Activist in exile
Steven Kabuye had to flee his home in Uganda after being stabbed because he is gay. Rainbow Railroad helped him escape and is helping him continue his activism CAROLINE SAVOIE | Contributing Writer CaroSavo@gmail.com After 26-year-old gay Ugandan activist Steven Kabuye was stabbed on Jan.
3, this year, he made the difficult decision to flee his home country in Africa and move to Vancouver, Canada, with the help of Rainbow Railroad, an organization that helps LGBTQ people who face violence find safety.
Kabuye said on Jan. 3, he was attacked by two helmeted men riding on motorcycles who yelled homophobic slurs at him. The two men stabbed him in the neck and stomach before he was able to escape and get help from a friend who got him to a hospital.
He was hospitalized for three days. “The people at the hospital were worried I would get arrested, so they helped me find safety,” he said. “Kabuye’s story underscores the deadly reality LGBTQI Ugandans face since President Museveni signed the Anti-Homosexuality Act into law nearly one year ago,” said Timothy Chan, director of communication for Rainbow Railroad.
