WorldPride Washington, D.C. Human Rights Conference 2025

Steven Muleme is a courageous Ugandan LGBTQ+ rights activist whose life and advocacy are shaped by his direct experience of surviving under Uganda's draconian Anti-Homosexuality Law, which criminalizes his very existence with potential jail sentences or death. Haunted by memories of Ugandan tabloid headlines declaring "Hang them!" and the loss of LGBTQ+ community members to mob violence fueled by religious fundamentalists and politicians, he has dedicated his life to promoting equality and challenging discrimination.

As Global Advisory Council Representative of InterPride for the African Region, Muleme brings years of experience combating social stigma through celebration, hope, and joy while serving as founder and Executive Director of Visual Echoes for Human Rights Advocacy (VEHRA), a Ugandan rights organization. His activism is deeply informed by lived experiences of homophobic violence, discrimination, verbal abuse, and the constant threat of attack that defines LGBTQ+ existence in Uganda.

Muleme's commitment to advocacy was crystallized when he was fired from his first teaching position by a homophobic school administrator who ensured he was blacklisted from ever teaching again in Uganda. This career destruction, accomplished within minutes but with lasting impact, transformed his approach from silence to fierce determination to fight back against ignorance and homophobia through education and public speaking.

His vision encompasses a world where every lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender non-conforming person in every country enjoys all human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with safety, dignity, and peace as fundamental guarantees. Through his international advocacy work, Muleme demonstrates how personal survival can become a powerful foundation for global human rights leadership.

Despite ongoing threats and dangers, Muleme refuses to be silenced or shamed, using his education and platform to speak out for LGBTQ+ rights while representing the experiences of African LGBTQ+ communities on the global stage.