Right now, two young women are facing life imprisonment in Uganda because someone reported that they kissed.
Wendy Faith, a 22-year-old musician also known as Torrero Bae, and Alesi Diana Denise, a 21-year-old, were arrested in Arua City, Uganda after police raided their room following reports from community members accusing them of “same-sex activity.” They were taken into custody and are now detained under Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, one of the harshest anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the world, which allows life imprisonment for same-sex relationships.
Wendy and Diana appeared in court on March 5, 2026, and were remanded in custody until March 16. Due to this, we are urgently trying to raise funds for their legal aid and wellbeing before their next court date on March 16. The two young women face extreme vulnerability as well as serious risks of violence, sexual coercion/assault, abuse, and psychological trauma while in detention.
Anti-homosexuality laws, like the one used to imprison Wendy and Diana, are considered to be in violation of international human rights law, including protections against discrimination, arbitrary detention, and cruel or degrading treatment. Yet, despite international condemnation, the law continues to be used to target LGBTQ+ people across Uganda.
To help support Wendy and Diana during this critical moment, we are initially raising $4,000 USD for urgent needs identified by advocates assisting the case.
The funds will help provide one month of:
- Legal representation, ensuring they have proper legal defense as their case moves forward;
- Food and water during detention, as outside support is necessary for regular meals;
- Menstrual/hygiene supplies, to allow them basic health rights and dignity while detained;
- And mental health counseling and support, so they can begin to cope with the trauma of arrest, detention, and public targeting.
If you can't donate at this time, we appreciate your support regardless and just sharing this fundraiser could make a world of difference and potentially save their lives. Your support, in any form, means everything to Wendy, Diana, and the broader LGBTQ+ community.
They deserve safety.
They deserve dignity.
They deserve a future.
No one should face prison simply for loving someone.
Please share or donate if you can, and help us stand with Wendy, Diana, and the LGBTQ+ community in Uganda.
Love is resistance.
This fundraiser is part of an international solidarity effort initiated by the lesbian feminist resistance organization, অনির্বাণ (Onirban): Love is Resistance, based in Bangladesh. This fundraiser is being facilitated in the U.S. in support of অনির্বাণ and the advocates assisting Wendy and Diana.
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