Clifford Prince King, Luca Khouri and more donate prints for Uganda’s LGBTQIA+ community

In March, Uganda passed a bill imposing the death penalty for homosexuality. The Anti-Homosexuality Bill makes identifying as LGBTQIA+ in Uganda illegal and can also be used to prosecute LGBTQIA+ rights groups – anyone supporting LGBTQIA+ people could face up to five years imprisonment (read more about each clause of the bill here). In the wake of the legislation, the online platform MQBMBQ has launched an emergency print sale raising funds for the organisation #Hashtagwhatnext in Uganda.

10 photographers have contributed works; MQBMBQ explains that each image tells stories of the Black queer experience. Avion Pearce, Clifford Prince King, Luca Khouri, Mar+Vin, Ramie Ahmed, Raphael Chatelain, Rhiannon Adam, Scandebergs and Suleika Mueller are among some the creatives in the line-up; they are joined by photographer Papa De, the activist behind #Hashtagwhatnext, who you can support here.

#Hashtagwhatnext is raising funds for covering the costs of bail for LGBTQIA+ people detained, emergency housing, relocation, travel and visa costs for those leaving the country, medical costs, court fees, the establishment of an emergency shelter in South Africa, and mental health services from partners Queerwell and Taala Foundation. All funds raised through the print sale after printing and shipping will go directly to the cause.

My Queer Blackness, My Black Queerness (MQBMBQ) is an online platform highlighting the different shades and forms of Black queer Identity through art, fashion and literature through fundraising, journal entries, films screenings and more. It first launched in 2020 with a print sale featuring the likes of Campbell Addy and Emmanuel Sanchez Monsalve, raising funds for ForTheGworls and Transwave JA. The platform will host a live conversation with the founder of #Hashtagwhatnext Papa De on Instagram this week.