On December 18th, 2021, an episode of the morning show called “Morning Breeze” aired on Ugandan TV channel NBS TV. Pepe Julian Onziema, who was the one being interviewed, was a transgender man and an LGBTQ rights and human rights activist. The host, Simon Kaggwa Njala, was joined in the debate to learn about the homosexuality nature in Uganda.
I am sure that many of you had heard or seen this meme at some point. But what most of you did not know is that the interview later turned into a chaotic scene when a pastor and anti-gay activist, Martin Ssempa, stormed into the show with fruits and vegetables after a phone call to try to discredit Onziema’s sexuality and his advocacy for sexual equality.
All jokes aside, throughout the live interview, the host was very direct with his questions.
Though the attitude and phrasing from the host may come off as rudely offensive, he was genuinely curious and kept an open mind as he was being educated on the new idea. In reality, as someone who is not part of the homosexual or transgender community, we all have similar questions that are hidden in the back of our minds. In that sense, what makes this interview so great is that the host was courageous to exchange his views while subjective to hear from both sides.
Why are you gay?
Who says I am gay?
You are gay!
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People from the older generation cannot understand the concept of someone being a homosexual, and they always ask the question- “Is homosexuality a choice?” “Is homosexuality a disorder?” And to debunk these myths, we have to first know some sexuality terms.
- The definition of homosexual, gay, or lesbian is when one is attracted to people of the same sex as oneself.
- The definition of heterosexual is when one is attracted to people of the opposite sex as oneself. The word “straight” may be used to refer to heterosexual men and women.
- The definition of bisexual is when one is attracted to both sexes.
- The definition of pansexual is when one is attracted to people regardless of their sex or gender. The word “queer” may be used to refer to pansexual men or women.
- The definition of asexual is when one is not attracted to either sex.
Sexual orientation refers to the sex, or gender, of people you are sexually attracted to, and there is surely not a wrong type of orientation.
Therefore, what exactly causes sexual orientation? To this day, we do not have a scientific answer to what causes it. But we can say that it is not a disease, defect, or mental disorder. Additionally, that family issues can change one’s sexuality is also a myth. Social influence is impossible to make one change their sexual orientation.
Some questioned if homosexual people are trying to attract attention, however, when you come to think about it, why would someone claim themselves to be gay when most attention they received was negative and unpleasant. Although sexual preference can be changed during the “fluid period”, homosexuality is never a choice.
This is certainly a controversial topic between the older and newer generation and between the Christian and non-Christian communities when figuring out sexuality can already be difficult for many of us. 
The society we are living in can make many people in the LGBTQ community feel distressed and unsafe because of the expectation and single-out treatment from their parents and peers. According to HealthPeople.gov, LGBT health is an issue we should pay close attention to due to the oppression and discrimination they are constantly receiving.
Data from the website even shows that LGBT youth are 2 to 3 times more likely to attempt suicide. As you can imagine, a careless or ignorant comment can create a large impact on others in ways we could never think of.
I am glad that the generation I am born in is becoming more acceptable to the LGBTQ community. As we are learning to respect our peers that have different sexual orientations from an early age, we have quite some exposure to people that come out and identify themselves as gay and lesbian. People have homophobia when they have uncertainty against homosexuals and that feeling of unfamiliarity turns into frankness. One day, if everyone managed to have the same patience and readiness that the host in the interview has, the LGBTQ community will be able to thrive normally and feel safe in the society we are living in.
Work Cited:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepe_Julian_Onziema
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/is-homosexuality-a-choice/
https://familydoctor.org/homosexuality-facts-for-teens/
Here is the link to the full interview:
It is sad that In todays world, people do not just let other people live their lives as they wish. In my personal opinion, no one should care who another loves, and they should only focus on their own relationship. As someone who is a Straight Male, I know for a fact that I am not sexually attracted to another male, but that doesn’t mean that I have the right to personally attack someone who does. As time goes on, I believe that people will start to understand that who you love an sleep with at night does not reflect on who you are as a human being, and that everyone has a right to their own private life.
I have definitely heard of this interview without knowing its origins directly, which is interesting to me. I have seen memes and clips online about it as well. I find your explanations of the topics you mention to be extremely educated, respectful, and thought-provoking. I also like how you mention suicide statistics as a way to express the struggles that some people face due to their gender or sexual orientation. As a straight female, I do not have the perspective that some others might about this subject, but I do have many close friends who differ from me in this area in one way or another. The more I talk to them about their struggles and ideas, the more I learn. I fully support this community and hope that in the future we can see some of these harmful statistics decrease dramatically.
I struggle to understand why so many people cannot accept what makes other people happy, and the fact that it has caused such terrible effects like the increased suicide rates makes it completely unacceptable. I am very glad that society’s views on the LGBTQ community have improved, but we clearly have very far to go. I hope that this forward progress can continue and society can move towards equality for all people, no matter their sexual orientation, gender, or other factors that should have no effect on how they are treated by others.
I really enjoyed reading this post! I think it is interesting how humans have an inherent need to put labels on absolutely everything to help them understand something they might not be familiar with. After all, everything we learn is always in relation to something else. That being said, I have always thought of sexuality as a spectrum. I think the more people mature and figure out their own identity, they come to realize they might not be 100% something and might be more 85% something and 15% something else. I agree with what you said about instead of trying cure one’s sexuality, it should be accepted.