I was so afraid, I jumped out the fourth floor window

My name is Gerald and I'm a 25-year-old gay man living in Uganda.

A few years ago, I went to my first-ever Pride event. It started out as a wonderful celebration of our Ugandan LGBT+ community. People just like me were happy, dancing and laughing, without any shame – I had never seen anything like this before and it was beautiful.

But suddenly, hoards of police stormed the building. They started beating us with whips, clubs, and their fists. I was terrified. I just wanted to escape as fast as possible. No one in my family knew I was gay – it wasn't allowed. I was sure they would beat me if they found out.

So I jumped out the window, from the fourth floor.

I was very badly hurt with many broken bones and was taken to the hospital. I was in so much pain, I thought I was going to die. I had lost all hope.

But then I got some incredible news: hundreds of people I had never met from around the world donated enough to cover my medical bills, which I wouldn't be able to pay myself. A group called All Out heard about what happened and wanted to help. So they asked their members to donate – and they did.

Knowing that there were so many people who cared about me and supported me, filled me with hope and courage again. After I got out of the hospital, I came out as gay. It was incredibly hard and still scary, but afterward, I felt so free. I got more involved with the community.

I haven't been back to Pride since, but not because I don't want to. Time after time, we try to put on Pride, but authorities hunt us down. They intimidate us, infiltrate our community, and do everything they can to stop us from putting on another Pride in Uganda.

We've learned so many things in the past few years and are ready and determined to pull off a Pride Uganda in 2019 where everyone stays safe. That's why we're keeping all of the details a secret.

I can't wait to come together with my community and stand proudly in defiance. Pride is the most powerful tool we have to show our country that we exist and we matter.

But in order to pull off a safe and successful Pride Uganda, we need to raise $19,658 by the end of the month. Right now, we just don't have the funds to do it.

Can you donate today to help fund Pride Uganda?

All Out members already helped change my life. You can help others like me know that they aren't alone by donating today.

Thanks for going All Out,

Gerald for Pride Uganda