activists doing this work on the ground globally. Bringing grassroots partners and refugees into high level meetings, provides a platform for those who lack the resources to attain this status themselves.
Forming the backdrop of this conversation is the global anti-gender movement, which has mobilized a coalition of populist groups and funders to target a wide range of programming including sexuality education, discussion on sexual and reproductive rights, and LGBTQI+ rights. Rainbow Railroad has received more than 50,000 requests for help since our founding, and we understand the need for a global coordinated response.
The rising tide of legislative and social changes that newly target LGBTQI+ communities not only jeopardize the safety of individuals and communities and their access to rights but also have broader implications for global peace and security. Experts acknowledged we need to collectively re-envision the landscape of how the international community adapts and responds to threats to human rights, underscoring how international mechanisms have been successfully utilized and could be further leveraged to enhance support to at-risk LGBTQI+ communities in crisis-affected contexts.
Advancing LGBTQI+ Rights in International Spaces
Activist Richard Wilson described the importance of conversations like this:
“This event opened my eyes to the global nature of the LGBTQI+ crisis response. It showed me that while the struggles of LGBTQI+ immigrants and asylum seekers are unique, they are not isolated. The panel gave me a deeper understanding of the complex intersection between displacement, identity, and security. It also highlighted the importance of international cooperation in addressing these crises and reassured me that there are ongoing efforts to improve the systems in place to protect and support people like me.”
Collective action and partnerships in multilateral spaces give us hope as we continue to advocate for the voices of LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers at the international level. Opportunities for these conversations are critical in our pursuit of creative solutions for international crisis response.
Lawmakers in the West African nation of Mali have voted to criminalise homosexuality.
Mali’s National Transitional Council voted 131-1 in favour of the proposed legislation, which, if signed into law by military leaders, who seized power in 2021, would outlaw gay sex between men.
It isn’t yet known what sanctions will be placed on those convicted.
The head of the country’s junta, Colonel Assimi Goïta, removed French as one of Mali’s official languages in June last year, and minister of justice and human rights Mamadou Kassogue has previously warned that “there are provisions in our laws that prohibit homosexuality in Mali”, adding: “Anyone who indulges in this practice, or promotes or condones it, will be prosecuted.
“We will not accept our customs and values being violated by people from elsewhere.”
In July, Ghana’s supreme court dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the country’s Criminal Code of 1960, which prohibits same-sex acts – branding them “unnatural carnal knowledge” – with punishment of up to three years in jail.
Under the criminal code, which dates back to British colonial times, LGBTQ+ people in the country face discrimination, but if the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill passes into law, things are only likely to get worse.
LGBTQI+ rights and refugee rights are under threat in the coming election, but this election is also an opportunity to renew our commitment to mobilizing in defence of our community, in the U.S. and around the world. Our freedom to organize, vote, challenge discriminatory legislation and advocate for progress are all on the ballot this election and cannot be taken for granted.
Rainbow Railroad’s Communities of Care program has been an antidote to the rising hate against the LGBTQI+ community in the U.S. Queer and trans Americans and allies are continuing to rally in support of refugees who are searching for safety, home, and belonging.
This is how our community is fighting back, and we must continue to raise our voices to ensure that all of the United States remains a safe place for LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers to live with dignity, protected by federal and state law, and supported by an affirming community. This is only possible if the U.S. Administration continues to implement the Memorandum on Advancing the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Persons Around the World. Our future as a community hangs in the balance.
It is critical to recognize that, like many other countries around the world, there are significant regional and local inequalities in access to safety for LGBTQI+ persons across the United States. For LGBTQI+ communities worldwide, the United States represents both a preferred country of resettlement and a site of discrimination and criminalization. Our activism in the United States is multi-pronged; we continue to advocate for the resettlement of LGBTQI+ refugees to safer communities in the United States, while also pushing back against anti-LGBTQI+ sentiment.
We are approaching a historic election in the United States, and it is vital to understand what is at stake for our community. As we continue to advocate for the resettlement of LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers into the United States, and mobilize our community in support of newcomers, we must acknowledge that the fight for LGBTQI+ liberation is happening on every front.
The program empowers everyday Americans to help LGBTQI+ refugees find home and belonging, providing critical support such as securing housing and employment, and accessing healthcare and other resources in their first 90 days in the U.S. – with training and ongoing support from Rainbow Railroad.
Since the program’s launch, Rainbow Railroad has mobilized more than 200 volunteers to form more than 40 Communities of Care. However, Welcome Corps, along with other pathways to resettle LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers in the United States, may be at risk. The next few months represent a critical period for LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers to access resettlement pathways into the United States, while they still exist.
At the 2023 Global Refugee Forum, Rainbow Railroad pledged to resettle at least 50 LGBTQI+ refugees through Welcome Corps. With the program currently at risk, we need support from our community to make this a reality in 2024.
Connecting Our Data to the Landscape for LGBTQI+ Rights in the United States
In June 2023, for the first time in the organization’s history, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) announced a National State of Emergency for LGBTQI+ Americans, following an overwhelming wave of anti-LGBTQI+ legislation across the country. Kelley Robinson, HRC President, stated, “LGBTQ+ Americans are living in a state of emergency. The multiplying threats facing millions in our community are not just perceived — they are real, tangible and dangerous.” At the recent UN Summit of the Future, First Lady of the United States, Jill Biden, responded to the HRC’s declaration, promising that, “We won’t stand for violence against LGBTQI people in the US and around the world”.
Rainbow Railroad’s own data supports the conclusion that there are real and present threats for LGBTQI+ Americans, with a major spike in requests for help from the United States following that announcement, in July 2023. Many of these requests originated from states that passed multiple laws restricting LGBTQI+ rights, limiting gender-affirming care for trans individuals, and permitting legal discrimination against LGBTQI+ people. In 2023, many states including Texas, Florida, Missouri, Ohio, and South Carolina passed, or attempted to pass, legislation restricting the rights of LGBTQI+ people.
Requests for help from the United States in 2024 also point to major issues at stake for our community in the upcoming election. A recent spike in requests for help in the summer of 2024 cited the need for aid and help relocating to a safer country, driven by heightened insecurity and anxiety over the implications of Project 2025, and the potential outcome of the 2024 Election.
Project 2025: LGBTQI+ Rights at Stake
Project 2025 is an initiative by the Heritage Foundation that, among other things, strongly opposes LGBTQI+ and immigrant rights, and racial equality. Some concerning ideas brought forward in Project 2025 are: mass deportation as well as ending the asylum system, censoring discussions on race and gender in schools, eradicating any laws that protect LGBTQI+ individuals, and cutting funding to any schools or medical facilities that protect or provide gender-affirming care to trans people.
Project 2025 is a direct threat to the rights of LGBTQI+ people, and it is critical that Americans speak out against its implementation.
As a community, we must act together to make our voices heard in defence of LGBTQI+ rights.
What actions will you take today to be part of a movement for change?
Hundreds of thousands of members of South Korea’s Christian groups held a service in Seoul on Sunday to protest against a landmark court ruling that acknowledged same-sex the rights of partners in same-sex couples to state health insurance. The supreme court in July upheld a high court ruling that a same-sex partner was eligible for spousal benefits from the National Health Insurance Service, a move hailed as a win for LGBTQ rights in a country that has lagged others in the region.
Sunday’s massive service drew hundreds of thousands of Christians from across the country, disrupting traffic on several major roads in central Seoul. As many as 230,000 people attended, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing police, The organisers, meanwhile, said as many as 1.1 million people took part. Kim Jeong-hee, a spokesperson for the organizing committee, said the verdict was unconstitutional because same-sex marriage has not been legalized.
More than three-quarters of young pupils in the UK have heard homophobic language at school, new research has revealed.
In conjunction with VotesforSchools,LGBT+ young people’s charity Just Like Ussurveyed 31,875 pupils, including 4,307 aged between nine and 11 at primary schools.
The survey, held in June, found that the 78 per cent of primary-school children had heard homophobic language at school. That figure increased to 80 per cent for secondary school pupils, aged 11 to 18.
Among the primary-school children, some noted that the homophobic language was intended as a “joke”. One said: “We mainly hear people call each other ‘gay’ as an insult or a joke. This is because we see it trending on TikTok.”
Young children are hearing the word “gay” being used as a joke. (Envato Elements)
LGBTQ+ dad Matt said his son had been pressured into playing a TikTok game where if you guessed wrong you would be called gay. The boy refused to play, saying it was “hurtful” to use the word as an insult.
A pupil in a Glasgow primary school said: “Because I’m a boy and have long hair, I have been called gay as an insult.”
Now, Just Like Us has launched resources for schools in a bid to tackle homophobia in classrooms.
‘Real-life consequences’
Laura Mackay, the charity’s chief executive, called the findings of the survey “deeply concerning”, adding: “Homophobic language should never be dismissed as ‘just a joke’ because we know it has real-life consequences, impacting the self-esteem and feelings of shame among LGBT+ young people and those from same-sex families.
“We are worried about young people reporting a rise in games aimed at children on TikTok where gay is being used as a derogatory insult.”
Another gay educator spoke out about students learning misogyny and anti-LGBTQ+ hate from the internet, with one name being repeated by his students: Andrew Tate, the influencer who facing trial in Romania where he has been charged with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women.
Police in Moscow raided two gay clubs last weekend, detaining over 50 people, in what Novaya Gazeta Europe described as the continued escalation of the Russian government’s crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community.
Photos and video from the raids was posted on pro-Russia Telegram channels MSK1 and SHOT on October 12 showing masked police storming into downtown Moscow club Central Station, forcing shouting at patrons and forcing them to lie on the ground. One clip shows officers searching people, with one cop violently kicking a detainee’s leg.
Novaya Gazeta Europe reports that the club was holding a Friday, October 11, event marking National Coming Out Day. Police stormed the venue at around 1 a.m. on Saturday morning under the pretext of fighting “drug trafficking.” A photo on MSK1 and a video on SHOT show one clubgoer who appears to have been forced to empty their bag, the contents laid out on the floor.
According to Novaya Gazeta, about 200 people were at Central Station at the time of the raid. It’s unclear where the more than 50 people taken into custody were being detained.
Police also raided another popular central Moscow LGBTQ+ venue, Three Monkeys, which is reportedly managed by the same owners as Central Station.
The raids follow what one post on SHOT reportedly described as “civilian complaints.” An October 7 post on the channel included photos and video of drag performers at Three Monkeys, with Moscow locals reportedly complaining of “all sorts of naughty things” and “Half-naked men dressed as women dance around the stage, and the guy guests [kissing] each other freely.”
The same day, another pro-Russia Telegram channel posted video of drag shows at Central Station in which performers allegedly mocked the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The channel wrote that the venue, along with Three Monkeys, should be shut down for “discrediting the Russian army,” according to Novaya Gazeta.
As the outlet noted, last weekend’s raids are just the latest in Russia’s continued crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community. Since the country’s Supreme Court declared the “international LGBT social movement” an “extremist organization” last November, there have been multiple raids on LGBTQ+ bars and other establishments in cities across Russia, and multiple people have been arrestedand charged under the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws. Following a similar raid on a nightclub in the city of Orenburg in March, the venue’s art director and administrator were both charged with being members of an “extremist organization.” The case was reportedly the first of its kind since the Russian Supreme Court’s ruling.
According to Novaya Gazeta, this is not the first time Central Station has been targeted. The venue was briefly forced to close in 2014 following violent attacks in the wake of Russia’s 2013 law banning so-called “gay propaganda” in the presence of children. The club’s St. Petersburg location was forced to close late last year.
Italy’s parliament made it illegal on Wednesday for couples to go abroad to have a baby via surrogacy — a project of Prime Minister’s Giorgia Meloni party which activists say is meant to target same-sex partners.
Since taking office in 2022, Meloni has pursued a highly conservative social agenda, looking to promote what she sees as traditional family values, making it progressively harder for LGBTQ couples to become legal parents.
The upper house Senate voted into law a bill proposed by Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party by 84 votes to 58. The bill was already approved by the lower house last year.
The legislation extends a surrogacy ban already in place in Italy since 2004 to those who go to countries such as the United States or Canada, where it is legal, imposing jail terms of up to two years and fines of up to 1 million euros ($1.09 million).
“Motherhood is absolutely unique, it absolutely cannot be surrogated, and it is the foundation of our civilization,” Brothers of Italy senator Lavinia Mennuni said during the parliamentary debate.
“We want to uproot the phenomenon of surrogacy tourism.”
On Tuesday, demonstrators gathered near the Senate voicing their outrage at the bill, saying the government was lashing out at LGBTQ people and damaging those who wanted to have children despite the fact Italy has a sharply declining birth rate.
People participate in a demonstration Tuesday in Piazza Vidoni in Rome organized by Italian LGBTQ associations and political parties that oppose the Varchi bill.Simona Granati / Corbis via Getty Images
“If someone has a baby, they should be given a medal. Here instead you are sent to jail… if you don’t have children in the traditional way,” Franco Grillini, a long-time activist for LGBTQ rights in Italy, told Reuters at the demonstration.
Rainbow Families President Alessia Crocini said 90% of Italians who choose surrogacy are heterosexual couples but they mostly do so in secret, meaning the new ban would de facto affect only gay couples who cannot hide it.
The clampdown on surrogacy comes against the backdrop of falling birthrates, with national statistics institute ISTAT saying in March that births had dropped to a record low in 2023 — the 15th consecutive annual decline.
“This is a monstrous law. No country in the world has such a thing,” said Grillini, referring to the government’s move to prevent Italians from taking advantage of practices that are perfectly legal in some countries.
Uganda’s recently-adopted anti-LGBTQ+ law could have cost the country as much as $1.6 billion (£1.23 billion) in the year since it was approved by parliament.
The Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA), which carries the death sentence for “aggravated homosexuality”, was signed into law by president Yoweri Museveni in May 2023. Homosexuality was already illegal in Uganda, but the new legislation strengthened the law, including by criminalising the “promotion” of homosexuality.
In the year since it came into effect, queer Ugandans have faced a major increase in abuse, including beatings, attacks and arrests.
Now, in a new study, Open for Business has estimated that the law has cost the country between £470 million (£360 million) and $1.6 billion. That’s between 0.9 and 3.2 per cent of its gross domestic product, the standard measure of the value created through the production of goods and services in a country during a certain period.
The losses include foreign direct investment, international aid, trade and tourism.
Queer Ugandans have faced increased hostility since the new law took effect. (Getty)
Open for Business, which researches the economic effects of anti-LGBTQ+ policies, said the combined losses over a five-year period could rise higher still – possibly to a staggering $8.3 billion (£6.4 billion).
“This represents an inflection point for the country’s economy. The potential loss of talent and productivity, coupled with heightened stigma and discrimination, further deepens Uganda’s economic vulnerabilities and undermines efforts to diversify the economy and strengthen public health services,” the coalition of global companies said.
The new legislation fuelled a spike in abuse towards LGBTQ+ people within months of being passed. Last year, the Convening for Equality coalition reported 306 rights violations based on the victims’ sexual orientation and gender identity, between January and August last year.
Queer Ugandan human rights activist Arthur Kayima branded the law “vile”, adding: “Rather than focusing on the real issues Uganda is facing, Museveni [causes] distraction by attacking our fundamental right to exist.”
Few older Africans participate openly in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights movement. But Francisca Ferraz, 53, known as “Yaa Sissi,” aims to change that.
Yaa Sissi, who lives in Geneva, Switzerland, is a pioneering voice in her community. Born in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, to a Portuguese father and a Congolese mother, Yaa Sissi moved to Geneva in 2008, where she raised her two daughters, now 25 and 21.
There, early in 2023, she founded Afro LGBT, Geneva’s first LGBT rights association focused on those of African descent.
Today, Afro LGBT creates a safe space for people, many of whom experience fear and discrimination based on their race and their sexuality. Even though she’s seen people like herself come out and live openly in Europe, she notes that many older people, especially those of African descent, still struggle to embrace their identities fully. “People my age hide a lot, and yet there are so many of them,” she says. “But among ourselves we know very well, who is who.”
She speaks of the importance of coming out, of freeing oneself from the heavy burden of secrecy: “I had the courage to do it because I’d been through so much. It wasn’t easy to accept myself.”
Yaa Sissi told her story to Human Rights Watch for the International Day of Older Persons, October 1, sharing her journey through love, identity, and community that has spanned decades, continents, and challenges.
Discovering Love, Confronting Silence
Yaa Sissi discovered her sexuality as a teenager while living in Brazzaville. At age 17, she fell deeply in love with G., a girl four years her junior. Their relationship was intense but short-lived. After high school graduation, Yaa Sissi moved to the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo for professional training, and they lost touch.
Fourteen years ago – more than 20 years after she was together with G. – a rumor that G. had died led Yaa Sissi to track her down. They rekindled their bond, though they still live in separate countries.
I met Yaa Sissi in her apartment, alongside G, who was visiting.
“There Are So Many People My Age Hiding”
Yaa Sissi speaks fondly of “Carine,” a cultural term from Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo that was used to describe intimate friendships between girls and women. “Our great-grandmothers had ‘Carines,’” she says. “G. was my ‘Carine.’” These relationships, forged in school and village life, were sources of deep companionship and affection. “With your ‘Carine,’ you could exchange gifts, kiss, and make little love gestures,” she says.
Over the years, Yaa Sissi’s relationships have included many women older than her??, including married women. “In my country, many of my lovers were married women,” she recalls. Some held high positions where they worked. She met them through her late husband, who was a prominent government official in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Creating Afro LGBT – “To Put an End to Fear and Isolation”
Though initially involved in other local LGBT organizations, Yaa Sissi felt unseen and unheard as an Afro-descendant. “We Afros were always a bit in our corner. Nobody came up to us to find out what brought us there, how we felt,” she says. “We wanted to be listened to. We’re all in very different situations, even though we’re all LGBT.”
Yaa Sissi became a trusted figure in her community, with many LGBT youth turning to her for support. “It hurt so much to see such injustice,” she says, recalling a child who came to her after being kicked out of their home for identifying as transgender. “Young Afro LGBT people need to be listened to and protected.”
“I’ve Stopped Crying”
Yaa Sissi’s journey has not been easy. In a country like Switzerland, opportunities to make one’s voice heard are more available, but the journey of self-acceptance can be lifelong. “I knew I’d been attracted to women for a very long time, but I fought it with all my might,” she says. The social norms of the Congo, coupled with the teachings of the church, kept her struggling against her own desires. “I sought deliverance in the churches. They prayed over me. I sincerely thought it was a demon.”
Her marriage was also a struggle; she tried to preserve it despite knowing her truth. Her late husband, who held her in high regard in the beginning of their marriage, when she started openly struggling with her sexuality. He went with her to churches and traditional healers to cast homosexuality out of her. But when that didn’t “work,” he became abusive, eventually abandoning her and their two children in Geneva. “It took me over 30 years to come out with myself,” she says tearfully. “Before I said stop, I don’t want to suffer anymore. I used to be Francisca. Reserved, shy in my corner. Today I’m international. The one talking to you now is Sissi. I’ve stopped crying.”
Facing Discrimination as an Older Afro Lesbian
The intersection of age, race, and sexuality poses unique challenges for Yaa Sissi. “When you’re an Afro lesbian, it’s hard enough. I got married because I didn’t want that life,” she explains, adding that she has known many women who felt compelled to marry men and have children to avoid the stigma of being openly lesbian. “I’ve seen people beaten up, insulted, raped, and sometimes forcibly married.”
Despite living openly in Switzerland, Sissi sometimes faces ageist insults. “People call me an ‘old lesbian.’ They say I want to warp their children away.” Yet, she has also experienced support from unexpected places. One day, a man tried to attack her in a bar because he learned she was a lesbian. Also, she was sitting at a table with a woman who said no to his advances several times. But customers stood up for her and demanded he calm down.
“Despite everything my late husband said about me, there’s respect in my family, too. I’m a generous, unifying person.”
A Message for International Day of Older Persons
On this day, Yaa Sissi wants to highlight the experiences of older African LGBT people. “We mustn’t forget Afro LGBT seniors. They’re out there. They also have a lot of problems,” she says. Many seek support but struggle with the idea of mixing with younger generations. “When we talk about Afro LGBT, we mustn’t just look at the people on social media. You also have to think about older people who are often very isolated and live in hiding.”
As I left Yaa Sissi’s apartment, the heart-shaped furniture in her living room caught my eye. “Love is the color of power,” she says with a smile.
