HEAL GROW GLOW

That’s a question Uchicha and I have asked ourselves over the past few years, as we’ve navigated trauma, grief, and shifting priorities while entering our 30s. I had a secret blog called “If you really knew me” on Tumblr. I had safe spaces before “Bookie” became entitled in 2014. Tina Ford is FREE!

I am reclaiming myself and my own ideas, especially after Belinda Katumba interfered with zero respect for me, Uchicha, or his friends.

---

The Plot Twist of Becoming a Ugandan Citizen in the Spring of 2022.

I prefer if Black Jamaican or Ugandan friends don’t talk to me about their anti-homosexual views. I used to share some beliefs when I was inside the church communities and religion, but I noticed constant contradictions.

I grew up with Monika Uth, a Canadian Asian who is openly lesbian—but she is still my homie from high school. She deserved safe spaces and safe friends, something she didn’t always have with the boys, men or even family, and I can relate to that. I saw her journey up close. We didn’t always agree on how she treated some of her girlfriends from Newmarket or Aurora, but we still grew through our own personal development journeys—sometimes together, sometimes on our own paths, and often through our creative social media explorations. She is talented. She is consistent.

I sometimes feel like God has given me a voice specifically to protect people like Monika. She keeps her pain to herself.

She releases it through her own art and fitness journey.

If you ever need a reliable barber in North York I would recommend

MKZ STUDIOS: https://mkzstudios.setmore.com/.

Over the last ten years, I’ve also watched Ugandans confidently come out on their own social media platforms. I cannot be a hypocrite toward their courage, even as I navigate my own complicated identity: a heterosexual, cisgender Canadian-Ugandan woman, with Rwandan and Congolese roots. It’s hard for me to even adjust to “She/Her” and “They/Them” to be honest!!

My worldview shifted in 2020 when I stopped seeing people as “harvest to convert to Jesus Christ,” and I’ve been figuring out where I now get “direction” from ever since.

Being born in Canada but now holding Ugandan citizenship has given me a unique perspective. In Canada, LGBTQ+ rights are fully protected by law, including freedom of expression, association, and advocacy. Supporting LGBTQ+ individuals or organizations here—through donations, volunteering, or advocacy—is completely legal.

In Uganda, however, the legal and social context is very different. LGBTQ+ activity and advocacy can be restricted or even illegal, and supporting initiatives there requires caution to avoid putting people at risk.

Socially, cultural and religious norms make these conversations sensitive. This means that while I value empathy and justice, my engagement must be careful and responsible. Safe ways to support include: advocacy from Canada, donating through international NGOs that protect Ugandans, or mentoring LGBTQ+ individuals in the diaspora.

On the political side, I remain non-partisan. Uganda’s political landscape is complex, and if I were forced to choose, I would still lean toward NRM—and I cannot hide the reason why: I have relatives or close friends who are my family who are within that party. Many of them speak my mother tongue.

For now, I see myself simply as a humble student, learning from multiple worlds and perspectives, and trying to live consciously within them. #ConsentCultureIsMyCulture #HealingATraumatizedGeneration

This journey—through heritage, faith, identity, and responsibility—has taught me the value of humility, safe spaces, and honoring people’s lived experiences and FREE creative advocacy work.

It’s complicated, and sometimes uncomfortable, but it’s also deeply human.

Heal, Grow, Glow

within Yourself.