Dear Friends,

Thank you for supporting LGBTQ+ compassion in action. In this issue: 

  • April 15 Mardis Gras Party benefiting LGBTQ+ Ukraine
  • Uganda Crisis: LGBTQ+ "Kill the Gays" Bill returns
  • Join us in Cuba May 11-21
  • Travel to Guatemala July 20-30
SF DANCE PARTY for UKRAINE: APRIL 15
Rainbow World Fund is honored to be the beneficiary of Krewe de Kinque's Ball Masque XX. Please join us at this fabulous event benefiting our Ukraine LGBTQ+ Emergency Fund.

Don't miss the best Mardi Gras party in the San Francisco Bay Area as Krewe de Kinque social/charitable club celebrates its 20th Anniversary on Saturday, April 15 from 6-9 PM at The Café nightclub in the Castro!

KDK King & Queen XIX, Mark Hankins, Jr., and Tawdry Hepburnn, invite you to celebrate this year's Bal Masque XX theme - "The 415" - with a spectacular San Francisco-themed, costumed tableaux show, state-of-the-art lights and sound, and festive decor. Earn some beads on the dance floor with DJ Sergio Fedasz & hot Go Go dancers bumping up the party. 

The Celebrity Grand Marshal will lead a Second Line Parade and the new King & Queen XX will be crowned at night's end.

Bid on exciting silent auction items, take a chance on great raffle prizes, and enjoy delicious Jell-O shots, the fab drink special and full bar service. 

There are limited reserved seats for Hosts & VIP ticket holders. All tickets will be held at Will Call; doors open at 6pm. Cash only bar; ATM on site. 21 and over with photo ID. Festive attire, beads, masks, costumes encouraged!

Time: Saturday, April 15 from 6-9pm

Where: The Café nightclub at 2369 Market St. (at Castro Street), San Francisco

Visit the Event on Facebook to RSVP, share, and learn more!


Can't come, but want to help? Please Donate here: Select the "Ukraine LGBTQ+ Emergency Fund"
UGANDA IN CRISIS: "KILL THE GAYS" RETURNS
On March 21, the Ugandan parliament approved a bill with severe provisions against homosexual relationships. The bill includes the charges of "aggravated homosexuality" and "attempted homosexuality" with sentences of up to 10 years in prison. Additional sentences related to the bill include life imprisonment and even the death penalty. Family members can be criminalized for not turning in relatives. The bill also requires any one to report any known LGBTQ+ person to the authorities and will punish any property owners/landlords who provide housing to LGBTQ+ persons.
The bill awaits the president’s signature to become law. The President has 30 days to sign or reject the bill.

Rainbow World Fund working with our trusted Ugandan partners to provide emergency legal and humanitarian aid to people who are fleeing persecution and those who have been arrested. This past year, leaders, staff members, and consortium members of organizations that we support have been arrested for the “promotion of homosexuality” and have periodically had to go into hiding. Currently, the government is shutting down the LGBTQ+ organizations websites and closing their offices. Learn more about the history of LGBTQ+ rights in Ugandan and RWF's work there since 2014.

TRAVEL TO CUBA - May 11-21, 2023
Join Rainbow World Fund on our ninth humanitarian journey to Cuba May 11-21, 2023. Encounter a new land and a people in a way that values them, deepens your spirituality, broadens your worldview, and begins to heal the world.  

Our trip focuses on Cuba's history, culture, politics, and spirituality. We will learn from the Cubans about the realities of their country. We'll visit projects that serve the Cuban people and meet with members of the LGBTQ+ community, politicians, artists, scientists, and leaders in many fields.

We will attend LGBTQ+ Pride events in Havana and march in solidarity with our Cuban brothers and sisters during the "Conga" - the annual Pride celebration. 

We will learn about Cuba's colonial past to its revolutionary present, and how the complex historical relationship between the U.S and Cuba remains ever-changing.

Every trip is unique. Here are a few of the many highlights from past trips: 

-Spending time with members of the Cuban LGBTQ+ community
- Meet with Mariela Castro and human rights activists 
 - Visit schools, medical clinics & the Institute of Tropical Medicine
- Help deliver medical and educational supplies
- Snorkel the reefs of Varadero
- Meet with members of Parliament and with political dissidents
- Visit ecological areas/learn about the Cuban organic movement
- Attend a concert by Bueno Vista Social Club
- Learn how Cuba has survived post USSR and under US embargo
- Visit the Bay of Pigs
- Meet members of the Cuba 5 - former US political prisoners
- Explore historic Old Havana
- Cruise Havana in a 1950s American Car
- Enjoy the white sand beaches and clear blue water at Varadero
- Visit the National Museum of Fine Arts/Museum of the Revolution
The cost of our 11 day/10 night trip is $2,800 and includes a Cuba travel visa (required), all hotels/accommodations, in-country transportation by private van, all meals (except one), gratuities, translation and guide services, speakers fees, entrance fees to special events. It does not include round trip air transportation from the USA. (partial scholarships available).

DISCOVER GUATEMALA: JULY 20-30
Discover Guatemala: July 20-30, 2023 - Walk with a legendary people! Learn about Mayan spirituality and the realities of the developing world. Explore human rights issues and deliver medical supplies ... be forever changed. Learn more here.
LGBTQ COMPASSION IN ACTION
RWF is the world's first LGBTQ+ based humanitarian aid organization. Our mission is to promote peace, unity and hope by leading the LGBTQ movement in participating in humanitarian relief efforts. Founded in 2000, RWF has donated over $5 million of life saving aid and 80,000 volunteers service hours. RWF is all-volunteer run.

Bring new hope to our friends and family around the world. Put your tax-deductible gift to work immediately by donating online or mail your donation to Rainbow World Fund, 4111 - 18th Street #5, San Francisco, CA 94114.