Kampala Uganda: Pride Uganda; a Uganda-led story of visibility and the story of Pride -Part 3

PRIDE

Ugandan LGBTIQQ Community is a collective at the interface of normalized patriarchy, matriarchy and gender expansiveness. It is a community of women and men who are negotiating pro-actively how to productively live their lives. It is the repository of women whose bodies cannot limit the inner gender-self. It is a repository of men whose bodies cannot contain the inner gender-self who defies assigned gender and normativity. 

They are a collective who have turned potential biases into useful community mobilization markers and change initiators. They dismiss attributive bias and are now engaging in activities that contribute to their community welfare. Pride Uganda is a series of activities marked in June or July every year. The activities range from paying for a venue (they contribute large sums of money to venue proprietors), buying refreshments (they pay money for food and beverages which means the LGBTIQQ community indirectly pays salaries of employed people at the different venues), pay for security detail as well as transport to and fro a given venue. 

There are others who prefer to engage in philanthropic or charitable community activities like visiting inmates; visiting orphanages and providing food; and mobilizing communities for comprehensive HIV Prevention Awareness to name but a few of the activities. Pride Uganda is taking on an expansive definition and through it many are allowed to remember what happened at StoneWall, New York in 1970. But, for the Ugandan community it is also a means to adapt Pride to fit into a Ugandan context. 

In these series we shall be bringing you articles under one theme we have termed: PRIDE

A story titled: The SMB Guide to Success in the LGBTQ Market [2019 Research]

that run on the 4th July 2019 By Alex Gentile in Websiteplanet.com

In Alex Gentile’s words, “if you own or manage a small or medium-sized business (SMB), this article is for you. With less resources to play around with, SMBs must pull on all available resources to effectively work with and market to a wide customer base focused on interests, not social demographics.”

Reading further, one will find that “the LGBTQ market is one of the fastest-growing sectors out there, and it’s becoming an increasingly valuable customer base across all industries. In fact, according to Gay Star News, a conservative estimate on the size of the global LGBTQ market is $3.7 trillion – that’s a huge market that could be left out of your customer base unless you take the right steps. This community is also particularly sensitive to social issues.”

Reading through the website one finds a treasure trove of tips and insights.

The takeaway is liberating:

“Now that we’ve covered internal communications, marketing, and workplace conduct in terms of LGBTQ people, let’s review the three biggest key takeaways:

1. Crucial to Success – LGBTQ people, whether as employees or customers, are a valuable part of any business’ bottom line.
2. Consequences Are Real – Companies who make light of the issues surrounding LGBTQ people can suffer operational inefficiency, lose market share, and face legal ramifications.
3. Celebrate LGBTQ People – As a business moving forward with the social and societal trends of today’s world, you need to remember that LGBTQ people – like any other group – are equally deserving of being celebrated.

Even small businesses can take steps to be on the right side of history:

Sponsor LGBTQ Events – Invite employees to Pride Month celebrations, or even hold events in your place of business.

Educate – Teach employees how to be more accepting and affirming of LGBTQ people whenever possible.

Be Willing – Keep an open mind about how to properly manage LGBTQ employees’ concerns, market to LGBTQ audiences, and to further deliver on promises to protect LGBTQ employees and customers alike.”

Hope you enjoy our series and feel free to get back to us.