Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera
Biography
Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera began LGBTQ+ rights activism in Uganda in her early twenties and became involved in organizing around the rights of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. She founded Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG) in 2003, an organization focused on the rights of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women. Her advocacy has included grassroots organizing, human-rights documentation, public education, and legal challenges to discriminatory practices and laws. She also pursued human-rights education, including a certificate in human rights law.
After stepping down from FARUG's leadership, Nabagesera founded Kuchu Times Media Group in 2014, using media to provide information and platforms for LGBTQ+ communities in Uganda. The organization publishes Bombastic Magazine and operates media initiatives addressing LGBTQ+ rights and related social issues. Nabagesera has also participated in legal and international human-rights advocacy, including efforts challenging the publication of material targeting LGBTQ+ Ugandans.
Nabagesera's work has received international recognition, including the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in 2011, the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award in 2013, and the Right Livelihood Award in 2015. Harvard Kennedy School identifies her as Founder and Executive Director of Kuchu Times Media Group and Founder of the Uganda LGBTIQ+ Movement.
BQW Impact
Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera is a significant figure in LGBTQ+ organizing in Uganda and in the broader history of African LGBTQ+ human-rights advocacy. Through grassroots organizing, legal action, international advocacy, and community media, she has helped challenge discrimination while creating opportunities for LGBTQ+ people to document and represent their own experiences.
Her founding of FARUG and Kuchu Times reflects two complementary approaches to movement building: organizing for legal and social change and developing independent media through which marginalized communities can tell their own stories. Her sustained advocacy has contributed to the visibility and documentation of LGBTQ+ communities in Uganda and to international human-rights discussions concerning sexual and gender minorities.
Notable Works
Freedom and Roam Uganda (2003)
Nabagesera founded this organization to advocate for the rights of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women in Uganda.
Break the Chains campaign (2007)
A campaign documenting the experiences of LGBTQ+ women in Uganda and challenging stigma and discrimination.
Hate No More campaign (2011)
A campaign addressing homophobia, misinformation, and harmful representations of same-sex relationships in Ugandan media.
Kuchu Times Media Group (2014)
Nabagesera founded this media organization to provide community-centered LGBTQ+ information and storytelling through multiple media platforms.
Bombastic Magazine (2014)
A Kuchu Times publication created as a platform for LGBTQ+ Ugandans to share personal stories and counter hostile mainstream media narratives.
Learn More
Provides an authoritative biography covering Nabagesera's activism, major campaigns, legal advocacy, Kuchu Times, and her 2015 Right Livelihood Award.
Human Rights Office of the City of Nuremberg
Documents Nabagesera's human-rights advocacy and her receipt of the 2013 Nuremberg International Human Rights Award.
Provides an institutional profile identifying Nabagesera as Founder and Executive Director of Kuchu Times Media Group and Founder of the Uganda LGBTIQ+ Movement.
Provides access to the media organization Nabagesera founded, including LGBTQ+ reporting, community stories, and archival material from Uganda