A small town in Uganda – a country with a reputation for being one of the world’s most dangerous places to be gay or transgender – might be the last place you’d expect to see LGBT acceptance. Big cities are often assumed to be more tolerant. But across Africa, “there is really a big gap between the urban and rural” LGBT experience, says Kapya Kaoma, a theology scholar and pastor from Zambia. Rural families “could become ashamed for having [an] LGBT child. So the family tries to find ways to hide that from the public,” says Dr. Kaoma. In doing so, “the family becomes the protecting group.”

“Rural Ugandan towns might be the last place you’d expect to see LGBT acceptance. Cities are often assumed to be more tolerant, where strength in numbers allows people to advocate together. But in Mbale, prejudice is often no match for personal relationships. ”

To be sure, many LGBT rural East Africans still face discrimination, blackmail, arrest, and even violence. But many are forging paths toward acceptance. Raymond felt abandoned by his relatives, but faced it without resentment. “In the rural areas, we respect so much our families. We don’t want [them] to be ashamed,” he says. “I worked hard, saved money, and kept sending gifts and money” home, Raymond explains. Then “they started believing me – that I can do great things for myself and my family.” Read more via Christian Science Monitor