Uganda has been dubbed ‘the world’s worst place to be gay’ by The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in one of its documentaries. Yet in the midst of all the persecution, an organisation by and for gay male sex workers provides much-needed assistance to a rather clandestine group.

Mr Kakande Cameron, Director of Men of the Night Uganda, the sole male sex work led organisation, takes us back to the humble beginnings of the association and the work it does. As a sex worker himself he takes his work seriously, representing sex workers in Uganda and all over the world:

“I am the public face of a community that operates in private. I maintain an active social media presence for sex workers and build relationships with other organisations such African Sex Work Alliance and Uganda Network of Sex Work Organisations.”

I asked Kakande how he went from individual business to leading an organisation that looks after male sex workers:

“It was a rather a serendipitous occurrence. Men of the Night was founded by three male sex workers including me. One of the three was not comfortable with who he was then – gay and sex worker, the second one was already actively involved in advocacy work of LGBT work; that left me to take the lead.”

Thus Kakande started working on the growth of the organisation which started as a support group of three sex workers who met, from time to time, to share ideas on how to handle violent clients or how to negotiate better prices. In an environment where being gay can lead to being hanged – literally – gay sexual education is not easy to find especially in remote areas.

“We didn’t have a clue that men who engage sex with men could catch HIV. It is only after two of our friends who were dishonoured to HIV that our eyes were open to the harsh reality. We decided to do more research about HIV and share the information we got. Others joined us, even sex workers who belonged to other LGBTQIA+ organisations, because these other organisations were not addressing their specific concerns.”

It took ingenuity and identification of loopholes in law texts to work in such a homophobic environment. Founded in 2016, the organisation has been in existence for 4 years. Securing funding for a male gay sex work organisation is a struggle.

“Despite difficulties, we are constant on our mission and goals. We look out for funding opportunities online and send proposals or concept notes to donors interested in our line of work. We also fund-raise from members of Men of the Night’ themselves. They pay an annual subscription fee which helps run the organisation.”

And what are some of the daily activities?

Sex workers in Uganda are already using social media for business, and Men of the Night uses social media for advocacy and education. One might wonder how safe social media networking sites are in an environment such as Uganda:

“We use social media to educate, mobilise and also keep our members and partners in the know of the various activities that we do. Yes, social media is helpful, because some of the members in far to reach areas get to interact with us via social media. We mainly use Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. In addition to advocacy and education, health is also a central activity for Men of the Night.”

“We have access to condoms. Condoms are free given in all government hospitals but lubricants are very scarce. Bringing them in the country is a tug of war and those that are sold in pharmacies are way too expensive for people to afford. We have access to gay or LGBTI health services through partnerships with both government and non-government health service providers.”

“I see the organisation in future as a mentor of future emerging groups of male sex workers in the different parts or districts of Uganda. There is more need to empower people living with HIV on their medication and also to sensitise those who are negative on the importance of adherence to PREP and PEP.”

“I decided to be the change I want to see in the world by advocating and being the voice of those who often can’t speak for themselves.”

Although Men of the Night is the only organisation for male sex workers in Uganda, it does not work in isolation. It rather established partnerships with Ugandan and international LGBTQIA+ organisations to address issues of discrimination based on sexual orientation. In the East African region, the other organisation we came across were Health Options for Young Men on AIDS and STIs (HOYMAS) and Kisumu Male Sex Workers Organisation (KIMASWO) in Kenya.

The post How Kakande became the face of gay male sex workers in Uganda appeared first on PinkPlayMags.

In a climate like this, a gay male sex workers’ organisation is the last thing you would expect. Even more surprising was the story we listened to at the edge of our seat.

While doing research for another story, I came across Mr Kakande Cameron. ‘The guy who knows many gay activists in the East African region’ I was told. Little did I know that I was being introduced to the ‘face of male sex workers in Uganda or the Director of Men of the Night Uganda, “Uganda’s only male sex work led organisation” as Kakande asserted.

But how did it all start? Kakande explains:

Between 2010 and 2011 when I had just joined university, things were bad, I was going to bed hungry and would miss out on what lecturers were saying in class. Hunger is the worst, trust me. I searched for jobs to make a few Shillings [Ugandan Currency] for my upkeep but in vain. They needed papers and work experience which I did not have.

But that was before he realised he was sitting on gold:

I was a good-looking lad and men would always look out on me whenever I could go to bars. They would hit on me, buy me a few drinks and would suggest we have sex.  I was a very bright sharp boy who knew what I wanted, and I would boldly tell them that ‘I play for Keeps’, which means I have Sex for money.

And that is how Kakande opened shop, offering great service and lacking nothing as referrals kept coming in, despite the disdain of others:

People were against it, some said it was ridiculous for a man to hit the streets in order to hunt for a shilling… but the more I was open about having those uncomfortable conversations, the more they learned and unlearned why I was engaging in Sex work.

But how does it work in a place that was once dubbed by the BBC ‘the worst place to be gay’?

Male sex workers operate mainly on social media platforms such as Facebook, Grindr, Hornet and Planet Romeo. Negotiations are done over the internet, you decide on the price and the venue. Some male sex workers operate in high-end bars and they strategically position themselves for hook up, they normally stage around the bar counters or pool bar. Referrals are also commonplace – hence the need to be a real professional to survive in this trade. Some male clients call heterosexual escort services and instead of asking for a woman they specify they need a man. Enough… I cannot reveal all the secrets to you.

There certainly could be dangers. Some people with malicious intentions could pretend they are clients, both online and face to face!

There is no such a thing as zero risk. But when you are a sex worker, you develop a sixth sense, you feel it when something is not right, we are always alert, we discuss these situations amongst ourselves and some situations raise red flags. I would not know how to explain this, you need to be ‘in it’ to understand.

Despite this assurance Kakande has a plethora of names in the digital space. Would this have anything to do with his online safety?

Having many names protects me from toxic clients who might want to blackmail me. You see, if two people speak to each other using two different names it is hard for them to realise they are talking about the same person. That is how I avoid nuisance.

As the president of the only gay male sex work organisation, this could potentially compromise advocacy work, right?

I don’t tell my rightful name to clients. But for Men of The Night work and Advocacy my name is out there, I want people to reach me easily.

Kakande sees a bright future for male sex workers in Uganda and beyond despite challenges such as “…stigma, slut-shaming”. There is double stigmatisation here: one by the environment and one by sex workers themselves.

Sex workers are often ashamed of what they do due to society’s stigma. Yet, some fine men who proclaim how deplorable we are during the day, enjoy our ‘paid company’ during the night, in private. Talk about society’s double standards!

http://ilovegay.net/2020/03/20/my-path-to-gay-male-sex-work-in-uganda/

The post Kakande’s path to gay male sex work in Uganda appeared first on PinkPlayMags.