Let Us All Stand for Equality

Sokari Ekine continues to update us on the Ugandan Gay Bill. And she argues that we must protect the rights of all. Even if the death penalty is taken off the table, Ekine shows that the bill will still violate human rights. And what happens to those Ugandan activists who have been on the frontline? What happens to them?

At particular risk if the bill is passed, in any form, are the frontline defenders like Kasha, Frank Mugisha of SMUG and Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo who has long been a ray of hope and light in the Ugandan church. [The Bishop took part in the Sexuality and Social Justice Portrait and Testimonies project at the 2007 WSF - listen here]

An Open Letter to You

I write to you, yes you. You who say that you are a friend, but act a foe. I speak to you today because I would like for you to understand me. I speak to you because I can no longer remain silent. I tell you this because if you were in my shoes you would be more open to who I am. Unfortunately, you are not in my shoes. And I do not know that you will ever accept me. I do not accuse you, but I feel we do not live in peace as we ought to. I know you understand that I am broken by this. If only I could be what you want me to be, but that too would be ... would you if you were me?


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My Coming Out

It hasn't always been this easy. It always made me nervous and uncomfortable. As though there was something wrong with me loving this way. When I look back I am not really sure how and when I accepted my fate and let it be. All I remember is that at some point in my life I was ashamed and scared to love a woman. As far as I can remember, I did not have much of a coming out experience for I was outed. I am not even sure what I was scared of. Moreover, allowing myself to live openly and honestly, only opened doors for me to live a fulfilled life. At least the pretense and self-denial is over. I share the part of my life I find sacred. I share what makes me, me. I share with you my experience as an out Kenyan Lesbian living far away from home. If my story does nothing else, I hope it allows you to see a glimpse of what life for some Africans in the LGBT community is like.

Keep reading.

Gays Aren’t a Threat to Kenya: We Are

It’s interesting how we are suddenly blaming homosexuality for the plight of Kenya. I’m specifically prompted to respond to a piece of filth published in the Standard recently under the headline, “Homosexuality perversion is a threat to survival of humankind.”

I knew that newspapers were struggling in this economy, but I had no idea they were so desperate that they would turn to publish such smut. Don’t get me wrong; I am a journalist and devout supporter of freedom of expression and of the press. But I do strongly believe that those freedoms must be exercised with caution and for the good of society. 

More from Ombuya Okongo.

Why Ugandans Embrace U.S. Christian Right’s Anti-Gay Agenda

This could very well apply to Kenya. Only, we don't have such a bill in Congress. Winning hearts and minds is their moto. And now they have found a home in Uganda.

Evangelicals have managed to succeed in promoting homophobia by taking advantage of Africans’ lack of adequate information. They have presented homosexuality as a new “culture,” rather than something that has existed all along.

Kaoma quotes yet another Ugandan from the anti-gay conference: “Dr. Scott told us about Brazil where, 10 years ago, homosexuality was unheard of. Today, it is the capital. There are people that have been against homosexuality that are having to leave because of the pressure and the threats that they are putting on them. That is how serious it is.”

Africans take such filth without questions because they suffer from a severe case of inferiority complex. Even worse, they staunchly believe in the supremacy of the white man. Ill-informed Christians like the ones Rev. Kaoma quotes above, place the white man immediately below the Holy Trinity, a belief with its roots in the colonial era.

Growing up in Kenya, I heard stories about how supernatural the white man was. When we did well in school, our parents and teachers said we were as intelligent as white men. When you went to take a bath, Ma told you to come out as clean as a white man. If the white doctor at the hospital failed to diagnose your disease, death was imminent.

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Call To Boycott The Standard Newspaper!

Following the publication of articles by The Standard newspapers, that border on hate-speech against the gay people in Kenya, by homophobic writers and authors of the same, I have decided to boycott the paper indefinitely and its media wing, KTN. LGBTI supporters and all people of good will are being urged to do the same.

Read more from Denis Nzioka including a letter from GALK ( Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya)

Homosexuality and the Myth of Choice

We continue to publish content setting the tone on the discussion on the rights of Kenya's gay community.

Today Stephanie Migot shows why arguments that homosexuals do not deserve equal rights as do heterosexuals are both misguided and wrong.

Homosexuality is no more a lifestyle choice than being born with straight or curly hair. People do not wake up one day and decide that they want to be a member of a threatened and oppressed minority. While scientific research continues its search for a definitive “gay gene,” at present the only potentially reliable indicator is the number of older brothers a male child has . LGBTQ people are born, not made or “converted.” Despite the attempts of a number of misguided anti-homosexual groups in the USA, there is no scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be changed.

Uganda is “under attack”

Uganda is under attack and, as always, it’s the mothers of the nation who are to blame. 

An anti-homosexuality bill has been tabled before the Parliament of Uganda. Many have risen to denounce and oppose it, both within the country and from across the globe.  Many others have risen to support it. Some in the Church have argued in favor of the capital punishment in the Bill, others have argued for life imprisonment. The ones arguing for life imprisonment are actually considered to be in opposition to the Bill. After all, in Uganda “homosexuality is already an offence under the Penal Code of Uganda as is same-sex marriage, which is prohibited by the Constitution.”

Dan Moshenberg shows why Uganda is NOT under attack.