Alberto with moses & mark
CAPS News 2025
“For the First Time, We Felt Free” Two Ugandan Asylum Seekers Reflect on Their First London Pride
For many, Pride is a celebration. For others, it’s an act of resistance. But for two Ugandan asylum seekers attending London Pride for the fi rst time, it was something even deeper: a revelation of freedom, joy, and visibility that had never before felt possible. “This was our fi rst experience,” they said, still visibly glowing from the memory. “We never had a chance like that in Africa, to be truly ourselves in public. It was so joyful. So free.”
Back home in Uganda, being LGBTQ+ is not just socially taboo, it’s criminalised. The fear is constant and very real. “In Uganda, it’s terrible,” they shared. “If you post pictures in social media, they threaten to kill you. They say they’ll cut off your head, stone you to death. You have to hide everything.”
“Maybe if you’re rich, you can live in a secret way. You might know the right people or have protection. But for everyday people like us, there’s nothing. No safety. No space. No one to trust. Even to find others like you is very difficult.” They explained that queer spaces in Uganda are often only accessible to those with money and connections. “Sometimes people talk about LGBTQ+ groups in Uganda, but we never saw them. For us, we just lived day to day, hiding who we were.”
Finding themselves surrounded by rainbow flags, cheers, and strangers reaching out to them, was overwhelming. “Mark couldn’t believe it,” his friend said, “People were smiling at him, shaking his hand. He felt like a celebrity! He was jumping, dancing. He didn’t even feel tired, even after walking from the start to the finish line. We didn’t want it to end.”
It wasn’t the absence of danger that moved them most , but the presence of love.
“We were celebrated,” they said. “Not just accepted. Celebrated. There’s a difference. People were praising us. Even those who aren’t LGBTQ+ they were shouting, cheering. We thanked God. We lifted our arms and said, ‘Thank you, God, for this love.’”
Both men say they felt the presence of God deeply during the parade. “Mark was doing the sign of the cross. He was so moved… We felt God’s love through people.”
Amid the joy, thoughts remain with those left behind in Uganda, friends & loved ones who still live in fear. “We are with them in our hearts,” they said. “We pray that one day the President will change the law, and they too will be free to walk, to love, to live. When we send pictures, they say, ‘We wish we could be there.’”
As to the future? “Now, I want to be more open, more authentic about who I am,” they said. “I’ve never experienced this kind of happiness before, and I want others to feel it too.”
Despite their newfound freedom, the ache of displacement remains. Moses misses his boyfriend and longs for his parents, “I haven’t talked to them,” he said quietly. “They didn’t want me to be gay. But they are still my family.”
During London Pride they experienced a new kind of family, one built not by blood, but by acceptance, solidarity, and shared celebration. “This is what life should be,” they said. “Not hiding. Not fear. Just freedom, joy, and love.”
LOVE WINS at London Pride!
