Clare Byarugaba has long been a vocal advocate for the rights of Uganda’s LGBTQI people.
By Joto La Jiwe
Clare Byarugaba, a renowned Ugandan LGBTQI rights activist whose recent photo with Pope Francis went viral online, has been named by Human Rights First as the winner of this year’s prestigious William D. Zabel Human Rights Award in recognition of her remarkable work in advocating for the rights of LGBTQI+ people in Uganda.
In a press release issued September 30, Human Rights First President and CEO Sue Hendrickson stated that Byarugaba’s longstanding commitment to pursuing justice and equality for the Ugandan LGBTQI+ community, often at great personal risk, is inspiring.
“From leading coalitions and galvanizing allies to fight Uganda’s two recent anti-LGBTQI+ rights laws, to co-organizing Uganda’s first gay pride event, Clare has been a leading voice fighting for the rights of LGBTQI+ people in Uganda. She has built national and international solidarity to push for an end to injustice” Hendrickson says.
Byarugaba founded the first Uganda chapter of Parents and Families of LGBTI Children (PFLAG-Uganda), a social intervention project that aims to foster dialogue and reconciliation between LGBTI individuals and their families. She is Co-Convener of the Convening For Equality (CFE), a social movement that is leading the fight against the Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 and other emerging legislation that threatens human rights in Uganda, and she is the Equality and Non-discrimination Program Officer at the civil liberties organization Chapter Four Uganda.
“Super proud of you, Clare. Your work is trailblazing and brave,” wrote Nicholas Opiyo, executive director of Chapter Four Uganda on X (formerly Twitter), upon hearing the news.
Between 2012 and 2014, Byarugaba coordinated a National Coalition of over 50 diverse organizations that used their collective power to successfully fight against the 2009 draconian Anti-Homosexuality bill. In 2015, she was a member of a committee that advised the World Bank on LGBTI rights issues in East Africa. She has also been recognized for her human rights work by the US State Department and the Embassy of the Netherlands
Among Byarugaba’s other contributions, she co-founded the first-ever LGBTI swim team in Africa, Uganda Kuchus Aquatic Team (UKAT), and she is a USAID/CDC Gender and Sexuality certified Diversity Trainer.
Clare Byarugaba and Pope Francis at The Vatican in August 2024.
In August, she took her LGBTQI+ rights advocacy work to the Vatican, where she had an audience with Pope Francis and briefed him on the gross human rights violations that have arisen from the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) 2023. A picture of her meeting with the Pope went viral on Ugandan social media.
Clare joins a growing list of Ugandans who are earned international recognition for standing up for the rights of LGBTQI+ persons and other marginalized and persecuted groups. These include Dr. Frank Mugisha and Nicholas Opiyo among many others.
Human Rights First is a US-based nongovernmental organization founded in 1978 whose mission is to ensure that the United States is a leader in global human rights. The William D. Zabel Human Rights Award is named for the organization’s emeritus chair and is given each year to honor courageous activists and organizations on the frontlines of the struggle for freedom and dignity. The award will be presented to Byarugaba on Oct 8 in New York City.
“At Human Rights First, we share Clare’s belief that the U.S. government and its likeminded partners can and should do more to stand up to violations of LGBTQI+ rights abroad, especially because all too often anti-LGBTQI+ extremism is fueled by bad actors in the United States, Russia and other nations for whom Africa has become ground zero to cultivate their dangerous international campaigns,” says Hendrickson.
Joto La Jiwe, the author of this article, is a Ugandan correspondent for the African Human Rights Media Network. He writes under a pseudonym. Contact him at [email protected].
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