Hello friends,
I’ve decided to start a series of posts sharing the true stories of queer refugees. I really want to create a clear and honest picture of what life is like for LGBTQ+ people in refugee camps like Kakuma and Gorom.
I hope this will help the community understand us better not just what we go through but who we are. I believe storytelling can build connection, awareness and trust.
My name is Cyara Kaira. I’m an Ugandan transgender woman and a passionate human rights defender. I’ve survived violence, displacement and isolation not because I broke the law but simply because I dared to live as myself.
My journey into exile began in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya. I arrived there after fleeing Uganda where being trans can mean imprisonment, torture or sometimes death. I thought Kakuma would be a place of safety but instead it was another battlefield of trauma.
In Kakuma, LGBTQ+ people are treated as if we are not human. I lived in constant fear. One night a group of men attacked us and tried to burn down our shelter. The trauma from that night still lives in my bones. I wasn’t sure we’d survive.
This happened several times where queer refugees were usually stoned, cut with machetes and burned to death. It is on record that we have been losing lives starting from new born babies.
The camp had no support system for queer refugees. We were left to fend for ourselves and punished when we tried to speak out : ( I was threatened to be killed by the head of police ( OCPD) of Turkana region simply because i stood up for others. Remember this wasn’t me at all I didn’t wake up one time and thought that I can one time battle with some government institutions or UNHCR simply because they failed to respect even the basic human rights. They turned me to who I am today. A lot of transphobia happened to me and my fellow queer refugees that really forced us to flee to South Sudan. Now you might ask why of all countries near Kenya. The neighboring countries of Kenya were Tanzania, South Sudan and Uganda my home country which almost the leading country in world for criminalizing LGBTQ individuals. South Sudan was the nearest to the Kakuma refugee camp.
Here is a link of PinkNews about me and the life of transgender refugees in Kakuma. It was taken some years ago but I believe it can also add to the story I am talking about.
We fled to Gorom a refugee settlement in South Sudan. It was meant to be safer. But the truth is even here life remains uncertain and painful. Literally the same and here also the government is really strictly against us. We are because of UNHCR’s advocacy and also UNHCR cannot do more if the government speaks. I really have a very long story that I can tell for days.
In my next post, I’ll share what it’s like for queer people living in Gorom how we survive, what we lack and how we care for one another.
Thank you for reading. And thank you for seeing us.
CyaraKaira
