KAMPALA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Despite a presidential campaign marked by homophobic rhetoric, LGBT+ Ugandans turned out to vote on Thursday, with many hoping for change and finding unexpected camaraderie. In the capital Kampala, a ballot officer asked 30-year-old transgender lawyer Noah whether he was male or female when he handed over his identity documents, but fellow voters spoke out to support him and he was allowed to vote. “Voting always surprises me because there is always so much camaraderie. I feel like that there is a threshold of tolerance that Ugandans are capable of. We just need the right language,” Noah told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “This is why it’s a big issue when politicians drum up the homophobic rhetoric because they are only playing into people’s fears. They are not reasoning with people, explaining that these are other human beings that you need to co-exist with.”