I’m heartbroken at my exile from Uganda. Don’t let them erase our queer community

A self-portrait. ‘I found my chosen queer family in Kampala. I took pictures of the people around me, attempting to document their beauty as much as their pain.’ Photograph: DeLovie Kwagala

I’m being exiled from Uganda. As a non-binary photographer and activist, I’ve documented the realities of queer life in my home country for more than seven years. Now the anti-homosexuality bill, which was signed into law by President Yoweri Museveni on Monday, makes both my art and my existence punishable by jail, or even death.

Since the bill was approved by MPs in March, I’ve spent almost every waking hour crowdfunding and campaigning to support my community through this dark period in Uganda’s history.