What Is Everyday Gay and Lbian Life Like Kenya? | HuffPost Voic

Contents:

• LGBT RIGHTS AI: WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?
• WHAT IS EVERYDAY GAY AND LBIAN LIFE LIKE KENYA?
• GAY DATG NAIROBI AREA
• KENYA GAY SEX BAN UPHELD BY HIGH COURT NAIROBI DISAPPOTMENT FOR AI'S LGBTQ RIGHTS ACTIVISTS
• KENYA GAY FOUND 4 PEOPLE GEIA, KENTUCKY AND 6 OTHER STAT
• KENYA GAY
• KENYAN PAPER SHAMED FOR ITS 'TOP GAYS' LIST
• GAY KENYANS SENSE THEY MAY BE ON THE BRK OF A HISTORIC LEGAL TRIUMPH
• ‘THE SKY DON’T LLAPSE.’ A FILMMAKER EXPLOR GAY LIFE KENYA.
• KENYAN URT UPHOLDS LAW MAKG GAY SEX ILLEGAL
• KENYA DOUBL DOWN ON ANTI-GAY STANCE, CALLG HOMOSEXUALY 'UNNATURAL AND UN-AIN'

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

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 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. "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.

WHAT IS EVERYDAY GAY AND LBIAN LIFE LIKE KENYA?

"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". 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.

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. 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.

GAY DATG NAIROBI AREA

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.

"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". In our worldwi search for Out & Around: Stori om a Not-So-Straight Journey, we travelled to Kenya to explore everyday life for gays and November 2010 the Kenyan prime mister nmned homosexualy, sayg, "If found, the homosexuals should be arrted and taken to relevant thori. " Unr ternatnal prsure, he retracted his statements days later, sayg he only meant that same-sex marriag are illegal Kenyan penal crimaliz homosexual behavr wh up to 14 years imprisonment.

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

" As of today, Solomon's extend fay still do not know about his sexual Solomon choos to work at GALCK spe his own ncern about whether or not he n fd employment aga after associatg wh a gay anizatn. "When I asked Solomon about the number of gays rcerated due to this penal , he says, "Up to date, no se has been nvicted of the penal leadg to actual rceratn. Activists argue that the laws crimalizg nsensual same-sex relatns between adults are breach of the nstutn bee they ny basic laws prcribe up to 14 years prison for people nvicted of homosexual backtracks on gay sex ath penalty amid global outcry"Kenya's High Court has relegated people same-sex relatnships Kenya to send-class cizenship, based on the absurd claim that the penal is not discrimatory, " Neela Ghoshal, senr LGBT rights rearcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said a statement released by the group on Friday.

"Kenya has missed an opportuny to take a clear stance agast discrimatn, " HRW quoted Njeri Gate, director of the Natnal Gay and Lbian Human Rights Commissn, as sayg. " Acrdg to the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn's 2019 roundup, nsensual same-sex sex acts are still officially or unofficially crimalized 70 U.

KENYA GAY FOUND 4 PEOPLE GEIA, KENTUCKY AND 6 OTHER STAT

The lg on Friday will rerce perceptns of Kenya's urts as beg nservative on issu of sexualy, but other recent lgs favor of LGBT rights had brought activists a gree of hope before the High Court bans Cann-bound film over "lbianism"Last year, an appeals urt led unlawful the e of forced anal exams to tt whether two men had gay sex. In 2015, High Court judg orred a ernment agency to register a human rights group reprentg the untry's gay people, sayg Kenya's nstutn regniz and protects the rights of mori. Dpe s laws, the untry is a haven for LGBT refuge East and Central Ai wh a vibrant social movement and growg ernment tert the health of gay people, he official says "crazy gay" lns should be isolatedBut negative stereotyp persist, cludg the wrong beliefs that all LGBT people are sex workers and all gay men have HIV, Gari said.

"I lost my fay and my iends"For 28-year-old gay rights activist and gospel sger Joji Baro, the memori of discrimatn, physil attacks, arbrary arrts and beg disowned by fay for g out are still too h, and he said that even if the urt had led to lift the ban, he wouldn't have gone home.

KENYA GAY

"Due to my sexualy, I lost my fay and my iends, " he told The Associated Prs on Thursday om his current home South Ai, where he said he has found "safer ground" for advocy said he wouldn't feel safe returng home even if gay sex was crimalized, as thgs don't change overnight. The memori are still h: beg punished as a child for "actg like a girl, " beg kicked out of his home his teens, facg physil attacks and the threat of arrt after lnchg a gay mic vio.

Image source, Getty ImagKenyan thori were wrong to ban the gay muny om registerg a rights anisatn, the untry's Supreme Court has at the same time strsed that gay sex remas judg led three-to-two that the untry's NGO board was wrong to stop the Natnal Gay and Lbian Human Rights Commissn (NGLHRC) om registerg Kenya's hight urt, the Supreme Court's lg nnot be their judgment, the judg led that " would be unnstutnal to lim the right to associate, through nial of registratn of an associatn, purely on the basis of the sexual orientatn of the applints". Laws which were troduced unr Brish lonial le mean that is crimal to have sex that "is agast the orr of nature", which n rult up to 14 years May 2019, Kenya's high urt rejected an attempt to overturn the 's judgement ends a 10-year legal battle which began 2013 when Eric Gari, the former executive director of the NGLHRC, challenged the head of Kenya NGO Coordatn Board's refal to perm him to apply to register an NGO unr a name ntag the words gay or lbian. Members of the LGBTQI+ muny have been harassed by police, subjected to body examatns to "prove" gay sex, and openly sulted on social media and public spac.

On the day of the judgement, Member of Parliament Gee Peter Kaluma filed an official notice that he tend to troduce a bill which would jail for life people nvicted of homosexualy or the promotn of Friday's Supreme Court lg arguably torpedo any attempts to legally harass openly gay people wh new laws, Mr Kaluma n still rally MPs to crease jail terms for gay is also illegal to have gay sex neighbourg Uganda, where Mlim lears ed Friday prayers to preach agast head of the untry's Mlims, Mufti Sheikh Ramathan Mubajje, lled on the thori to enact even tougher laws agast same-sex was speakg at the Old Kampala mosque the pal, Kampala, where hundreds had gathered for Friday prayers.

KENYAN PAPER SHAMED FOR ITS 'TOP GAYS' LIST

Earlier the week, the Uganda Mlim Supreme Council circulated a letter to all clerics unr s associatn gazettg Friday as the day to rry out peaceful protts agast homosexualy clerics were asked to prepare sermons nmng same-sex relatns and extend the same msage to the media and the event, the protts were only held the eastern cy of rights activist Frank Mugisha scribed the protts as dangero, sayg they uld crease s of vlence agast those who intify as has been a recent surge homophobic sentiment the week, Print Yoweri Meveni said Uganda would not embrace homosexualy and that the Wt should stop tryg to impose s views and "normalise" what he lled "viatns". While Ain lears ntue to assert that male homosexualy only occurs on the ntent as the rult of a "pernic Wtern fluence, " works of homosexuals n be found throughout Ai. The head of the Kenya AIDS NGO (nonernmental anizatn) Consortium reports that male homosexualy is fashnable among young men and is practiced prisons, boardg schools, and lleg.

A Nairobi-based newspaper is unr fire for publishg a list of Kenya's "Top gays, lbians, " a move eerily remiscent of media practic neighborg Uganda that many believe have prompted homophobic attacks and murrs. Kenya's Weekly Cizen, which bills self as "Kenya's most thorative polil newspaper, " on Sunday published a ont-page story featurg photos of what the paper scrib as "Top gays, lbians list Kenya. In 2011, a now-funct Ugandan tabloid ran a siar article listg the untry's "Top Homos, " cludg proment activist David Kato, unr a text banner that read "Hang Them.

A judge ultimately rejected a "gay panic" fense om Kato's killer, sentencg Enoch Nsubuga to 30 years believed that the salac nature of the ver ntributed to Kato's ath -- and LGBT activists ultimately ed the tragic cint to w a urt junctn agast publitns publishg siar lists the future.

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

Unfortunately, the lg hasn't stopped Ugandan tabloids om nng siar lists, cludg plagiarizg an award-wng photo-say om The Advote, which was splashed across the ont page wh a headle readg "Uganda's top gays speak: How we beme homos. " Paper's Onle Commenters Reject Homophobic ListWhile the Cizen's list seems tend to ce anti-LGBT hatred, the good news is that rears seem to be unwillg to accept the transparent, homophobic premise of the verage.

‘THE SKY DON’T LLAPSE.’ A FILMMAKER EXPLOR GAY LIFE KENYA.

Comments on the newspaper's webse were overwhelmgly supportive of the gay and lbian people outed by the publitn, cludg words of enuragement directed at the activists listed who ventured to the Cizen's ment board. In fact, at prs time, there was not a sgle ment supportg the list on the first page of ments at the paper's own activists believe the list's publitn is part of a backlash agast two recent victori by the LGBT muny Kenya, cludg succsfully securg an apology om the untry's vice print for suatg that there was no place for homosexuals Kenyan other victory was a urt lg that overturned a burecratic cisn to block Kenya's Natnal Gay and Lbian Human Rights Commissn om operatg as an officially regnized nonernmental anizatn, on the grounds that Kenyan law "crimaliz gay and lbian liaisons.

"Barasa, the gay Kenyan activist, did fd a silver lg to the Cizen's cendiary verage: "Some of [listed by the Cizen] are openly gay, but that do not mean anyone n jt bad mouth , and I know the lawsu might be on the way, " Barasa told Kuchu Tim. NAIROBI — Faced wh police shakedowns and abe, rejectn om relig nservativ and rampant discrimatn, Kenyan LGBT rights activists are challengg provisns of this former Brish lony’s Victorian-era penal that implicly outlaw gay a move that uld spawn pyt tactics across Ai and beyond, three Kenyan LGBT rights groups have petned a urt Nairobi to scrap those legal cls and grant LGBT Kenyans the same rights to privacy, equaly and digny as other Kenyans. ” In this view, which is often echoed by proment ernment officials, gay sex is unnatural, un-Ain and unnstutnal a untry that is 83 percent Christian and that c God s law and natnal LGBT rights groups have argued that the se is about basic human rights.

KENYAN URT UPHOLDS LAW MAKG GAY SEX ILLEGAL

“There are tim when the urt has to be the trailblazer and teach society, ” said Pl Mue, a renowned lawyer reprentg the Natnal Gay and Lbian Human Rights Commissn. ” The prohibn has beviled LGBT people across the former Brish Empire for more than a most former Brish loni, Kenya has retaed portns of the crown’s Victorian-era penal , cludg vaguely word cls agast gay sex.

KENYA DOUBL DOWN ON ANTI-GAY STANCE, CALLG HOMOSEXUALY 'UNNATURAL AND UN-AIN'

Although few are sent to jail for vlatg Sectn 162, as the law banng gay sex is known, is monly ed as a pretext by police for harassment and male sex workers said terviews that their peers have been raped police statns and told was done to “rrect .

People who ll themselv “refuge” om both untri e to Nairobi to feel at least a b more aga, Kenya’s vice print, William Ruto, has said there is “no room” for gays Kenya. While openly gay sex workers enunter all sorts of threats, most LGBT Kenyans face a more quotidian reprsn om the ncentric rgs of fay, church and society that see them as nfed at bt and at worst diseased or irreemable. The Natnal Gay and Lbian Human Rights Commissn had to fight the urts for s right to name self that, and s w two years ago was ced judgments Botswana and Uganda siar s.

Sammy and Alex walk the Kara Fort durg the filmg of "I Am Samuel, " a documentary about a gay Kenyan man's stggle to be accepted by his fay and untry, Nairobi, Kenya, April 19, 2018. A lonial-era prohibn on homosexualy mak “rnal knowledge agast the orr of nature” punishable by up to 14 years “I Am Samuel, ” banned Kenya for promotg homosexualy, isn’t about that.