Exploring self-perception dilemmas among homosexuals in Uganda through communication : a case study of Mr and Miss Pride Campaign

Abstract

Previous research has examined challenges faced by homosexuals, including the social discrimination they suffer as a sexual minority. However, the self-perception dilemmas these people experience because of their sexual orientation, the behaviours they use to communicate these dilemmas, the communication techniques used to encourage them to use only positive behaviours to overcome the dilemmas, and the barriers to this communication are understudied in the context of Uganda. This study covered this gap using Mr. and Miss Pride Campaign (or Pride Campaign) as the case study guided by the dilemma theory supplemented by the communication accommodation theory and communication infrastructure theory. Using a qualitative approach, data was collected by interviewing five organisers of the Pride Campaign and holding focus group discussions with 15 campaign participants selected using snowball sampling. Data was analysed using Yin’s (2015) framework of thematic analysis. Findings indicate that the self-perception dilemmas experienced by Uganda’s homosexuals included: self-sexual expression conflict, self-sexual identity incongruence, self-sexual concept discomfort, social anxiety, self-sexual-religious identity confusion, self-judgement and selfhatred. The behaviours used to communicate these dilemmas included monologic artistic actions, dress code, taking hormonal drugs, excessive consumption, living as singles, seclusion, church avoidance, and suicide. Others were: coming out, dialogical psychological counselling, multilogic group sharing and revelatory training. Communication techniques Pride Campaign used to encourage the gay to deal with the dilemmas positively included monologic creative art and general guidance, dialogic professional counselling, parent-child mediation and multilogic group talks and networking. The barriers to the effectiveness of these techniques included: infrequency of Pride Campaign, dishonesty, fearing to come out, fear of the media and government, low social media coverage, difficulty in choosing apt words, overreliance on hard-to-understand creative art, interpersonal incongruity, information overload, counselling limitations, sending boring messages and Pride Campaign’s exclusivity. In conclusion, the established dilemmas carried a toll on the psychosocial life of gay and lesbians who experienced them, but their communication through negative behaviour needed to be discouraged by encouraging positive behaviour which the Pride Campaign did through different communication techniques whose effectiveness was hampered by various barriers that need to be addressed. Therefore, the organisers of the Pride Campaign are urged to improve the effectiveness of the applied communication techniques by addressing the barriers using a communication strategy that gives priority to multilogic over monologic and dialogic communication methods, engaging government to legalise gay life in Uganda and the mainstream media actors to give necessary publicity to Pride Campaign activities. Further research involving conducting a replica of this study using a quantitative approach is also recommended.