GAY GRANTED ASYLUM IN U.S.A.: A gay, deaf Ugandan would have made him another sad statistic if he had been sent back to Uganda

(l to r) CT PRIDE members William Urich and Kalisa* with Attorneys Marisa DeFranco and Amy Grunder moments after Kalisa was granted US asylum.

Kalisa's case is unique in that he is not only gay, but is also hearing impaired since the age of 10 when an incorrect treatment for malaria in his village in Uganda left him deaf.

¨Recently I traveled to the JFK Federal Building in Boston to appear as a witness on behalf of Kalisa*, who works with Connecticut PRIDE. Kalisa, a Ugandan citizen, petitioned for a stay of deportation and had requested US asylum. For some time now, I have been working with Pascal's attorney, Marisa DeFranco, to keep the US government from sending Kalisaback to Uganda. We all know what happens there.

Kalisa's case is unique in that he is not only gay, but is also hearing impaired since the age of 10 when an incorrect treatment for malaria in his village in Uganda left him deaf. There are no protections or accommodations for people with disabilities in Uganda. That fact, complicated by his homosexuality, would surely have made Kalisa another sad statistic if he were to be sent back.  read it all, HERE

*Not his real name. Kalisa asked to use a pseudonym because he fears for the safety of his family in Uganda if his real identity is used.


·  Thanks to William Urich
·  Thanks to Conneticut Pride
·  Thanks to Marisa DeFranco and Amy Grunder
·  Thanks to LGBT Asylum News, sidebar