In a country where identifying as gay can result in life imprisonment, and "aggravated homosexuality" carries the death penalty, some parents are defying the law and society to stand by their queer children, offering support where the Ugandan state offers only punishment.

Among them is Mama Joseph, a mother from central Uganda, whose son came out as gay at a time when being openly gay could carry life-threatening consequences.

Her voice doesn't quiver. For her, the connection between queerness and African identity is not contradictory. She's never left Uganda. Neither has her son.

"People say queerness is un-African, but I know that's not true. I didn't raise my child on foreign TV, where some claim he could've 'learned' to be gay," she told DW. "He did not go to boarding school, where others think such things happen. I raised him right here, very African and he is very queer."

Her defiant tone challenges a widespread belief in Uganda that homosexuality is a Western import.

"So, when people judge us, I ask myself, what exactly do they mean by 'un-African'? This journey hasn't been easy," she said. "Being an African mother to a queer child comes with pain, with isolation. But I'm proud of my son."

She added that some relatives have threatened her, and neighbors have avoided her.

In living rooms across the east African country, some parents have chosen love over fear, including Mama Arthur, who shared her path to understanding with DW.

"When a child opens up about their sexuality, it's not easy at first. For many of us parents, the beginning is the hardest. But as time goes on, you start to walk that journey together and you get to know your child on a deeper level, and they get closer to........

© Deutsche Welle