Being gay is a place where death punishes, and reducing aid is “sad.”

In the weeks since President Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the US International Development Agency, Andrea Minazi Casablanca's calls have flooded with desperate pleas for help.

The counselor, working with a nonprofit organization that caters to members of Uganda's LGBTQ population, has filed urgent requests from people seeking HIV medications, treatment sessions and evacuation after Trump's executive order. Casablanca responded to these calls while being fired from a job funded by USAID.

“Our whole world is upside down,” Casablanca, a 25-year-old trans woman, said on a recent afternoon in Kampala, the capital. “Everyone is afraid of the future.”

LGBTQ people in Uganda have endured the crackdown on strengthening this conservative East African nation in recent years. President Yoweri Museveni signed a law in 2023 that required him to engage in same-sex relationships in Uganda and to be in prison for up to 10 years.

Now, activists say the USAID cuts put them at even greater risk, with shelters running low on funding, hundreds of individuals unemployed, and many more facing discrimination and violence. While critical medical supplies remain short, members of LGBTQ groups report suicide as they are increasingly depressed.

The law also allows death penalty to anyone convicted of “advanced homosexuality.” This is a drastic term defined as same-sexual behavior with a minor or disabled person. Museveni and his government argue that homosexuality is a Western phenomenon and that the law protects children and defends the sanctity of families.

“This is a calculation,” said Richard Russimbo, founder and director of Uganda's major population consortium, a nonprofit promoting LGBTQ rights and health.

“I'm worried that if these programs are gone, our community will be pushed back into disarray and demolition,” he added. “That's heartbreaking.”

Museveni's son and Ugandan military chief Mufuji Kainergaba urged President Trump to restore aid to those infected with HIV, adding, “Our people will be grateful.”

The US develops more than $970 million a year, as well as humanitarian and security assistance to Uganda. According to US government data, approximately $440 million was spent on health programs in 2023, followed by emergency relief, agriculture and education services.

For years, the US has supported LGBTQ groups in Uganda through a USAID-funded initiative, providing resources for HIV treatment, legal training and activism. Previous US governments also condemned human rights abuses against gay Ugandans and imposed trade and travel restrictions accordingly.

A few days after Trump took office in January, his administration announced that he had suspended all foreign aid after conducting a 90-day spending audit. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has issued exemptions to continue funding life-saving medications and health services, including care and treatment for HIV and tuberculosis.

However, the exemption ruled out programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion. This means that LGBTQ people were unable to take medicines to protect them from HIV infection. Several Ugandan gay rights groups said during the audit they were notified that their projects were permanently finished as they promoted diversity, equity and inclusion.

In late February, the Trump administration announced that it had completed a review of all US foreign aid and cut 90% of its USAID program, including those offering life-saving drugs.

The rapid loss of aid from the US has terrified many gay Ugandans. “It's like running from one fire to another,” said Agy HRD, executive director of the Africa Queer Network.

HRD, who is active in opposition to Uganda's anti-Hohosexian law, said he was attacked and beaten in the country last year. With the sudden funding cuts, she is worried that many gays, especially in rural areas, will become ill, encounter violence, and have nowhere to seek safety or support.

“I didn't sleep well for weeks,” she said. “There's a big fight ahead of us.”

An informal survey of 127 nonprofits dealing with LGBTQ issues and other risky groups, conducted by Lusimbo's major population consortium, Uganda, showed that 97% lost almost all of their budgets as a result of the USAID cuts. Lusimbo said he must send most of his staff off last month.

The organization has begun to distribute some of the resources they have left behind, and relying on volunteers to maintain critical services, such as finding shelters and delivering test kits. Brantruswata, executive director of gay rights group Uganda, said once the service was removed, his group was asked to return filing cabinets and chairs purchased with American taxes.

Activists said some LGBTQ clinics are charging for previously free services, like HIV testing. Mental health services have been completely reduced or reduced, they said. They also fear that a rapid suspension of aid will either undo years of progress in teaching Ugandans about safety, or expose people living with HIV to life-threatening infectious diseases due to weakened immunity.

“Just because we have a 90-day review, we don't have a pause for the infection,” Rusimbo said. “We live in villages around the world,” he added. “Everyone's health is at risk.”

The conditions for LGBTQ Ugandans are so dangerous that shelters often move places and individuals to avoid personal attacks and raids from authorities. Now some of those shelters are beginning to close.

Since 2020, around 30 shelters in secret locations in Uganda have protected thousands of gay people from homelessness and violence, according to John Grace, coordinator of the Uganda Minority Shelters Consortium.

The shelter relied on intermediaries who received US funding, including USAID and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But progressive funding and policy changes under the Trump administration have closed at least dozens of shelters, MX said. Grace, non-binary.

The remaining people were overcrowded due to understaffing and began to alienate people, they said.

“It's total confusion,” MX said. Grace, 32, after they came out as non-binary a few years ago, the family kicked them out. “These shelters are lifelines for so many people and now they have a hard time surviving.”

For Casablanca, the unrelenting flow of calls shows no signs of disappointment. She chose to continue working as a volunteer despite not receiving a monthly salary of $40, funded by USAID.

She said she is worried about the location of LGBTQ people reaching out and where medicines, condoms, lubricants and testing are available. She said some people shed tears and share the struggle between fear and isolation. Like her, many people worry about where their next salary will come from and how they will pay their rent.

She said she took on the job as a party decorator to interact with him. “We need to survive in this darkness,” she said.