I'm Aisha Roscoe and this is the Sunday story. This past spring in the East African

Nation of Uganda, the country's highest court upheld the Anti-homosexuality Act, which

criminalizes the identities and behaviors of LGBT-plus people and calls

for tough sentences, including in some cases the death penalty.

Today a story from Uganda about a trans woman who calls herself

Riana Mukasa.

Riana was beaten and jailed for being trans,

but she survived and eventually found her voice with the help of an unexpected ally, her very traditional and religious mother.

The story comes from our friends at Radio Workshop, a podcast featuring the work of reporters across Africa.

And just a note, this episode contains graphic descriptions of violence. Now I'll hand it over to Lissetti Muwakle,

the host of Radio Workshop to begin Riana's story.

It was nine months, nine long months living in brutal conditions in prison in Kampala,

Uganda.

Riana hadn't spoken to her mother during that time that had no contact so when

Rihanna was released she needed to see her mom she missed her and went to her

house so when I reached her, I found her,

or she was cooking supper,

then I hugged her.

I cried.

She also cried. She cried well beating me. You know that kind of mother's punishments.

Why did you make me? Why did you even have to be with those people? Now you see way away.

Now you've been seen me.

...