Call Me Kuchu

It is 2009. In the country of Uganda, being LGBTQ+ is not only considered sinful; it is illegal. From Kampala to the remote villages, LGBTQ+ people — or kuchus, as they are known — are at risk of being beaten, harassed, and stoned to death.

A new Anti-Homosexuality Bill has been introduced in Parliament which would take the law several steps further, imposing a death sentence for HIV-positive gay men and a three-year prison sentence for anyone who fails to turn in a known LGBTQ+ person, including their own child.

Meanwhile, the government, the media, church leaders, and American evangelicals are actively fueling the fire of intolerance and hatred throughout the greater population. The editor of one local tabloid is mercilessly outing gay people on its front pages, encouraging violent reprisals such as hanging.

Amidst all the venom and homophobic fervor, veteran activist David Kato is undeterred in his fight for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. The first openly gay man in Uganda, Kato boldly dares to protest publicly — in the courts, on television, at the United Nations — despite the great personal danger it poses to him and his small band of fellow kuchu activists. An international sensation and winner of dozens of awards, Call Me Kuchu is a remarkable portrait of courage and conviction.