'You have to be a real woman': Ugandan woman recalls the horrific moment she was brutally raped by a gang of four men after they discovered she was a lesbian

Harrowing story: On tonight's episode of the HBO documentary series, the brave woman (pictured) recounts how the men told her they were going show her 'how it should be' before they sexually assaulted herĀ 
A lesbian in Uganda has bravely recounted the horrific rape she endured because of her sexuality in a new episode of HBO documentary series Vice, which explores the heinous acts of violence and hatred toward the hidden LGBT community in the East African country where homosexuality is illegal and widely considered the equivalent of terrorism.
When journalist Isobel Yeung traveled to Uganda for tonight's episode to investigate who is really behind the anti-homosexuality propaganda being spread throughout the country in a Prayer for Uganda, she not only encountered a gay woman who tearfully admits her son is the product of her sexual assault - she also met a group of men who proudly admit to raping females because of their sexuality.

'I have never experienced that level of hatred before,' Isobel tells Daily Mail Online of the patriotism and nationalism associated with the country's anti-homosexuality movement.



In 2013, the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act was passed, making homosexuality, which was already illegal in the country, punishable by life imprisonment or even death. The Western world dubbed the legislation the 'Kill the gays bill', and international outrage prompted it to be annulled.
But the the pure hatred that inspired the bill seems irreversible as Ugandan officials are working to reintroduce similar legislation. 
On tonight's episode, Isobel and her team meet with a woman living in the outskirts of Kampala, who agreed to be interviewed if they kept her identity hidden. 
I have never experienced that level of hatred before
The woman explains to the Vice correspondent that after the anti-homosexuality bill was introduced she and her girlfriend went to great lengths to hide their relationship, only visiting each other after sunset.
She says one night she was walking home when she encountered four men who said they knew her secret. 
The victim tearfully recounts how they stopped her, saying: 'We know you, you have a girl, you lesbian.'
The woman continues: 'And then, they told me: "We are going to show you a real d***. The things you are doing are nonsense. You have to be a real woman."'
She recalls how they said they were 'going to be the ones who show you how it should be' before they raped her.
The men threatened to kill her if she tried to report the rape, leaving her to suffer in silence.  
Soon after the assault, she realized she was pregnant, prompting her girlfriend to leave her.


But despite what she had gone through, she believes her son is a 'blessing in disguise'. No one will ever ask her why she isn't getting married.
When Isobel asks her if she plans on telling her son the truth when he grows up, the woman fearfully replies: 'What if he rejects me?'
Isobel explains to Daily Mail Online that the woman had 'very valid reason' to assume that her son would abandon her - or worse. Her father was a priest and when her family found out that she was gay they threw her out of the house. Speaking with Isobel was the first time she was able to share her story.
 The things you are doing are nonsense. You have to be a real woman.
'Every phase of her life has gone a different way because she is gay and the worst thing is that she can't tell anyone,' says Isobel, who notes the woman was overcome with a sense of relief after she shared the pain and suffering she had endured.
Although only a few of Isobel's interviews were able to fit into the 15-minute episode, she actually met with multiple victims.
'Every gay person we spoke to suffered some sort of both physical and verbal abuse,' she recalls.
The same day she and her team interviewed the woman who was raped by four men, she ended up speaking with a group of men in a working class neighborhood of Kampala, who after having a few drinks, proudly admitted to Isobel that they rape women simply because they are lesbians.
'I felt disgusted,' Isobel says of that moment, recalling: 'Suddenly everything switched in my head, and I felt very queasy.'
A man, who doesn't appear in the episode, told her that he has raped over 100 women because of their sexuality.
Isobel says she assumed he was exaggerating, but adds: 'The fact that he even wants to boast in that...'

Mail online
 

 

Comments