AMBER-RIELLA
I was born just like any other human being.
I was born just like any other human being. I mostly grew up with my mom, attended school like any other normal child, I was always referred to be like girls the behaviours and deeds. I remember I could put on my mom's clothes during her absence and our neighbor reported to my her. Once a time my mom asked me whether I wanted to be a girl so as a punishment, she bought blouses and dresses for me not knowing this made me comfortable and happy.
During August 2010 my mom died and I was taken to live with my Father in areas of Kawaala and my life because miserable. He never knew about me ,he was always so mean to me. I later joined high School during 2014 March where I found a lot of difficulties as per my sexuality and gender identity. My fellow students could tease and bully me, asking why I behaved like girls. They mocked everything I did when it came to gender. I used to play female sports games, walking like girls. I onetime got out of angry and fought with a boy, where the consequences were not favourable for me. I had to be expelled from school. That forced me to change to another school were I secretly felt in love with a certain boy but I couldn't approach him. This was in June 2016.
As I grew up, the desire, the spirit ,nature, and more recognition that I am a female, was also growing, though I never loved some of my body parts. I didn't know that there were other people of my same gender identity, transgenders till 2018 continuously. one time at school some guys called me and asked me if I was gay. I definitely denied and they told me it was okay. To a more disclosure, they informed me there are people who are like me. I was eager and felt thirsty for meeting them. I was taken to a certain night Club called Epic in Kampala City where I met people of my very own. I felt home, comfortable for the very first time in my life and this was around Sunday evening 2018.
With time, I bonded with more LGBT communities in Uganda and I even got into serious dating with James as I also engaged in sex work to meet my needs July 2019. My close friends sometimes used to ask me whether it was true what they were hearing that I was gay, and rumours were spreading to a larger extent that my Dad got to know about them. He once told me that, “let me hope what I'm hearing is not true”. I kept on denying, saying it's lies.
During some time in 7:00 pm, my friend Anna had connected me with a guy whom we met when i was well dressed in a tight dress. Unfortunately, it was disclosed to the local defence that I am a boy. All this happened on my way back from meeting my client and I was with my friend. I and my friend Anna were detained at a police post and this local defence contacted my father at that very moment. It was a red letter day, my blood pressure raised. My dad rushed to the local police immediately and this was 2020 /Feb/13th, i can't forget that day.
He paid an amount of 60,000 UGX as a bribe and I was released, taken back home. He punished me by beating me so badly and I was locked in a certain room. He called for a family emergency meeting "saying on the phone call how I was a total loss that I deserved Death". I sharply listened him calling my aunt. My aunt said I should be hanged up on a rope as the only way to stop the homosexual spirits and actions from spreading into the family. She added that i was a bad example to my whole family. When I heard about death, my heart blew.
Leaving Uganda
