Last week, we made history. TYI-Uganda, in collaboration with @transforumug and @UKPC_UG hosted THE STATE OF TRANS SRHR IN UGANDA 2026, the first national conference in Uganda to address trans health across HIV, TB, malaria, and SRHR. 4–5 March | Kampala Trans and gender-diverse people from all four regions of Uganda came together to document health barriers, share what’s working, and build consensus on what we need from the health system. Our evidence. Our voices. Our asks. On Day 2, we presented our findings directly to UNAIDS, Ministry of Health program leads, TASO Uganda, HRAPF, and development partners. For the first time, trans and gender-diverse communities sat at the table with the program leaders and spoke with one voice. What we produced: • The first community-generated evidence base on trans health in Uganda • Regional findings from Central, Western, Eastern, and Northern Uganda • Priority recommendations to MoH across HIV, TB, malaria, and SRHR • A Community Position Paper (coming soon) There is no disaggregated data on trans health in Uganda. Not in HIV, not in TB, and not in malaria.That changes now. Thank you to our partners: @UKPC_UG @hrapf_uganda, Ark Wellness Hub, Ice Breakers Uganda, Alive Medical Services,UHAI-EASHRI, LINK Partners, and every trans and gender-diverse institution that showed up. And to every trans and gender-diverse person who shared their story, you are the reason this exists. This is not the end; it is the beginning. Follow-up is in progress. The Community Position Paper will be released within four weeks. Accountability reviews will occur at 1, 3, and 6 months. This work is implemented under the Gender Equality Fund, an initiative established by The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria in partnership with GSK and ViiVHealthcare to support gender-transformative and community-led health responses. Nothing about us, without us. #TransHealthUganda #TransSRHR #95-95-95 #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #GlobalFund #TransRightsAreHealthRights

On October 9, 1962, Uganda gained independence from British colonial rule. Today, 64 years later, we commemorate that historic achievement while confronting a difficult question: What does independence mean when some of the legal instruments once used to control colonized populations continue to shape the lives of Ugandans today? Independence transferred political authority to Ugandan hands. But it did not automatically dismantle the legal, institutional, and social structures inherited from colonial rule. Uganda's 1995 Constitution, under Article 274, provided for the continuation of existing laws, subject to necessary modifications to bring them into conformity with the Constitution. Among these inherited laws was the Penal Code Act of 1950, which included provisions criminalizing consensual same-sex conduct and was rooted in British colonial legal traditions. These provisions were not an expression of a timeless African consensus. They were part of a colonial legal architecture that regulated bodies, sexuality, morality, and social belonging. Yet decolonization cannot be reduced to the origins of our laws. The deeper question is not simply who introduced these laws, but who continues to defend, reproduce, and expand their restrictions today. The Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023 reminds us that contemporary forms of exclusion cannot be attributed solely to colonialism. They also reflect deliberate political choices made in independent Uganda. At Trans Youth Initiative–Uganda, we believe genuine independence must extend beyond national sovereignty to encompass bodily autonomy, gender self-determination, economic justice, freedom from violence, and equal protection under the law. For rural transgender women, transgender sex workers, and gender-diverse communities, freedom remains incomplete when identity becomes a source of criminalization, when healthcare is inaccessible, when livelihoods are threatened, and when living authentically carries the risk of violence or exclusion. We honor the generations who struggled to end colonial rule. Their pursuit of self-determination challenges us to ask whose freedom remains unfinished. Decolonization is not merely the removal of foreign rulers. It is the ongoing responsibility to dismantle systems of domination, including those maintained by our own institutions. As Uganda celebrates 64 years of independence, we call for a renewed national commitment to constitutionalism, human dignity, bodily autonomy, equality, and justice for every Ugandan. Our sovereignty should empower us to build laws that protect our people, not preserve or deepen systems of exclusion. Uganda became independent in 1962. The work of making freedom meaningful for everyone continues. Happy 64th Independence Day, Uganda. Political independence was a beginning. Liberation remains our collective responsibility. — Trans Youth Initiative–Uganda (TYI-Uganda) #UgandaAt64 #IndependenceDay2026 #DecoloniseTheLaw #HumanRights #TransRightsAreHumanRights #BodilyAutonomy #GenderJustice #TYIUganda

Two recent reports. One urgent question for Uganda’s HIV response: 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻? On 7 August 2026, New Vision reported findings indicating a disproportionately high burden of HIV and other STIs among sex workers across several Ugandan cities, with Mbarara recording the highest HIV prevalence among surveyed sex workers at 42%, alongside syphilis and HPV. On August 24, 2026, the Daily Monitor reported findings that Kampala is recording about 200 new HIV infections every week, and the study also highlighted significant infections among young people. Taken together, these findings should concern all of us. But they should do more than generate alarming headlines. They should prompt serious reflection on how HIV prevention is designed, financed, and delivered. At Trans Youth Initiative-Uganda (TYI-Uganda), our work with rural transgender women, transgender sex workers, and gender-diverse youth communities continually reminds us that HIV vulnerability cannot be reduced to individual behavior. We must ask harder questions. 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗜𝗩 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁? 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝘂𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲? 𝗜𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗘𝗣 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁? 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗘𝗣 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲? 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗜𝗩 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗧𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲? 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝘀𝗲𝘅 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘆, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗺𝗮 𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? Criminalization, violence, poverty, stigma, and exclusion from health services continue to shape HIV vulnerability. We cannot ask communities to take responsibility for prevention while leaving these structural barriers intact. These findings therefore raise an important financing and implementation question for governments, donors, implementing partners, and community-led organizations: 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆-𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗜𝗩 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱? Uganda already has effective prevention and treatment tools: condoms and lubricants, PrEP, PEP, HIV testing and self-testing, and ART and viral suppression. There is currently no approved HIV vaccine, despite misinformation circulating online. What we need is sustained investment to ensure that these proven tools reach people, alongside comprehensive sexuality education, integrated STI services, and health systems that respect everyone's dignity and rights. This also means adequately financing community-led organizations that are already reaching populations that conventional health systems may struggle to reach. As HIV financing becomes increasingly constrained, these questions become even more important. Limited resources must not result in communities most vulnerable receiving less prevention. They should compel us to invest more strategically, more equitably, and according to the evidence. The data is giving us a clear signal. The question for Uganda’s HIV response is whether our policies, programs, and investments will follow the evidence. #HIVPrevention #EndAIDS2030 #KeyPopulations #CommunityLed #Uganda

A huge thank you to @IbuUganda  for supporting the TYI-Uganda Drop-In Center with essential medicines and basic health commodities. This support strengthens our capacity to continue providing accessible, confidential, affirming, and community-led SRHR and essential health services to the communities we serve. For many rural transgender and gender-diverse people, access to respectful and non-discriminatory healthcare remains a challenge. Community-led spaces such as our Drop-In Center therefore play an important role in ensuring people can access the health information, commodities, services, and referrals they need in an environment that respects their dignity and confidentiality. We deeply appreciate Ibu Ice Breakers Uganda for recognizing the importance of investing directly in community-led health responses. These essential medicines and commodities will help strengthen the services available through our DIC and support our continued efforts to bring healthcare closer to our communities. Are you in Mbarara or neighboring districts? Our Drop-In Center is here for you. Reach out to TYI-Uganda to access FREE SRHR services, essential health commodities, information, and referrals in a safe, respectful, and affirming environment. Partnerships that put resources directly into communities make a difference. #TYIUganda #SRHR #TransHealth #CommunityHealth #Mbarara #HealthForAll