For Immediate Release Kuchu Times Media Group Kampala, Uganda

As Uganda and the global community intensify efforts to achieve an AIDS-Free 2030, Kuchu Times Media Group proudly announces the release of a special magazine edition dedicated to this urgent and historic journey. For years, Kuchu Times has committed itself to telling stories

that are often erased—stories of LGBTQ+ Ugandans, sex workers, transgender communities, and other key populations who continue to shape the fight against HIV and AIDS. This edition

deepens that commitment by examining where we stand, what progress has been made, and what must still be confronted if we are to reach an AIDS-Free generation.

Why this edition, and why now?

This magazine arrives at a critical moment. Uganda and many African nations are experiencing a severe rollback of human rights, with laws and policies that actively endanger the very

communities at the heart of the HIV epidemic. The Anti-Homosexuality Act, discrimination in healthcare, criminalization of sex work, shrinking civic space, and moral panic campaigns have created a hostile landscape that undermines decades of progress in HIV prevention and treatment.

Yet, despite these challenges, our communities continue to lead. LGBTQ+ activists are conducting treatment literacy sessions in secret. Trans women are organizing safe peer networks for HIV prevention and adherence support for those that need it. LGBTQ-led organizations are training healthcare workers, monitoring service delivery, and providing shelter to those excluded from formal systems. This magazine is both a spotlight and a tribute to that resilience.

A magazine that documents, challenges, and inspires

 This edition is more than a publication—it is a political record. It includes:

• In-depthinterviews with frontline activists, community leaders, and health practitioners shaping the HIV response.
• Analysis of state policies and how criminalization impacts Uganda’s ability to achieve AIDS-Free 2030.
• Profiles of community innovations, from safe spaces to peer-led PrEP and ART
• Narratives from PLHIV that confront stigma, celebrate resilience, and humanize the realities behind the statistics.
• Historical reflections on Uganda’s HIV movement, including the legacy of past activists whose work laid the foundation for today’s progress.
• Investigative features on anti-rights movements, funding gaps, and the geopolitical forces influencing African health systems.
• Artivism pieces, showcasing how storytelling, visual art, and activism are transforming HIV awareness and challenging silence.
• A vision for the next decade grounded in community-led, evidence-based solutions.

Centering the communities most affected

Achieving AIDS-Free 2030 requires addressing the realities of those most disproportionately affected yet the national conversation often excludes them. These groups are not “vulnerable”—they are made vulnerable by systems of exclusion. By giving them voice and visibility, this magazine asserts a simple truth: There is no path to AIDS-Free 2030 without key populations at the center, not the margins.

This edition views storytelling as both documentation and resistance. We know that narratives can be weaponized, but they can also be reclaimed. Every article, photograph, illustration, and editorial choice aligns with our broader vision: to challenge stigma, expose injustice, and elevate community-driven knowledge.

Whether we are breaking down complex HIV science, unpacking the politics of funding, or showcasing grassroots innovation, we do so with an understanding that information is not just educational—it is lifesaving.

A call to action

We urge:

1. Government leaders to uphold human rights, dismantle discriminatory policies, and support inclusive HIV responses.
2. Healthcare providers to commit to stigma-free, trauma-informed care.
3. Civil society to prioritize community-led approaches, not top-down programming.
4. International partners to continue funding key population-led organizations and defend them from political attacks.
5. The media to report responsibly, accurately, and with humanity.
6. Communities themselves to continue organizing, learning, caring for one another, and demanding visibility in national HIV planning.

A future we can create together

 This special edition of Bombastic Magazine is a declaration:

We believe in a Uganda where every person regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status can access healthcare without fear.

We believe in a future where science guides policy, not stigma. We believe in community power, storytelling, and truth.

We believe an AIDS-Free 2030 is possible, but only if it includes all of us.

We invite readers, policymakers, health practitioners, activists, and allies to engage deeply with this edition, share it widely, and stand with us as we continue documenting, challenging, resisting, and reimagining what a just HIV response can look like.

Editor, Kuchu Times Media Group

Find the full edition here: