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

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• KENYANS WHO HAVE OPENLY ADMTED TO BEG MEMBERS OF LGBTQ FAY SHARE PENINAH WAMBUI ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST LIFTYLE 04 JUNE 2021 FORMER BBC JOURNALIST MAKENA NJERI IMAGE: INSTAGRAM FORMER BBC JOURNALIST MAKENA NJERI IMAGE: INSTAGRAM IN THE RECENT PAST MORE AND MORE KENYANS HAVE BOLDLY OPENED UP ON BEG MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ MUNY.LGBTQ STANDS FOR LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR, AND QUEER.BELOW ARE SOME OF THE KENYANSNJERI MAKENAEX BBC REPORTER MAKENA NJERI RECENTLY OPENED UP ON BEG GAY.'ACRDG TO NJERI SHE HAS ALWAYS KNOWN SHE WAS DIFFERENT BUT WAS NEVER URAGEO ENOUGH TO STAND BY HER TTH.IN A VIO POSTED BY AN TERNATNAL MEDIA PLATFORM, TEDX ON BEHALF OF TEDX PARKLANDS, MAKENA SAID HAD TAKEN YEARS FOR HER TO ACCEPT AND ADM THE FACT TO HERSELF.THE FORMER 'TAHIDI HIGH' ACTRS SAID FOR THE LAST , SHE STGGLED TO LIVE A NORMAL LIFE, "NFORMG TO THE DIFFERENT SOCIETAL NORMS THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED ON OM A VERY YOUNG AGE"."AT 19 YEARS OLD, G TO THE CY, I WANTED TO ACT AND BEE A SUPERSTAR FEATURG DIFFERENT TV SHOWS. BUT I KNEW FOR A FACT THAT THE BATTL I HAD BEEN GOG THROUGH AS A TEENAGER WILL BE TTED THIS CY. I REALISED THAT WHAT SOCIETY WANTED ME TO TAKE WASN'T THE SE FOR HUMANY AND ME," SHE SAID. "I REMEMBER FOR THE FIRST TIME MY LIFE AFTER VERY MANY YEARS LOOKG AT MYSELF THE MIRROR AND I SAID TO MYSELF, I AM GAY, I AM UNIQUE AND THIS IS MY TTH."SHE ADD THAT AFTER THAT A WEIGHT WAS LIFTED OFF HER CHT AS SHE WAS FALLY EE. 'I AM GAY!' MEDIA PERSONALY MAKENA NJERI OPENS UP'I AM GAY!' MEDIA PERSONALY MAKENA NJERI OPENS UPLIFTYLE2 YEARS AGO  ANA NTHIS SPARKED AN TENSE NVERSATN ON TWTER, WH MANY QUTNG HER SEXUALY AFTER SHE POSTED THE TWEET BELOW."I HOPE MY KIDS NEVER HAVE TO GO THROUGH WHAT I HAVE GONE THROUGH FOR BEG LGBTQ+," SHE TWEETED.OTHERS QUTNED HER CISN TO POST SUCH RMATN ON SOCIAL MEDIA.LETOYA JOHNSTONE KENYAN MOL HAS NEVER SHIED AWAY OM THE FACT THAT SHE IS A MEMBER OF THE LGBTQ MUNY.LETOYA WHO NSIRS HERSELF A WOMAN HAS BEEN A MEMBER FOR YEARS, SHE HAS HOWEVER FACED A LOT OF CRICISM, AND MISTREATMENT WH THE LATT CINT BEG THROWN OUT OF A CLUB.  MAKENA NJERI SPIR NOTI FLOW TO E OUT (LEAKED TEXTS)THE BOLDNS MAKENA HAS ALREADY IMPACTED OTHER MEMBERS OF THE LGBT MUNY KENYA.ENTERTAMENT2 YEARS AGO LATT STORI
• LGBT RIGHTS AI: WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?
• KENYAN GAY CELEBRI WHO CONFSED OF HAPPILY LIVG WH HIV
• IS KENYA ABOUT TO FOLLOW UGANDA WH STRICT ANTI-GAY LEGISLATN?
• FIVE KENYAN CELEBRI WHO ARE OPENLY GAY
• THE GAY KENYANS TRYG TO FIGHT HOMOPHOBIA OM THE SI
• WHAT IS EVERYDAY GAY AND LBIAN LIFE LIKE KENYA?
• KENYA GAY TRAVEL
• GAY KENYANS SENSE THEY MAY BE ON THE BRK OF A HISTORIC LEGAL TRIUMPH

KENYANS WHO HAVE OPENLY ADMTED TO BEG MEMBERS OF LGBTQ FAY SHARE PENINAH WAMBUI ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST LIFTYLE 04 JUNE 2021 FORMER BBC JOURNALIST MAKENA NJERI IMAGE: INSTAGRAM FORMER BBC JOURNALIST MAKENA NJERI IMAGE: INSTAGRAM IN THE RECENT PAST MORE AND MORE KENYANS HAVE BOLDLY OPENED UP ON BEG MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ MUNY.LGBTQ STANDS FOR LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENR, AND QUEER.BELOW ARE SOME OF THE KENYANSNJERI MAKENAEX BBC REPORTER MAKENA NJERI RECENTLY OPENED UP ON BEG GAY.'ACRDG TO NJERI SHE HAS ALWAYS KNOWN SHE WAS DIFFERENT BUT WAS NEVER URAGEO ENOUGH TO STAND BY HER TTH.IN A VIO POSTED BY AN TERNATNAL MEDIA PLATFORM, TEDX ON BEHALF OF TEDX PARKLANDS, MAKENA SAID HAD TAKEN YEARS FOR HER TO ACCEPT AND ADM THE FACT TO HERSELF.THE FORMER 'TAHIDI HIGH' ACTRS SAID FOR THE LAST , SHE STGGLED TO LIVE A NORMAL LIFE, "NFORMG TO THE DIFFERENT SOCIETAL NORMS THAT HAVE BEEN PLACED ON OM A VERY YOUNG AGE"."AT 19 YEARS OLD, G TO THE CY, I WANTED TO ACT AND BEE A SUPERSTAR FEATURG DIFFERENT TV SHOWS. BUT I KNEW FOR A FACT THAT THE BATTL I HAD BEEN GOG THROUGH AS A TEENAGER WILL BE TTED THIS CY. I REALISED THAT WHAT SOCIETY WANTED ME TO TAKE WASN'T THE SE FOR HUMANY AND ME," SHE SAID. "I REMEMBER FOR THE FIRST TIME MY LIFE AFTER VERY MANY YEARS LOOKG AT MYSELF THE MIRROR AND I SAID TO MYSELF, I AM GAY, I AM UNIQUE AND THIS IS MY TTH."SHE ADD THAT AFTER THAT A WEIGHT WAS LIFTED OFF HER CHT AS SHE WAS FALLY EE. 'I AM GAY!' MEDIA PERSONALY MAKENA NJERI OPENS UP'I AM GAY!' MEDIA PERSONALY MAKENA NJERI OPENS UPLIFTYLE2 YEARS AGO  ANA NTHIS SPARKED AN TENSE NVERSATN ON TWTER, WH MANY QUTNG HER SEXUALY AFTER SHE POSTED THE TWEET BELOW."I HOPE MY KIDS NEVER HAVE TO GO THROUGH WHAT I HAVE GONE THROUGH FOR BEG LGBTQ+," SHE TWEETED.OTHERS QUTNED HER CISN TO POST SUCH RMATN ON SOCIAL MEDIA.LETOYA JOHNSTONE KENYAN MOL HAS NEVER SHIED AWAY OM THE FACT THAT SHE IS A MEMBER OF THE LGBTQ MUNY.LETOYA WHO NSIRS HERSELF A WOMAN HAS BEEN A MEMBER FOR YEARS, SHE HAS HOWEVER FACED A LOT OF CRICISM, AND MISTREATMENT WH THE LATT CINT BEG THROWN OUT OF A CLUB.  MAKENA NJERI SPIR NOTI FLOW TO E OUT (LEAKED TEXTS)THE BOLDNS MAKENA HAS ALREADY IMPACTED OTHER MEMBERS OF THE LGBT MUNY KENYA.ENTERTAMENT2 YEARS AGO LATT STORI

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.

He wrote a memoir tled, “I am a Homosexual, Mum” and then went on to tweet, “I am, for anybody nfed or doubt, a homosexual.” The activist, who also revealed that he was HIV posive, sadly lost his life May 2019. 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?

Brendah Jons – Famoly known as ‘Mama Kgston’, Brendah Jons me out to her fans as a gay woman last year after she publicly revealed tails of her relatnship wh her former partner.

In the recent past more and more Kenyans have boldly opened up on beg members of the LGBTQ stands for lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr, and are some of the KenyansNjeri MakenaEX BBC reporter Makena Njeri recently opened up on beg gay. "I remember for the first time my life after very many years lookg at myself the mirror and I said to myself, I am gay, I am unique and this is my tth. A study nducted by the Natnal Aids and STI Control Council (Nasp) unvered a high number of homosexual men Kenya who had otherwise remaed hidn.

KENYAN GAY CELEBRI WHO CONFSED OF HAPPILY LIVG WH HIV

Nairobi unty acunts for 11, 000 members of the gay muny, Kiambu unty was found to have 3, 635 and was closely followed by Kisumu wh 1, 567 s and Mombasa wh 1, 469. 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.

IS KENYA ABOUT TO FOLLOW UGANDA WH STRICT ANTI-GAY LEGISLATN?

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.

"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...

FIVE KENYAN CELEBRI WHO ARE OPENLY GAY

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. "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".

THE GAY KENYANS TRYG TO FIGHT HOMOPHOBIA OM THE SI

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".

WHAT IS EVERYDAY GAY AND LBIAN LIFE LIKE KENYA?

"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 TRAVEL

"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.

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

"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".