Uganda LGBTIQQ, COVID-19 And Busting Dysphoria

I want to bring to your attention, a letter that was addressed to the Uganda Parliament on the 7thAugust 2019.

In it the author makes a profound realization about relationships, sexuality, orientation, gender, identity, sexual expressions and sexual characteristics. “Attachment is a lasting emotional bond between persons and it influences relationships throughout life (Grossman et al., 2005). We have seen that not all people are heterosexually normative. Some are neurodivergent gender diverse persons. Some engage in the love where one leaves the beauty of a woman and settles for a fellow man or where one leaves the man and settles with a woman is possible and may not be about sexual intercourse. It may be because of affinity over a similar experience people went through. It could be as a result of backlash. It could be as a result of realizing similar likes and dislikes. Please do not assume that all same-sex relations are about sexual intercourse.”

It started as follows, for it was a letter to the Ugandan Parliamentarians who were then deliberating on returning the ‘Anti-Homosexuality Bill’ on the floor. Recall, this is the same bill that is called for ‘Kill the Gays Bill.’

In the letter, the author laid down the genesis of the uncalled for animosity toward those who were not conforming to a heterosexual, patriarchal and precarious normativity.

The crux of the matter is how well society is ready to acknowledge diversities within humanity. To get there, we all need to trace the subjective character of what makes us who we are.

The letter is comprehensive and covers subjects of interest for those who want to understand two things: self-determination of gender divergent persons; and the obsession to legislate everything as if that would be the prescription for all the woes in the world.

I admired the strong points in the letter and how the writer started off the argument. Some areas of interest that I got from the letter are “and please, stop using the term "homosexuals" or "homosexuality." That is oxymoronic. It is also equivalent to tying someone up and expect them to carry water at the same time. Or eating your cake and expecting to have it at the same time. The people you are dealing with are called: neurodivergent gender diverse persons. This letter is about the love where one leaves the beauty of a woman and settles for a fellow man….” 

There are various ways to arrive at euphoria, but for the sake of this article we choose to dwell on two: Tolerance and a desire to engage or live in the moment with one’s homestead community. These positive and active practices are an everyday act.  These aspirations turn out to be beneficial in the communities where they are practiced.  To live in the moment also means to engage in self-esteem and self-care activities as well as social health activities. This means that one not only contributes to self but to the development of the entire community.

There is such a term as nature and nurture. Let us not deny the fact that many persons who are not cis-sexual/gender (a person whose assigned sex is in conformity with the gender roles and expectations), have gone through some form of self-correction or auto-correction to fit in. These have also reported bitterness with themselves and decisions such as: taking drugs, isolation, suicidal thoughts and a desire to exile themselves or wander off far away from their own families. This is the general setting for dysphoria. According to research, dysphoria is a profound state of unease or dissatisfaction. In a psychiatric context, dysphoria may accompany depression, anxiety, or agitation. The term is often used to refer to gender dysphoria, experienced by people whose gender identity does not align with their assigned sex. Common reactions to dysphoria include emotional distress; in some cases, even physical distress. The opposite state of mind is known as euphoria. Gender dysphoria is the distress a person feels due to a mismatch between their gender identity and their sex assigned at birth. People with gender dysphoria are typically transgender. The diagnostic label gender identity disorder was used until 2013 with the release of the DSM-5. One of the ways to cope is to: form or join support clubs; move-in to dedicated Shelter homes with Family Based Therapy model structures; and a genuine desire for formation into a person with self-esteem, self-confidence and who engages in self-care.

I wish to quote from the letter I told you about. “We are our biological-hormonal-genetic-social raw materials. Our bodies grow at different paces, because our body parts don’t all grow at the same pace. For instance our brain grows at a different rate (neurological development). The limbic/amygdala system responsible for fear and excitement matures before the prefrontal cortex, where planning ahead, emotional regulation, and impulse control occur. Adolescence is responsible for much of who we become as adults. During adolescence instinctual and emotional areas develop earlier before analytic and reflective ones do. This is a time when one is exposed to novelty, excitement, adventure, relish high-stimulation experiences, high-adrenaline situations or bending gender norms. Adolescence is a time of discovery, arousal, stress and sensory bombardment. It is also a time, when one gets to know about their sexuality, orientation, gender and identity.  This is a time when a boy will  or not pierce the ears,  “throw or not throw like a girl” or “walk or not walk like a girl,” if you get the drift.  A girl will “prefer female or male assigned sports,” be or not to be a “tomboy,” cut off all hair or have or not ambiguous hairstyles. To hell with socio-cultural dictates. Awareness undergoes priming during adolescence due to what is known as adolescent thinking from age 10 years to 19 years. This is a time of brain maturation, intense conversations, schooling, challenges and increased independence. Adolescents begin to differentiate between focusing on one’s self to turning toward an abstract world. This is so due to two aspects: cognitive growth and puberty. 

For cognitive growth to be achieved, one goes through more stages:

Ø Personal fable (narcissism), where one feels unique, destined to be great, praised and on top of the world.

Ø Invincibility fable, where one believes no harm can come to them and no type of alcohol or drugs can intoxicate them.

Ø Imaginary audience, where one believes they are the centre stage and capable of making headlines

Ø Formal operational thought, where one finally is able to apply their thoughts outside of nearby reality or stimuli and to abstract things. This is a time when one is able to think about life in a future.”

As we all navigate life, let us listen to our bodies, communities and forge positive ways to preserve our lives. COVID-19 is still here, it has made us realise how poorly we had planned for a healthy mind and a healthy body. Remember, now we know so let us walk the talk. Take health in your hands and do not compromise your own health because you will be ruining your precious life.