Gay Kenyans sense they may be on the brk of a historic legal triumph - The Washgton Post

Contents:

• WHO IS SIMON KAGGWA NJALA, THE GUY BEHD THE “WHY ARE YOU GAY” INTERVIEW
• LGBT RIGHTS AI: WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?
• I AM SAMUEL IS A TENR LOOK AT A GAY KENYAN UPLE’S LIV AND LOVE
• OBAMA LECTUR KENYAN PRINT ON GAY RIGHTS
• KENYAN URT UPHOLDS LAW MAKG GAY SEX ILLEGAL
• GAY KENYANS SENSE THEY MAY BE ON THE BRK OF A HISTORIC LEGAL TRIUMPH
• KENYA GAY SEX BAN UPHELD BY HIGH COURT NAIROBI DISAPPOTMENT FOR AI'S LGBTQ RIGHTS ACTIVISTS

WHO IS SIMON KAGGWA NJALA, THE GUY BEHD THE “WHY ARE YOU GAY” INTERVIEW

The move is dictated by very tolerant and tsive relig and cultural beliefs, ” said Kam Ngugi, the executive director of Defenrs Coaln, an umbrella group of rights anisatns and film classifitn body said last week that the film “blatantly” vlated the untry’s laws that penalise all forms of homosexualy or same-sex marriage, and that the storyle was a “clear and liberate attempt by the producer to promote same-sex marriage as an acceptable way of life” said the film sought to fluence viewers to believe that the “olr generatn that was once agast LGBTQ+ is slowly buyg to the practice and acceptg same-sex marriage” law crimalis anyone who engag what terms as “rnal knowledge of any person agast the orr of nature”. " Of urse, his own circumstanc are different om Samuel's, a closeted gay man livg Nairobi wh his partner, knowg that the revelatn of his sexual orientatn, will tear his fay apart. He adds, "It is very rare for a poor, unted gay man to be given a platform to tell his story om his pot of view, particularly Kenya where such love is not accepted by society.

In the ntext where homosexualy is crimalized most Ain untri, where public sentiment agast the muny is generally very hostile and where vlence agast members of the muny if they are disvered is que mon, most people n never e out the form that people do the Wt. Kenyan celebri and personali who are Lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, tersex, asexual, pansexual and kks (LGBTIQIAPK) have the past few years been bold enough to e out.

The father of one says he always knew he was gay, he told the Nairobian, “I always knew I was attracted to men but I thought was a gay phase and I would outgrow .

LGBT RIGHTS AI: WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?

Fragments of the terview ed an ter stir, some received plenty of public tert, while certa sectns of the clip were circulated as, who is Simon Kaggwa Njala – the guy behd the “why are you gay” sentiment that appeared to profile the LGBTQ muny?

Simon Kaggwa Njala is a Ugandan journalist, media personaly, and talk show host of Frontle (a highly teractive polil show), Morng Breeze, and the Eagle aired on NBS TV – Uganda’s most popular ble TV rose to populary, thanks to a bizarre “Why are you gay” qutn a viral terview wh LGBT activist Pepe Julian Onziema on a TV broadst his growg fluence on and off the ter, he vied for an elective posn Uganda’s parliament whout is currently foced on his reer as a media Njala Profile SummaryFull name: Simon Kaggwa NjalaGenr: MaleDate of birth: October 11, 1976Age: 47 years old (as of 2023)Place of birth: Karoli, Jja, UgandaCurrent Rince: Kampala, UgandaNatnaly: UgandanEthnicy: BlackSexualy: StraightMaral stat: MarriedPartner: Mrs. However, that uldn’t have gone as he hoped bee he lost to the cumbent MP Peter and The Viral “Why Are You Gay” InterviewIn one of his 2012 Morng Breeze talk shows, Kaggwa Njala terviewed a Ugandan transgenr man and LGBTQ activist Pepe Julian the time, LGBTQ rights Uganda and, ed, most of Ai were out of the such, the bate on homosexualy was a far-fetched theme that you uld tell most Uganda weren’t on the first mut of the terview, Kaggwa Njala hilarly asked his trans TV gut, “Why are you gay?

I AM SAMUEL IS A TENR LOOK AT A GAY KENYAN UPLE’S LIV AND LOVE

Several of the clips are still on YouTube, but many people still see as a hilar, light-hearted terview they n watch for ic 2019, that meme had a makeover and rurfaced wh more tails, this time wh a dig at Kaggwa Njala’s supposedly ic prevly, the meme’s punchle had been “Why are you gay, ” the 2019 clip put more emphasis on the terviewer’s accent, and was spelled as “why are you ge, ” to accurately pture Njala’s meme beme officially reborn, gaed tractn, and went viral aga. Njala has worked for NBS and at Next Media for nearly 12 years, and his current 25 ln Ugandan shillg annual al puts his worth timat at over 200 ln Ugandan Njala ControversyAlthough most people uld sieve through the sensivy of the topic and choose the light sight, the famo “Why are you gay” terview still eliced plenty of cricism om certa argued that the phrase reprented a form of abe, while others praised the ethil acutens of Kaggwa Njala as a journalist challengg sensive topics meme opened up a broar discsn about the ethil behavr of journalists, wh some sayg that such an approach to LGBTQ was reflective of the ridiculo levels of toxic masculy society at the time. Closg ThoughtsThe “why are you gay” phrase may have and remas a fascatg meme that ntu to offer ic relief, but some found the exprsn though ed que a stir on the ter, the man behd fally saw the humoro si of might have been a route morng talk show produced an inic quote about homosexualy that even Kaggwa Njala uldn’t fathom s signifince.

Image source, Getty ImagIn the latt sign of risg homophobia different Ain untri, a Kenyan opposn MP is leadg a mpaign for parliament to further crimalise the untry's small LGBTQ muny.

Gee Peter Kaluma's move after neighbourg Uganda adopted a tough new anti-gay law, rejectg threats by US Print Joe Bin to impose sanctns and travel rtrictns on "anyone volved ser human rights ab". "We want to prohib everythg to do wh homosexualy, " Mr Kaluma tells me, addg that his bill will be much broar than the legislatn passed by Uganda's parliament and approved by Print Yoweri Meveni May.

OBAMA LECTUR KENYAN PRINT ON GAY RIGHTS

The Ugandan law is regard as one of the harsht anti-LGBTQ laws the propos life imprisonment for anyone nvicted of homosexualy, and the ath penalty for so-lled aggravated s, which clu havg gay sex wh someone below the age of 18 or where someone be fected wh a life-long illns such as the other si of the ntent, MPs Ghana earlier this month unanimoly voted favour of amendments to the untry's anti-gay legislatn, phg closer to beg enacted to law. Though ls harsh than Uganda's new law, the Promotn of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Fay Valu Bill propos a three-year prison sentence for anyone who intifi as LGBTQ and a 10-year sentence for anyone who promot homosexualy.

"The bill will propose a total ban on what the Wt lls sex-reassignment prcriptns and procr, and prohib all activi that promote homosexualy, terms of... Gay sex is already illegal Kenya, but the ernment n also be tolerant of gay people - for example, has given asylum to people om other Ain untri, cludg Uganda, who faced persecutn their home untri bee of their sexual orientatn.

Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Many Kenyans believe that gay rights are agast their relign - whether Christian or MlimAlthough the meetg Uganda was billed as an attempt to protect the "sovereignty" of Ain stat, was actually -sponsored by an Amerin Christian right-wg anisatn, Fay Watch Internatnal (FWI) Kapya Kaoma, a Zambian prit the Anglin Church and an amic at Boston Universy the US, says Ain untri are beg targeted by FWI and siar US-based anisatns, and that the impact of s lobbyg has been "horrible and humane" parts of Ai, fuellg what he lls "ant homophobia". "It is one thg to say: 'I don't agree wh you beg gay', but we didn't have the ant one, where policians now are sayg: 'You go to jail for life, you go to jail for talkg about beg gay, you go to jail bee you're livg wh your fellow woman', " Dr Kaoma says.

KENYAN URT UPHOLDS LAW MAKG GAY SEX ILLEGAL

"It sensis children to sex, " she Slater also quot om the manual, cludg l which say that facilators of lsons should have "a ntral, acceptg attu towards homosexualy". A member of the Lbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgenr (LGBT) seen reactg after Kenya's High Court led to uphold the Brish-era penal that crimalis gay sex (Photo: 24 May 2019)In the latt sign of risg homophobia different Ain untri, a Kenyan opposn MP is leadg a mpaign for parliament to further crimalise the untry's small LGBTQ Peter Kaluma's move after neighbourg Uganda adopted a tough new anti-gay law, rejectg threats by US Print Joe Bin to impose sanctns and travel rtrictns on "anyone volved ser human rights ab" I met Mr Kaluma - a member of veteran Kenyan opposn polician Raila Odga's Orange Democratic Movement - he was stg behd his sk at his office the pal Nairobi, proof-readg and makg rrectns to a bill that he tends to table parliament soon. "We want to prohib everythg to do wh homosexualy, " Mr Kaluma tells me, addg that his bill will be much broar than the legislatn passed by Uganda's parliament and approved by Print Yoweri Meveni Ugandan law is regard as one of the harsht anti-LGBTQ laws the propos life imprisonment for anyone nvicted of homosexualy, and the ath penalty for so-lled aggravated s, which clu havg gay sex wh someone below the age of 18 or where someone be fected wh a life-long illns such as the other si of the ntent, MPs Ghana earlier this month unanimoly voted favour of amendments to the untry's anti-gay legislatn, phg closer to beg enacted to law.

GAY KENYANS SENSE THEY MAY BE ON THE BRK OF A HISTORIC LEGAL TRIUMPH

Gay paras, drag shows, wearg the lours, the flags, the emblems of the LGBTQ group, " Mr Kaluma sex is already illegal Kenya, but the ernment n also be tolerant of gay people - for example, has given asylum to people om other Ain untri, cludg Uganda, who faced persecutn their home untri bee of their sexual Kaluma tells me he wants their asylum to be revoked, and for them to leave a small, hidn church set up to offer fort and support to LGBTQ people central Nairobi, the female pastor says Mr Kaluma's bill is g "a lot of panic, anxiety, fear". It fuels some kd of vlence that now people are planng but holdg back on, " she tells Kenyans believe that gay rights are agast their relign - whether Christian or MlimAlthough the meetg Uganda was billed as an attempt to protect the "sovereignty" of Ain stat, was actually -sponsored by an Amerin Christian right-wg anisatn, Fay Watch Internatnal (FWI) Kapya Kaoma, a Zambian prit the Anglin Church and an amic at Boston Universy the US, says Ain untri are beg targeted by FWI and siar US-based anisatns, and that the impact of s lobbyg has been "horrible and humane" parts of Ai, fuellg what he lls "ant homophobia". "It is one thg to say: 'I don't agree wh you beg gay', but we didn't have the ant one, where policians now are sayg: 'You go to jail for life, you go to jail for talkg about beg gay, you go to jail bee you're livg wh your fellow woman', " Dr Kaoma 's Mormon founr Sharon Slater ni that the group promot anti-gay laws Ai.

KENYA GAY SEX BAN UPHELD BY HIGH COURT NAIROBI DISAPPOTMENT FOR AI'S LGBTQ RIGHTS ACTIVISTS

"Fay Watch oppos legislatn that penalis a person for havg sexual attractns or for how they intify, " she says an emailed rponse to the Slater addrsed Ain lawmakers, clerics and mpaigners at their fom Uganda's laki cy of Entebbe March, and later appeared a group photo wh Print Meveni at his official more than 20 years, Mrs Slater has lobbied ernments on what she lls "fay valu" and has ma her missn to mpaign agast children and young people beg given Comprehensive Sexualy Edutn (CSE), a curriculum-based sex tn programme champned by the Uned Natns and other c a Uned Natns Populatn Fund (UNFPA) manual for out-of-school youths east and southern Ai, sayg promot homosexualy and is too explic. "It sensis children to sex, " she Slater also quot om the manual, cludg l which say that facilators of lsons should have "a ntral, acceptg attu towards homosexualy" I ntact Maria Bakaroudis, UNFPA's CSE specialist for east and southern Ai, for ment, she says she is not keen to talk about the "opposn", as she refers to adds that the manual is only a guile, and each untry n tailor to su their Bakaroudis fends CSE, sayg provis "life-savg rmatn" to curb high rat of untend pregnanci, HIV, and sexually transmted 's LGBTQ muny has been wagg a long-nng mpaign to mand equal rightsAlthough Mr Kaluma attend the meetg Uganda -sponsored by FWI, he ni workg wh the group on his bill, which he says will propose a ban on teachg CSE sayg is part of the "LGBTQ agenda". I Am Samuel is a tenr look at a gay Kenyan uple’s liv and love Peter Murimi’s nonfictn film foc on Samuel and Alex, members of Nairobi’s queer muny, and search for hope amidst illegaly and opprsn.

Rather, ’s a documentary focg on a gay nstctn worker and ball ach as he attempts to negotiate parental expectatns and a new relatnship the ntext of a eply homophobic society which same-sex acts rema crimalised. His life Nairobi, where he and his partner Alex are part of a gay muny (albe one unr nstant threat of vlence and harassment, as shockg vio footage of a iend’s beatg mak clear), is juxtaposed wh his viss to his village wtern Kenya. Samuel’s cisn to e out to them stctur the later part of the film; a key early scene prents him and his iends sharg stori about fai’ reactns to homosexualy.