Justifying Research, Pt. 2

Frank Mugisha, 2011 Rober F. Kennedy Human Rights
laureate and executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda

I just read this extraordinary article in The New York Times by Frank Mugisha, the 2011 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights laureate and executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda, entitled "Gay and Vilified in Uganda."

The article raises some interesting topics for discussion when Mugisha writes, "Many Africans believe that homosexuality is an import from the West, and ironically they invoke religious beliefs and colonial-era laws that are foreign to our continent to persecute us." I love this quote for its subtle indictment of imperial policies that influence sexual politics in (now) postcolonial nations and its exploration of issues of essentialism and sexual identity  Considering how strongly related these topics are to my research, I thought it would be appropriate to share the article on here.

But I think this article is more important than the academic concerns it raises. Mugisha writes:

The right to marry whom we love is far from our minds. Across Africa, the “gay rights” we are fighting for are more stark — the right to life itself. Here, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people suffer brutal attacks, yet cannot report them to the police for fear of additional violence, humiliation, rape or imprisonment at the hands of the authorities. We are expelled from school and denied health care because of our perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. If your boss finds out (or suspects) you are gay, you can be fired immediately.

To me, Mugisha's article is a painful reminder of why I do the research that I do: because I believe that Empire's relationship with sexuality has drastic consequences, consequences that exist even in an era that purports to be "postcolonial." These consequences create a culture that is antagonistic to homosexuals everywhere, particularly in previously colonized nations, as Mugisha so aptly notes. It's easy to forget that the written records we immerse ourselves in are traces of a painful history. It's easy to forget that, often, the violence against homosexuals that we read about in writers like E.M. Forster or Alan Hollinghurst isn't just fictional, but that it's influenced by the material culture from which it comes. This article reminds me not only that we must not forget these facts, but that we must work to change the cultural attitudes that permitted these violent realities. 

How can we continue to allow these atrocities against homosexuals? How can we permit ideologies that villainize homosexuals, despite their various cultural contributions? I have too many questions and too few answers. All I know is that this is something that we cannot allow to continue, and I hope my research makes this point clear.