In Ai, beg gay mak you a target for extortn | The World om PRX

kenyan gay stories

I hope that soon when I enunter media verage of LGBTQ issu, will regnise and acknowledge that there isn’t one sgle narrative to our ‘gayism’, which actually isn’t even a proper word.

Contents:

A BOOK ON AND BY GAYS KENYA

* kenyan gay stories *

" 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.

BEG GAY KENYA

Kenya is an homophobic untry, where you n be nmned to ath penalty jt bee you are Gay. Here I'm tellg you the story of a gay man Kenya * kenyan gay stories *

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. Money and privilege n buy some privacy and secury if you are gay, but Samuel has none of that. We are ed to people beg eher one thg or the other, but here we have a man who is nservative, tradnal, relig and gay.

He is not the image people have when they thk of a gay man, and I thk this is an important part to pture. 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.

KENYA'S GAY MUNY OUT, ONE STORY AT A TIME

In many parts of Ai, people don't regnize that gay people exist. Former BBC journalist Kev Mwachiro is tryg to change that wh a new book, "Invisible: Stori om Kenya's Queer Communy." * kenyan gay stories *

They are agast homosexualy based on moraly, the Church, and Sectn 162 of the Kenyan Penal Co, which stat that “sodomy is a felony.

WHAT IS EVERYDAY GAY AND LBIAN LIFE LIKE KENYA?

The Kenyan penal crimaliz homosexual behavr wh up to 14 years imprisonment. A 2007 study found that 96 percent of the Kenyan populatn oppos homosexualy. So we asked: what is gay and lbian life actually like for the average Kenyan livg Nairobi? * kenyan gay stories *

Ezekiel Mutua, CEO of the Kenya Film Classifitn Board, has been brand “moral police” on Twter due to his obssn wh monizg homosexualy. The poet nam diverse forms of opprsn and do not spare the humany meted out Ai’s wars of ethnic nflict as well as dangero and unproductive behavurs like homophobia and relig fanaticism or the pentestalism that is prently sweepg the Ain ntent. The Penal Co crimaliz homosexual behavr and attempted homosexual behavr between men, which is referred to as “rnal knowledge agast the orr of nature”.

By David Kuria Foundg Director, Gay and Lbian Coaln Kenya (GALCK) Augt 2012 Here is update on the LGBT suatn Kenya for our LGBT muny recent years.

GLOBALGAYZ: THE BOOK

Homosexualy Kenya ntu to be a ntroversial issue, but gay rights advot ntue their advocy for equaly and tolerance. The most vigoro anizatn is Gays and Lbians Coaln of Kenya (GALCK) found 2004 which leads the stggle for gay Kenyans everywhere.

Compiled by Richard Ammon Febary 2012 Introductn A gay Ugandan uple fled to Uganda, thoands of kilometers om home wh ltle more than the cloth on their backs.

KENYAN 'GAY' STUNTS SENT HOME FROM SCHOOL FOR ALLEGED HOMOSEXUALY

Out Kenya: Enunterg Friends Like Us By J Ramirez-Vall From Gay and Lbian Review May-June 2009 “Are you married? Kenya’s Gay Unrground "Homosexualy is prohibed unr our untry’s laws and is morally unacceptable our society, " immigratn spokman Frank Kwga explaed. And now a book is published wh stori, letters and poetry by and about gay people the untry.

Homosexualy is not illegal Kenya, but there is a prison sentence of up to 14 years for sex between two men or two women.

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

He hop to bat wh his book ignorance about homosexualy, and pecially show gay people that they are not alone. But after all the stori I’ve heard over the past two years, I realize how smooth actually was for me”, says the 40 -year-old gay activist and journalist.

Acrdg to the thor the ia for the book me three years ago when the first gay film ftival was anized Kenya. Mwachiro, volved the event anizatn, realized that there was not only a mand for ftivals, but apparently also a great tert life experienc of the gay muny Kenya. “It was easy to fd stori of gays Nairobi but the more nservative ral areas proved to be a lot harr.

KENYAN GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST IS KILLED

But now I know that there are gay people livg all rners of the untry”, he says one of the trendy ffee bars the Kenyan pal. In his former and new office, the BBC and the Dutch velopment anizatn Hivos rpectively, he do not need to hi that he is gay.

Now that his face has been on TV and newspaper and is associated wh a book about gays, he feels somewhat uncerta.

IN AI, BEG GAY MAK YOU A TARGET FOR EXTORTN

In Cameroon, where gay men regularly disappear to the prison, a jailed man died after beg nvicted of homosexualy. In Uganda a stricter versn of the already existg anti-gay law was approved by Print Yoweri Meveni.

Conversely Kev Mwachiro tri to see the anti-gay attus many Ain untri om a posive si.

The growg Wtern support for gay is important, but ultimately we need to step up the fight ourselv.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* KENYAN GAY STORIES

Kenya's gay muny out, one story at a time | The World om PRX .

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