Rainbow Riots

We are proud to share this international interview featuring our founder, Petter Wallenberg where his personal journey as a q***r artist and activist is closely connected to the work for LGBTQ+ rights, often under extremely challenging conditions.

In this video you can see rare footage of some of the most dramatic incidents that have taken place during Rainbow Riots ten years in Uganda, such as when Wallenberg and our Ugandan team were held hostage during a violent police raid of Pride Uganda.

The message that runs through the interview is clear: keep dancing, even when they throw stones. 🌈

They May Throw Stones at Me, But I’ll Keep Dancing | Story of Swedish Q***r Activist In this episode of 1001Lives, Swedish artist, musician, writer, and LGBTQ+ activist Petter Wallenberg shares his powerful journey.From expressing himself as ...

Happy New Year, everyone! 🎉

2025 has been an incredible year for Rainbow Riots! We proudly celebrated a decade of work in Uganda—one of the world’s most challenging environments for q***r people. 💕

Our key achievements include:

-Conducting vital legal workshops that empower LGBT Ugandans to navigate and avoid victimization under the country’s anti-gay legislation.

-Collaborating on a dynamic exchange program involving a major London university and Swedish high schools.

A highlight was our founding director, Swedish artist Petter Wallenberg international music collaboration:

The project united Ugandan LGBTQ+ voices with US drag legend Lady Bunny on a powerful track, ”My love is the way it is supposed to be.”

Launched during World Pride 2025 in Washington, D.C., and showcased by the Embassy of Sweden, the song was hailed as a ”fabulous WorldPride anthem” by Attitude magazine.

We were also honored to win the ”World Pride Impact Rainbow Advocacy 2025 Award” from Our Pride (USA)!

Thank you for all your support! 🩷

Here’s to even more impact in 2026!🥳🥳🎉🎉

✨Empowering some of the world’s most marginalized LGBT+ communities to stay safe and strong! ✨🌍

Check out this photo of Rainbow Riots founding director, Swedish artist and activist Petter Wallenberg, with our team in Kampala, Uganda. 💕🌈

In Uganda, being LGBT+ is illegal and dangerous, but Rainbow Riots has been standing strong for ten years, fostering resilience and hope within our community. 🌈

Beyond creative projects, we’re committed to capacity-building — recently hosting a 2-day legal and advocacy workshop with 20 brave participants in Kampala. Led by legal, security experts, and human rights advocates, our goal is to help marginalized Ugandans understand the anti-gay law, navigate risks, and find safe ways to advocate for change. 💕🌈

Together, we can build a future where no human is punished for being who they are! ✊🏽💙💕💪

With funding from Svenska institutet