From 29^th to 30^th of June 2016, the organizing committee for the Mr and Miss Pride contest selected the pageant’s finalists who will compete for the community’s top beauty crows during Pride week slated for 2-7^th August 2016. The contest brought together participants from different regions of Uganda.

Since 2012, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex community in Uganda made a brave resolve to introduce annual gay pride celebrations in country where its parliament was in the process of passing a bill that would term all such related activities as avenues to promote homosexuality thus liable to life imprisonment.

Considering the fact that the largest population in Uganda is homophobic, LGBTI community members decided to stay away from the main capital and held their first pride parade on one of the beaches in Entebbe, an event that registered over 500 members in attendance.

Gay pride celebrations in Uganda are usually a weeklong event during which different events are usually organized by different committees manned by the major pride organizing committee every year.

Among the events organized annually in the normally highly anticipated Mr and Miss Pride Uganda contest. Through this event, different members of the LGBTI committee showcase their talents in fashion and modeling.

Like previous contests, the organizing committee for this year’s Mr and Miss Pride contest held auditions from 29^th– 30^th June 2016 at Queer Youth Uganda (QYU) where they selected the final contestants who will compete for this year’s crowns.

During these two days, a total of seventeen contestants took part in the auditions, twelve on the Miss Pride ticket and five on the Mr Pride ticket. All the Mr Pride competitors made it through to the final. Out of the twelve that auditioned in the hope to eventually be crowned the 2016 Miss Pride, seven made it to the finals and five were relegated.

A panel of five judges from different regions handled the auditions. They based their selection on one’s knowledge and skills about the current issues in the struggle for LGBTI rights in Uganda, pride and its relevance especially to the Ugandan gender and sexual minority movement, health social wellbeing as well as many more topics of interest.

Those that were selected to compete in the final event this year were advised not to relax but rather keep practicing their skills and talents.