This fundraiser is for a very close friend of mine, Obaid, someone I care for and respect so deeply. They are a 24-year-old queer person from Karachi, Pakistan who over the years has dedicated all of their work and time to supporting, fighting, and advocating for queer and trans Pakistanis in Karachi.

For the past few years Obaid has been building one of the only fully queer-run underground rave collectives in all of Pakistan, called Culture Shock. Every event they help create is created by queer people, for queer people, because safe spaces for queer and trans Pakistanis simply do not exist. Culture Shock takes hetero-run venues and flip them into something that feels like a parallel world, a place where queer and trans Pakistanis can breathe, dance, and exist without fear. Everyone who has attended these events has said the same thing: “this doesn’t feel like Pakistan” and for a few hours, that safety is very real.

Recently, and very suddenly, Obaid was fired from their job without explanation. With this job, they were provided a laptop and a small studio space to live in. They have been homeless for two years with no family support, so that space was their home and the laptop was the only way they could keep doing freelance work to support themselves. Being fired so suddenly, they have lost their housing and all of their income.

Recently, Obaid organized and hosted Culture Shock’s biggest event yet. They invited two international queer DJs to Pakistan for the very first time. Obaid paid for their flights, stay, and needs from their savings, and they paid every artist on the lineup 500 dollars each so that queer labor here is valued with dignity. With ticket sales, They managed to cover the venue, sound, and equipment, which came to around 4000 dollars. But, with losing their job, housing, and income, they are still short on paying the local artists their remaining fees loans they took to make the event possible. Obaid has never done these raves for profit. They do them because they are the only spaces many queer and trans Pakistanis have ever felt safe in.

All funds being raised will go toward helping Obaid afford housing, living costs, and to support them with getting back on their feet. On top of this, these funds will go toward compensating local artists who helped make Culture Shock’s last event happen.

Here are some words from Obaid:

“I’ve never asked anyone for money before, but I’m at a point where things feel impossible to carry alone. I’m proud of the work I’m doing for queer people in Pakistan, and I want to keep doing it, but right now I need help getting back on my feet so I can pay my artists, clear the loans, and simply survive long enough to keep creating the spaces our community deserves. I’m not looking for charity or sympathy. Just enough support to stand up again and continue the work I’ve already dedicated everything to.”