Administering, taking or changing of hormones or their dosage can have far reaching consequences for transgendered people. It can result in various negative side effects on the body. A very important question for everybody is how can one prevent and treat these problems?

Serum testosterone and oestrogen, genital hormones, both take part in the metabolism of the human body and affects many systematic physiological actions. Therefore, an imbalance of metabolism and inner organic functions would occur if the quantity of these hormones is changed. If you treat it correctly from the start your problems can be relieved, prevented or even stopped. What kinds of problems can you expect if you take genital hormones or if you are post operative?

This piece is written in very broad and generalised terms, and is in no way an in-depth discussion on the state of masculinities in Africa. It is not intended as a piece of rigorous academic exploration, nor of substantive social commentary. I write this as an opinion piece, largely to help me to contextualise for myself my explorations of gay male fetish sexuality in South Africa, the area of research for my PhD, and in the context of my ongoing attempts to contextualise my own personal experiences both in my personal life and in the environments of social theory and change.

Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) launched the media campaign "Let us live in Peace".

Sexual Minorities Uganda is the coalition of several lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex, what you would call hermaphrodites (or LGBTI) organistaions in Uganda.  The member organisations of
SMUG are Freedom and Roam Uganda, Spectrum Uganda, Integirity Uganda, and Ice Breakers Uganda. 

The chairperson of SMUG, Victor Juliet Musaka, is a member of the Gender DynamiX Management Committee.

Recently I was asked by some friends to house-sit their flat and look after their cats while they were away. Obviously I received the key to their flat. It is the “normal” thing to do - giving the key of your house to the person looking after it. That key also gave me the privilege to knowledge of their private lives. So, actually it also translates into trust.

Giving someone the key to your house takes a lot of trust. You are trusting that the person will not snoop in your private belongings and trusting that what the person will obviously find out about you through their very presence in your home will remain confidential. And someone with the key to your house will find out things about you. For example, the fact that you like Colgate and your partner likes Aquafresh.

When we speak of gender based violence in a South African context, we usually refer to all types of prejudice experienced by women, lesbians, effimanate men or any person who is confronted violently by mainstream society's perception of gender and sexual orientation. Within this sphere we are usually not thinking outside of that box, even as LGBTI sector.

We need to also discuss a very silenced part of “our movement” and that is the transgender and intersex people who are part of our constituencies.