Outspoken advocate Frank Mugisha sounded off on the state of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in his native Uganda.
"I get threats every day," Mugisha told GLAAD All Access host Claire Pires. "I don't talk about my threats because when we talk, when we're very empathetic, about the challenges we go through, Ugandans think we are using that as a tool for sympathy."
Interestingly, although Uganda's attitude toward its LGBT citizens has made headlines for some time, Mugisha said that the homophobic attitudes have "come in by extreme Christians. The majority of extreme Christian leaders have actually come in from the United States."
He went on to note that homophobia is an individual, rather than a collective, issue in his home country.
"You find a parent killing or beating up a child at home because they've come out, but it's not a policy that you should beat your child or chase them away if they come out as gay," he said.
He then added, "If we can get their own personal heroes -- footballers, entertainment people, of course Jay-Z and other celebrities -- to speak out ... that can change the person in Uganda who is in the rural areas."
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