Amanda Kamanda is a trans woman from Uganda. “In Uganda I was at risk of being persecuted.” Growing up in a country which has some of the world’s harshest anti-LGBTQ+ laws, Amanda was never truly able to live as her authentic self. In constant fear of discrimination and persecution. “For LGBTQ people in Uganda, from life imprisonment, to all sorts of punishments that the government can do to you” She escaped underground trans life in Uganda, and was finally able to be herself when she applied for asylum and was granted the right to remain in the UK in 2023. “It was time for me to outgrow Uganda because there was a time I thought I needed to be me, to an environment that fostered me as a person.” Amanda spoke to PinkNews about what life was like living in Uganda as a trans woman, how she navigated secretly exploring her gender identity, and the freedom she has felt after moving to the UK. #LGBTQNews #TransNews #RainbowMigration