Gwen’s Dumping Ground

Queer refugees in East Africa are living at the intersection of multiple forms of vulnerability fleeing violence at home, only to face new risks in displacement.

Across the region, many LGBTQ+ people are forced to leave their countries because of criminalization, persecution, and threats to their lives. In some places, same-sex relationships are still punishable by severe penalties, even death.

For those who reach countries like Kenya or Uganda, safety is not guaranteed. Refugee camps such as Gorom have seen reports of discrimination, attacks, and tensions affecting LGBTQ+ residents, even as humanitarian agencies try to improve protection.

Recent years have also seen more people fleeing harsh laws like Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act pushing queer individuals to seek asylum across borders, often into already strained systems.

Beyond physical safety, queer refugees face isolation, lack of healthcare, limited legal protection, and mental health challenges shaped by both displacement and identity based trauma.

And yet, across East Africa, queer refugee communities continue to organize, support each other, and demand dignity, visibility, and rights.

Queer refugees are not just statistics they are people seeking the same thing anyone would: safety, belonging, and the freedom to live openly.

🏳️‍🌈 Their stories matter. Their safety matters. Their rights matter.

first post!

The Demonsbane of Avernus

the finished version <3 hope you all enjoy it, itll be on my commissions gallery for reference to pricing but i am really happy with this piece, might make prometheus and icarus next…. stay tuned

For years after 9/11 we were constantly told “NEVER FORGET” and the idea was basically “keep feeling sad and afraid and especially ANGRY forever; don’t let time dull your emotional response like it’s naturally supposed to; continue to justify the injustices by feeling this way all the time.” And the 3000 deaths were constantly pointed to as this huge deal that justified any lengths to go to.

And then Covid hit. And there were several points during the height of the pandemic (because fun fact, according to the actual definitions of a pandemic, *it’s not technically over yet!* ) where we were having a 9/11’s worth of deaths every week or so. And suddenly 3000 deaths were not a big deal at all. Instead of being enough reason to go to war far away and strip us at home of many rights too, they weren’t even enough justification to make people wear a damn piece of fabric over their face.

3000 people died once and now the government can legally wiretap anyone without a warrant, and hold people at Gitmo under suspicion of terrorism (no need for due process)… 3000 people dying every week but we should all still be going out to brunch and concerts and who cares about the disabled and immunocompromised?

This is a form of backdoor bigotry from both normative facts (there are more straight than gay relationships) and well represented bigoted beliefs (men are superior to women).