MARCH 2012
Identity Kenya The Voice of Kenya’s LGBT & Sex Work Community
STILL, WE RISE LGBTI MOVEMENT BUILDING | COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION, HUMAN RIGHTS, NON-HOMOGENITY, VIOLENCE (LGBT, sex workers protest against Nairobi City Council | The Star)
Overall, the situation for sexual minorities in East Africa is a difficult one, preventing them from exercising their basic human rights. In each country no matter how diverse their religion, culture, or traditional beliefs, a common denominator is prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in all spheres of life Arbitrary arrests and detention, harassment by security forces, blackmail and extortion, sexual and other abuse by the police, denial of the right to association, expulsion from schools and discrimination in employment and housing are some of the violations LGBTI persons continue to suffer in their daily lives. Despite the extent of violations, these abuses are rarely reported due to the likelihood of stigmatization and harassment by law enforcement agents. As a result, serious human rights violations against the LGBTI community remain under-reported and undocumented. Despite this extremely homophobic and transphobic environment, a nascent and determined LGBTI community is emerging that is beginning to challenge the hostility and demand their rights as citizens of the region. CONTINUED ON PAGE 18, 19
Second Gay Murder in Malindi Reported A gay man was reportedly bludgeoned to death in Malindi over the weekend in unclear circumstances.
Photo | Gay Kenya
Neighbors reported hearing a commotion and raising an alarm but the victim’s injuries were so grave that he passed even before he could be transferred to a hospital.
He was interred on 24th March as is custom in Islam. Douglas Masinde, the Programs Officer at Malindi’s LGBTI group Tamba Pwani, said he visited the deceased family to follow-up on the issue and to gather more information.
They learnt that even after his murder and burial, the family had not reported the case to the police as they believed that God would deliver justice to the perpetrators. This is the second murder of a gay man in Malindi.
Identity Kenya
INSIDE SEX WORK—DE-CRIMINALIZE or LEGALIZE?
@IdentityKenya @mgworg— @IdentityKenya Voting for Mr Gay World 2012 People's Choice Award opened. Click green 'vote' button: http:// www.mrgayworld.org & RT pls @spectraspeaks—Yes! Love this! RT @IdentityMagKE: Kenya Feminist Forum 'Welcomes Men' @bisialimi—RT “@IdentityMagKE: BREAKING NEWS: GALCK Offices Broken Into” @Joliea—Kenyan Sex Workers Cause Stir In Streets Of Nairobi http://j.mp/ ynQ3Bx via @IdentityMagKE <- #WhorePower @amarulagal— @IdentityMagKE @FahamuAfrica @pam bazuka , strong#SexWorkers allies, thanks you for walking this journey with us! @S_Wangene—I've been opened to
a new world by reading @IdentityMagKE Y'all should read it and stop being ignorant. Mnajijua! #LGBT @MsRawxie—Africa regional resource centre (ARSRC)9th edition of sexuality leadership development fellowship15th July-28th July Lagos@IdentityMagKE @Cole_Mutahi— @Steph_dBen Did you get to see Feb's edition of @IdentityMagKE
8-9, 14
The debate on whether to make sex work legal rages on in Kenya. After weeks of intense media campaigns and public protests, sex workers advocates are now retreating back to strategize on the ‘communication and language of sex work’ MONICA MBARU shares her arguments. GAY GENE?
10-11, 14
Is there such a thing as the ‘gay gene?’ PETER TATCHELL argues that purely genetic explanations of homosexuality are simplistic and doomed to failure. If heterosexuality and homosexuality are genetically predetermined, how do we explain bisexuality or people who, suddenly in mid-life, switch from heterosexuality to homosexuality or vice versa)? DATING, SEX LIST AND TACOS
17, 20
There is a pretty boys code that COLE MUTAHI shares, albeit, in chewable chunks. He details his rendezvous at the famed Tacos bar, ‘the unofficial official’ gay bar in Nairobi. Additionally, do you keep a list of people you have slept with, made out with or fooled around with? Cole does! FILM REVIEW: BEGINNERS
15
One of the most successful films at the recent Academy Awards that won Christopher Plummer a Best Supporting Actress, may not stand the critique of NEVILLE TIRIMBA who terms it as ‘pretentiously cheerless’ BISEXUALITY
26, 29
Bisexuals in Kenya are a minority among the larger ‘other-minority’ LGBT community; REV. JOHN MAKOKHA had the opportunity to sit down, share and interact with some of them in this eye-opening piece. They face specific problems that are yet to be addressed. Its a call to do something for them… fast! LESBIANISM IN KENYA SCHOOLS
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Stories of girls being expelled at Kadzozo Girls Secondary school for ‘lesbian allegations’ are not new. Several schools have tried to ‘stop abnormal sexual behavior’ among its students using religious education, counseling, non-physical contact among other. BRENDA SAUSAGE explains what actually is that which is being addressed. HIV & AIDS AND MALE SEX WORKERS JOHN MATHENGE shares with us the stories and challenges that male sex workers face especially within the larger gay community and what they (male sex workers) are doing to make life better for them through projects and social support. He also challenges us to be more open and non-discriminatory to male sex workers.
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Identity Kenya
SPECIAL EDITOR’S LETTER
Are LGBTI groups in Kenya immune from constructive criticism? The Buganda people of Uganda have a saying that ‘Akakuli mu linnyo, tikaganya lulimi kutereera. (The little morsel between your teeth: gives your tongue no rest.) An ethnic proverb that recognizes that the body is one, that when one part of the body is lodged with dirt, in a subconscious mortalised way, another part of the body will desire and intimate to clean the dirty part. To sink this closer to home, whenever we have food stuck between our teeth, the tongue in its unconscious cleansing motions keeps trying to get rid it off. Analogies of the interrelated and interdependent nature of the human body can be found in human rights phraseology as well as religious embodiments of the church as the body of Christ. The same analogy can be distinctively drawn of Kenya’s LGBTI organizing. Gay Kenya Trust (GKT) is the human rights arm of the organizing-with publications (limited but ground breaking) and a great deal of human rights advocacy and partnerships with other civil society stakeholders such as the Kenya Human Rights Commission. ISHTAR MSM is the health arm of the gay and MSM organizing- supplying life saving condoms and lubricants, training on safe sex and attendant life skills. The AFRA girls will sing out with painstaking passion telling of the weight and pain of inequality- using art and other creative elements of the queer mind to reach countless LGBTI persons in hiding with the you- are- not -alone message as well as the homophobes with the love –conquers- all message. Minority Women in Action (MWA) will avail shadow reports to UN monitoring bodies, engage the LGBTIQ body in economic stouting as well as securing much needed welfare nets. Transgender Education and Advocacy (TEA) reminds us that boxes are for packing gifts, not fixing autonomous humans into gender dichotomies- in essence, that we are a free autonomous people who must define ourselves and dump stereotypes imposed, socialized, legal or otherwise-such a higher form of liberty and self awareness. KIPE in Kisumu has taught us that health advocacy can be realized in an integrated approach, raking success in creative programming and ground breaking organizing around Nyanza that has left us all nodding to the knowledge that the good work is not limited to Nairobi. Identity Magazine, Identity Kenya, will expose, inform, report real time LGBTQ news, engage in investigative journalism and some times, as is the bane of investigative journalism, throw salt and pepper to an already hot stew. There are many other groups in many parts of the Kenya, growing, stumbling, yet doing some good work in their own little but cumulatively important ways. The good work must be celebrated-with pomp and pride and savoured-with nyadhi (dholuo for style) and elegance. While savouring these, we must also heed the wisdom of the Shona people of Zimbabwe who have a saying, "Rine manyanga hariputirwe", meaning the animal with horns cannot be wrapped. For beneath the good work, in the interest of honesty, lies a list of errors, an inventory of petty wrangles, strands of uncreative programmatic approaches and many worried gays, bisexuals, trans and lesbians who are anxious on where we are heading as a movement and why there are no targeted programmes to reach and involve them in movement building. Let us appreciate that this editorial is not about the finding of guilt nor the apportioning of blame to any part of the LGBTIQ organizing. It is a collective call to our shared identity and the need to journey and take stock of how we are relating with each other as groups, how willing and receptive we are to correction and how relevant our programming is based on the needs within and outside the LGBTIQ organizing. The context of this reflection can be found in Identity Magazine’s last month’s headline of Muffled Dungeons where GALCK’s management of its safe house was critiqued in a dramatic yet factual way and the ensuing investigations and backlash on Identity Magazine. The Queer Watch Tower critique of ISHTAR MSM in Identity’s Magazine was also slapped with an anticipated law suit. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Identity Kenya BARFLY in his fifth instalment, continues his reminiscing of bars and gays in Nairobi offering us a historic , if not entertaining view of the role that bars served as ‘social places’, albeit safe, for the nascent, and emerging gay community of the 90’s in Nairobi. Ever fresh, ever magnetic, his chronicles serve as an anthology that needs to be documented lest we forget where we have come from. This time round he shares the sight, sounds, sand of the Coastal town of Mombasa.
A physician, public health practitioner, an International Rectal Microbicide Advocate, recipient of the prestigious Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial Award, THOMAS MUYUNGA has carried out HIV/ AIDS/Sexual & Reproductive Health Services and consulted to develop Health and development proposals for funding towards small grassroots groups and various marginalised groups. He is a motivational speaker, writer of short novels, prolific composer of poems, a cast-in-die excursionist. Currently he is the CEO of MOST AT RISK POPULATIONS’ SOCIETY IN UGANDA. He is Chair of Eastern and Southern Africa advocacy Network on Microbicides and HIV Vaccine (EASANMHIV).
CONTRIBUTORS MONICA MBARU is our resident legal expert, lawyer, LGBT advocate and women’s rights activist. She regularly answers questions from readers on issues such as arrests, assaults, inheritance, e.t.c. For her, a thorough knowledge of the law as well as interpretation is one way to liberate the gay community from oppression and discrimination. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse and she seeks to make sure all know their rights, what they can do, what they cannot do and what the Law has to say. This time round, she tackles the issue of sex work.
‘The pretty boy’s code states…’ COLE MUTAHI, the ‘b*tch with a wrist tat’ whose recent acquisition is a blog gets candid and very personal about his experiences in the queer scene.
As the National Coordinator of the Kenya Sex Workers Alliance (KESWA), JOHN MATHENGE is a headstrong sex worker activist and advocate. Having been diagnosed with HIV ten years ago, John has been passionate in inclusion of male sex workers interventions on HIV in Government policy as well as civil society.
PETER TATCHELL is a human rights campaigner, and a member of the gay rights group OutRage! best known for his work with LGBT social movements. The Independent on Sunday has called him “One of the most influential gay men of this century” and Elton John describing him as ‘He’s very necessary…incredibly brave… doing good work in a world where most people are too timid’
Identity Kenya NGURU KARUGU is the Executive Director of Public Health Innovations (PHI) that focuses on public health and human rights concerns affecting sexual and gender minorities. He is also a consultant on sexual minorities in terms of health and community organizing. He has written and travelled extensively on MSM-related and HIV issues.
NEVILLE TIRIMBA is a film enthusiast and a writer of short stories. He has a passion for human rights as well as the spoken and written word. His interests range from photography, literature to travelling to foreign languages. He is very outspoken about human rights.
AKINYI M. OCHOLLA served as Representative of the ILGA Women’s Secretariat at the recent 56th UN Commission on the Status of Women . She is a Board members of Minority Women in Action (MWA), a lesbian group in Kenya. She is a prolific writer and anthologist as well as passionate women, and girl child rights.
CONTRIBUTORS REV. JOHN MAKOKHA, is ever pushing to have LGBT persons live as free, capable and worthy sons of GOD despite challenges, personal threats and difficulties he faces. Married with kids, he proves that ‘allies’ come in many forms. He writes this time round on the fears and concerns that bisexual men in Kenya have. Bisexuality is still nascent and their mobilization and reaching out have been not that fruitful. Combining faith, strong sense of conviction and compassion, they now are able to meet, share and interact.
A columnist with one of the dailies in Kenya, HANS SPARTACUS is a journalist with over 30 years experience. He writes, blogs and is an avid adventurist. He organizes road trips and holiday travels for LGBT persons. He is married and lives with his wife in Coast. When BRENDA SAUSAGE left for Germany a couple of years back, little did she know that she would be ‘go back to her roots’ and now write passionately on lesbianism. A self identifying lesbian Journalism student, Brenda was born and raised in Nairobi. She grew up in Eastlands and despite hiding her attraction to women, she worked hard in school and lived in denial. Her coming out story, combined with wit, is set to be featured in her upcoming biography ‘The Lemonade Recipe’
Identity Kenya While these and many other past developments give context to this editorial, there are other lived experiences, anxieties and narratives from LGBTIQ persons that have not been publicly voiced or published. It is said that he who loves you, warns you, that only a fool laughs when his neighbor's house is on fire. Identity Magazine might have dashed its news with spice but such publications, have been a last resort after months and many failed attempts to find resolve through other mediums. One can also pose; why cant the tongue wag around the morsel that is stuck in its mouth. We are one family, and we have our mistakes and fights but we must remember to express these disagreements in a loving and respectful way. We are a family that loves to correct the government of Kenya; we ask for accountability and aggressive social justice programmingas such, we must mirror this from within ourselves. We ceded our powers to group leaders and asking them to be accountable must not be mistaken with disrespect. Public officers sign performance contracts, corporations engaged in service provisions are monitored and evaluated, with critique attaching to their work and results. While I would not recommend such for the LGBTIQ organizing in Kenya, lessons can be drawn on the need for accountability. We must know that we serve a constituency of people who are anxious for results, anxious to be involved in the good work, anxious to be reached by our programmes, anxious that we design relevant programmes, anxious that we build each other, anxious to love and serve this movement and country. The love we proclaim in the genius of AFRA, the dignity and respect that Gay Kenya asks for, the beauty that KIPE reminds us we possess, the fabulous spirits that ISHTAR MSM horns of us; all these and more must bind us and draw us away from wrangles, they must remind us that beautiful dignified people love correction, love growth and constructive criticism. We must open ourselves up to be guided where we stumble, we must swallow hard the morsel of our mistakes and investigate wrong doing in ways that seek to build bridges not walls. From the entire struggle to be loved and accepted that we have endured in this country, we must be the example of that love and that acceptance –for ourselves and others, even when they necessarily don’t agree with us. If I may borrow word from Maya Angelou, ‘Unclench you fist, the horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change. Let love reign supreme, let the good work get done.’ - ERIC MAWIRA GITARI
The context of this reflection can be found in Identity Magazine’s last month’s headline of Muffled Dungeons where GALCK’s management of its safe house was critiqued in a dramatic yet factual way and the ensuing investigations
The Pink Dollar (Image | Openly Gay Marketing)
The pink dollar is a term describing the purchasing power of the LGBT community—Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender. Many of those households are known as DINK – double income no kids –and thus have generally more disposable money to spend, especially on leisure life style and travel, even if they have a relatively moderate income. More and more companies are launching advertising campaigns to attract this high spending clients, like Airlines, Car dealers, Banks, Hotels, Travel agents etc. It is estimated that the buying power of the LGBT people in the USA is more than 835 Billion dollar s a year! CONTINUED ON PAGE 25, 26 Page 6
Identity Kenya
Q-Zine Magazine: Call For African Submissions
Identity Kenya
Sex Work: Legalize or Decriminalize? Photo | Sex Workers Demo in Nairobi Streets Jane Ngari | Africa Review
Every person is entitled to basic human rights, and all sex workers are entitled to the same rights as anyone else. Yet many individuals and the government ignore the fact that sex workers have the right to equal treatment and sex workers are often particularly vulnerable to be abused, raped and even murdered, while their dignity is violated on a daily basis. Even in countries where sex work is considered a crime, such as Kenya, the government may not ignore sex worker rights. The Constitutional provisions dictate right to equal treatment and non-discrimination on the basis of sex as part of the traditional canon of human rights. Recent demonstrations by sex workers in Kenya bring to the fore several legal questions that have created moot points of law as well as social-economic issues. These questions in essence build on the fundamental role of why society Legalisation and uses the law to control personal behaviour and more so what the law would seek to cure while intervening in such personal relationships. This debate will not be conclusive unless sex workers, sexual minorities, decriminalisation of sex marginalised communities, women rights, gender activists and human rights defenders learn from each work are not the same other and from other groups that have tried to address the place of the law in controlling the person parthing. The main ticularly due to one sexual orientation or gender identity. Attention will be given to sex work and some of distinction between the emerging legal issues addressing the subject but also highlight the human rights concerns especially legalisation and on the right to work. These discussions as made with human rights based approach. decriminalisation is the degree of state control of Why Sex Work? the sex industry, whether Sex work in many legal provisions as well as in the Kenya Penal Code is defined as ‘prostitution’ which sex work is treated as focuses on the seller of sex rather than on the entire transaction. An example of a more inclusive definisomething needing tion of prostitution is ‘an institution which allows certain powers of command over one person’s body to be exercised by another’. This is what has been adopted by more progressive countries like New Zealand special laws or not or countries where sex work has been legalised. Any attempts at defining prostitution are problematic because there are other sexual relationships in society which involve at least some element of material exchange. In some cultures and some periods of history, even marriage has been viewed primarily as a property arrangement. In Kenya, there are ambiguous relationships where young women and men have ‘boyfriends’ or ‘girlfriends’ who provide cash or gifts in exchange for sexual favours – the ‘sugar daddy/mummy’ phenomenon. Human rights practitioners prefer a human-rights-approach and prefer the term ‘sex work’ to ‘prostitution’ because it focuses on the act as a form of labor which is, like other forms of labor, is subject to exploitation. This term turns attention away from moral judgements and towards practical problems like unsafe and unfair working conditions. It also emphasizes the fact that sex work is an activity and not an identity. It has been argued that sex work is not so different from other kinds of work, since all work involves the sale of mental or manual labour involving different parts of the body. Other schools of thought object to the term sex work because it ‘normalises’ prostitution. While another argue that the inequality inherent in the relation between prostitute and client prevents this transaction from being “work” in the normal sense of the word. Still another argument is that, because a person’s sexuality is so closely bound up with personal identity, the sale of sexual activity turns the prostitute into an object. This argument holds that prostitution (like the sale of human organs) is fundamentally wrong because it makes a commodity of human beings. The sex work under consideration in this scenario of Kenyan situation is one where there is active solicitation of money for sexual favors. This is the type of ‘prostitution’ which is covered by existing criminal laws in Kenya. Prostitution is a transaction involving two people – the seller and the buyer. Any genuine understanding of prostitution must examine the relationship between the two players.
Identity Kenya Photo | Sex Workers Media Briefing | Denis Nzioka | Identity Kenya
Why should we even discuss Sex Work? Under the current constitutional dispensation, the Bill of Rights gives a human face to every human being and attaches fundamental principles and values when looking at anybody exercising their constitutional rights. Therefore, we cannot under any circumstance separate the person and the nature of their choice of work from the constitutional rights due to everybody. This is crucial as ignoring the concerns being raised by sex workers is to encourage continuation of human rights violations against a group in society to suffer violence from clients, their partners and the police. Sex workers will continue to work in unsafe and dangerous conditions and the stigma around sex work will continue with society taking a ‘moral’ and ‘illegal’ tag whenever one is engaging with a sex worker. Sex workers will not have easy access to health, social, police, legal and financial services since in law it is criminal and in society is immoral to be a prostitute. Sex workers will find it hard to protect themselves and their clients from HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases since as an illegal act it will continue as an underground operation or as currently happening under very secret environment difficult to assert ones rights or even seek for protection. Sex workers will find it hard to get tested for HIV and get treatment for HIV and will find it difficult to find other jobs as sex workers or otherwise. Prostitution was never an offence in terms of the common law, and the act of engaging in sexual intercourse for reward has not been made into an offence in terms of any Kenyan statute. However, various other aspects of sex work are currently criminalized by several statutes and municipal regulations and by-laws. Several policy-makers have recently suggested that Kenyan legal approach to sex work should be re-examined. This call to re-examine comes in the wake of efforts to harmonize laws with the constitution which should focus on the Bill of Rights especially the right to dignity, the right to non-discrimination, social economic rights especially access to health care services, the right to bodily and psychological integrity, freedom of thought, belief and opinion and the right to choose one’s trade, occupation or profession freely.
If sex workers’ human rights are truly respected, consensual adult sex work would not be illegal and sex workers would have the same labour rights as all other workers. The decriminalisation of sex work would mean that sex workers would be protected against sexual harassment, violence, rape and unfair working conditions. Sex workers would be able to access non-discriminatory health care services, be able to form unions and be assisted by the police and, where it exists, social security. These are gains already available under the constitution that protect fundamental rights of everybody irrespective of sex, gender, race, opinion or political dispensation. Where sex workers rights are respected as ‘workers’ there is room to exercise protection from labour laws, occupation laws or health and safety laws. As a result, many sex workers will be capacitated by the state and feel respected. In retrospect, in a criminalised environment, sex workers are unable to demand basic working conditions or legal work and inability to demand basic rights, which is an illegal profession in Kenya, with no enforceable rights. Sex Work and the Law There are various legal models in dealing with sex work. In total criminalisation, all aspects of sex work are illegal and carry criminal penalties. It therefore means that the sex worker, the client and a third party such a brothel-owner could be prosecuted. Another model is that of Partial criminalisation where certain aspects of sex work are illegal, while others are not. In this model, sex workers are generally viewed as ‘victims’; they are generally not criminalised under partial criminalisation laws. For example, the buying of sexual services could be criminalised, while the selling of sexual services is not. In this case, while the sex worker is not criminalised, the client, brothel-keeper or sex worker manager could be prosecuted. this model renders sex work unsafe as the protection of clients from being prosecuted is not quaranteed.sex workers would also not be able to report crimes against them, as it can lead to police surveillance to catch their clients. CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
Identity Kenya
Biology Is Not Destiny Image | Gay Gene | GWS 210 Gay Gene
A few years ago, Dr James Watson, the Noble Prize winner who codiscovered DNA, reopened the controversy over the so-called gay gene when he defended a woman's right to abortion. He was quoted in the UK’s Sunday Telegraph newspaper as saying: "If you could find the gene which determines sexuality, and a woman decides she doesn't want a homosexual child, well, let her (abort the fetus)". Much of the reaction to Dr Watson's statement focused on its homophobic versus freedom of choice implications. Largely overlooked was the fact that such an esteemed scientist was giving credibility to the flawed theories which claim a genetic causation of homosexuality. These theories have been given a recent boost by research suggesting differences in the brain structures of gay and straight people. According to gay gene theory, genetic factors are responsible for sexual orientation, with our genetic inheritance programming us to desire one sex rather than the other. This is a very simple, deterministic thesis: A causes B. I don’t disagree that genes (and hormonal exposure in the womb) influence sexual orientation. The scientific evidence for these biological influences is presented in the book, Born Gay (2005), written by Glenn Wilson of the Institute of Psychiatry in London and Qazi Rahman, a lecturer in psychobiology at the University of East London. But contrary to what the authors seem to suggest, an influence is not the same as a cause. Genes and hormones may predispose a person to one sexuality rather than another. But that’s all. Predisposition and determination are two different things. The haste with which these unproven, questionable theories have been embraced suggests a terrible lack of self-confidence and a After studying the sexual experiences of thousands of men, Dr Alfred Kinsey presented evidence, in Sex- rather sad, desperate ual Behavior In The Human Male (1948), that "many males combine in their single histories, and very need to justify queer often in exactly the same period of time, or even simultaneously in the same moment, reactions to both desire heterosexual and homosexual stimuli". Some years later, the Kinsey researchers famously reported the case of a happily married young woman who, ten years into her marriage, unexpectedly fell in love with a female friend. Divorcing her husband, she set up house with this woman. Many years later, despite a fulfilling on-going lesbian relationship, she had an equally satisfying affair with a man. These examples of sexual flexibility don't square with genetic theories of rigid erotic predestination. There is a major problem with gay gene theory, and with all theories that propose the biological programming of sexual orientation. If heterosexuality and homosexuality are, indeed, genetically predetermined (and therefore mutually exclusive and unchangeable), how do we explain bisexuality or people who, suddenly in mid-life, switch from heterosexuality to homosexuality (or vice versa)? We can't. The reality is that queer and straight desires are far more ambiguous, blurred and overlapping than any theory of genetic, or other biological, causality can allow.
One of the main original proponents of gay gene theory, Dr Dean Hamer, now concedes that it is unlikely that something as complex as human sexuality can be explained solely in terms of genetic inheritance. He seems to accept that while genetic factors may establish a predisposition towards homosexuality a predisposition is not the same as a causation. Many studies suggest social factors are also important influences in the formation of sexual orientation, both homosexual and heterosexual. These include the relationship between a child and its parents, formative childhood experiences, family expectations, cultural mores and peer pressure. The latter three influences, being mostly anti-gay, undoubtedly artificially depress the incidence of same-sex behavior. By about the age of five or six, a combination of biological and social influences seem to lay the basis of an individual's sexual orientation. Because our sexuality is fixed at such an early age, many lesbians and gay men feel they have been homosexual all their lives and therefore mistakenly conclude that it must be genetic and that they were born queer. They also see the gay gene explanation as a useful defense against the arguments of the religious right, which dismisses same-sex relationships as a lifestyle choice. But no one sits down one day and chooses to be gay (or straight). Sexual orientation is not a choice like choosing which biscuits to buy in a supermarket. We don’t have free will concerning the determination our sexual orientation. Our only free will is whether we accept or repress our true inner sexual and emotional desires.
Identity Kenya The relative influence of biological versus cultural factors with regard to sexual orientation is still uncertain. What is, however, certain is that if gayness was primarily explainable in genetic terms we would expect it to appear in the same proportions, and in similar forms, in all cultures and all epochs. As the anthropologists Clellan Ford and Frank Beach demonstrated in Patterns Of Sexual Behavior (1965), far from being cross-culturally uniform and stable, both the incidence and expressions of same-sex desire vary vastly between different societies. They found, for example, that young men in some tribal nations (the Aranda of Australia, Siwan of Egypt, Batak of Sumatra, Anga of Melanesia and others) had sexual relationships with other boys or older male warriors, usually lasting several years, often as part of manhood initiation rituals. Eventually ceasing homosexual contact, they subsequently assumed sexual desires for women.
Photo | Alfred Kinsey | G.Paul Bishop, 1954
If sexual orientation was genetically prefixed at conception, as the proponents of the gay gene claim, these young men would never have been able to switch between heterosexual and homosexual relations with such apparent ease. Likewise, a glance at history reveals huge disparities between configurations of homosexuality in different eras down the ages. Same-sex behavior in Ancient Greece was very different, in both its prevalence and particular manifestations, from homosexuality in Confucian China, Renaissance Italy, Meiji Japan, Tudor England and late twentieth century USA. Moral values, social ideologies and cultural expectations - together with family patterns and parent-child interaction seem the only credible explanation for these massive historical divergences. Despite obvious theoretical and empirical weaknesses, the claims that certain genes cause homosexuality have been seized upon and vigorously promoted by many in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) One of the main original rights movement; especially in the US. proponents of gay gene The haste with which these unproven, questionable theories have been embraced suggests a terrible lack theory, Dr Dean Hamer, of self-confidence and a rather sad, desperate need to justify queer desire. It's almost as if those pushing now concedes that it is these theories believe we don't deserve human rights unless we can prove that we are born gay and demonstrate that our homosexuality is beyond our control: 'We can't help being fags and dykes, so please don't unlikely that something treat us badly'. This seems to be the pleading, defensive sub-text of much of the pro-gay gene thesis. as complex as human Surely we merit human rights because we are human beings? The cause of our homosexuality is irrelevant sexuality can be to our quest for justice. We are entitled to dignity and respect, regardless of whether we are born queer or explained solely in made queer, and irrespective of whether our homosexuality is something beyond our control or something terms of genetic freely chosen. inheritance The corollary of the 'born gay' idea is the suggestion that no one can be 'made gay'. This defensive argument was used by some LGBT leaders during the campaigns against the homophobic Section 28 law in the UK - which for 15 years (from 1988 to 2003) banned the so-called "promotion" of homosexuality by local authorities - and again during the lobbying of the British parliament in the 1990s for the equalization of the age of consent. Supporters of Section 28 and opponents of an equal age of consent justified their stance with the claim that people need to be protected against 'pressure' and 'seduction' into the homosexual lifestyle. Some LGBT spokespeople responded by arguing that it's impossible to 'make' someone gay, and that a same-sex experience at an early age cannot 'persuade' a heterosexual person to become homosexual. At one level, they are totally right. Sexual orientation appears to become fixed in the first few years of life. For most of us, it is impossible to subsequently change our sexuality. No one consciously chooses to be gay (or straight) and no one can be persuaded or pressured into being gay, unless they are already inclined or predisposed to a same-sex attraction. However, what most certainly can change is a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to accept and express formerly repressed queer desires. Someone who is ostensibly heterosexual might become aware of a previously unrecognized same-sex attraction that had been dormant and unconscious since childhood. Society's positive affirmation of homosexuality might help such a person discover, explore and accept those latent, hidden, suppressed feelings. The homophobes are thus, paradoxically, in some respects closer to the truth than many LGBT activists. Removing the social opprobrium and penalties from queer relationships, and celebrating gay love and lust, would allow more people to come to terms with presently inhibited homoerotic desires. Page 11
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Identity Kenya
New Kenya IDAHO Committee Formed A new Kenya IDAHO Committee has been formed by LGBT activists. The Kenya IDAHO Committee is mandated to plan for, organize and implement nationally IDAHO activities. The team is also expected to fund raise for IDAHO activities in the country and plan on holding simultaneous activities to mark IDAHO celebrated each year on May
17th. The Committee was formed after local activists decried the lack of innovation and creativity in celebrating IDAHO. The team, made up of representatives from the LGBT family are planning this year’s IDAHO event and have already sourced for funds to carry out its activities.
happy to hear about this network which is taking shape in Kenya around the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia. It shows that the movement of defense of gender and sexual minorities is gaining coherence and strength. This will surely translate very soon with an increased social and political impact.’ IDAHO Logo | LGBTSupports
Joel Bedos from IDAHO International said, ‘We are really
Police Hunt Blackmailers Targeting Gay, Bisexuals The Nairobi Provincial Police Office (PPO) Anthony Kibuchi has ordered investigations into a ring of blackmailers targeting gay and bisexual men.
Kibuchi directed the Kasarani Police Station to investigate the matter as most of the blackmailers use houses based in Kasarani and Thika Road to lure victims.
The blackmailers have been using social media like Facebook and dating sites to hunt for victims and then steal and assault them. At least one case of sodomy was reported.
One victim was robbed of close to 40,000 KShs while the latest victim, a French expatriate, was blackmailed for over 2,000 dollars.
Persons who have fallen victim are asked to come forward to help with investigations. The blackmailers use violence and issue threats of revealing a person’s sexual orientation to close family members or work. Anthony Kibuchi | In2EastAfrica
They also take naked photos of their victims.
Gay Activist Apologizes Over Gay Rumors Gay rights activist, Denis Nzioka and Editor of Identity Magazine, has apologized to gospel musician Jimmy Gait over allegations that Gait is gay.
sexual encounters. It also alleged to have had sexual trysts with TV presenter Shaffie Weru, actor Nick Mutuma and fashionist Onyango Roja.
The allegations, started by a Tweet from a Michael Maina said that he and Jimmy had
The apology from Nzioka was also addressed to Kiss TV’s Shaffie Weru and actor
Nick Mutuma of Shuga who were also alleged to be gay. ‘I wrote an apology to Jimmy, Nick and Mutuma since I felt it responsible as a gay rights advocate and leader in the community. This behavior is intolerable,’ said Nzioka. Jimmy Gait | The Star
Page 12
Identity Kenya
GALCK Investigates Safe House Misuse The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK) has constituted a committee to look into allegations of sexual abuse, misuse and favoritism at its safe house. According to GALCK, the committee was formed after it had ‘received complaints that were sent to the board of GALCK about the conduct of Ken Gitonga, GALCK’s Safe House Marshal, and the run-
ning of the Safe House since 2010 to February 2012.’
tions around the management of the safe house.’
The committee is mandated to investigate and give recommendations on the allegations. According to GALCK, Ken Gitonga, who administered the safe house since its inception, has been ‘on indefinite suspension until such a time when there’ll be a completion, report and consequent action from the ongoing inquiries and investiga-
Anthony Olouch, GALCK’s Legal and Human Rights office is now in charge of the safe house on the interim. The committee is currently undertaking investigations by meeting with witness and victims and recording testimonies.
GALCK logo | GALCK
Bunge La Wananchi Fights Off Gay, Sex Work Label Bunge la Wananchi officials are reported to be in tussle over recent participation of its members in pro-gay and pro-sex work activities. Cidi Otieno ‘The People’s President’ is reported to have been removed as the leader of Bunge over this ‘involvement with homosexuality and sex work.’ It is reported that sessions held by Bunge la Wananchi members at Jeevanjee Gardens heated up over this. Bunge la Wananchi is ‘an open public platform or a virtual space for democratic civic actions organized around socio-economic problems affecting a majority of Kenyans with an agenda to transform Kenya’s politics’ according to its official website. Members of Bunge la Wananchi joined gay and lesbian activists during a protest dubbed ‘Kanjo Brutality’ to protest against what
they termed and ‘brutal and inhuman treatments’ from the City Council of Nairobi workers, officials and police. The march was addressed by the Mayor of Nairobi, George Aladwa who formed a committee to look into their grievances. The committee, apart from coming up with recommendations, included representatives of sex worker and lesbian members. It was mandated to look into issues of sex work with proposal’s ranging from streamlining the sex wok industry and de-criminalization. However, the lobby group that holds sessions at the Jevanjee Gardens in Nairobi dissociated itself from sex workers once the Mayor made the report public. In an interview with NTV, a section of Bunge al Wananchi distanced itself from the report claiming that some members had been ‘compromised by some civil
societies to push the lesbianism and homosexuality agenda.’ The group later expelled some of its members including its president Cidi Otieno for joining the sex workers during their recent strikes. "We disown that we are supporting sex work in Nairobi. We do not support homosexual agenda and gays. As Bunge we strongly detest that," said Samson Ojiayo, the groups acting president. The group also added that they have information that some international donors have paid their colleagues so that they can champion sex work in Kenya. "We apologize to our mothers, the nation and our religions because as a social grouping, we do not destroy cultural values," said Salih Mgale also from Bunge.
Cidi termed the Bunge la Mwananchi’s claims that he had been expelled as vague adding that he will continue to attend the group's sessions
Cidi Otieno (inset), the ‘People’s President’ was removed after allegations he is pushing a homosexuality and sex work agenda in Bunge La Wananchi
Identity Kenya Sex Workers Demo In Nairobi, Dec 17, 2010 | Thomas Mukoya | Reuters
The other model is Legalization/regulation where the state regulates the sex industry and can declare certain kinds of sex work to be legal, under strict conditions. sex work is legal under certain circumstances, including location and licensing of individual sex workers, sex work is regulated, conditions are imposed on sex workers: for example sex workers have to carry cards to show that they are sex workers; sex workers have to go for compulsory health checks and are issued with health status cards; the registration of sex workers are registered with the authorities and, in some instances, specific areas are designated as sex worker business areas – so-called ‘street-walker zones’ – also known sometimes as ‘tolerance zones’ or ‘red light districts’. Under this approach street work is often illegal. On the other hand decriminalization means that all laws that criminalize sex work in a country are removed, and sex work is governed through the same laws that affect other employment, such as health and safety and employment legislation. In this model, sex workers are able to work as independent contractors, or as employees. Sex workers are able to unionize, mostly regulate the industry themselves, and can expect protection from the police. Brothel operators and management are expected to comply with existing employment and health and safety legislation. In this model, sex workers have a range of options in terms of places to work. They can work in managed brothels, be street based, on line, or from their own home, or any combination of these. They may choose to work in small collectives with other sex workers, or by themselves. There is a balance of power as managed brothels do not hold a monopoly and sex workers can find a situation that suits their personal circumstances, and ensure they are not in a position where they may be coerced or exploited So which way to go for Sex Workers? Legalisation and decriminalisation of sex work are not the same thing. The main distinction between legalisation and decriminalisation is the degree of state control of the sex industry, whether sex work is treated as something needing special laws or not. In a legalisation model, the state will be the main regulator of the industry and will decide on the conditions under which sex work could take place. With a decriminalisation model, sex workers are more empowered to make decisions about the way they would like to work. Under decriminalisation, consensual activity between an adult sex worker and client would not be illegal; under legalisation it could be. The current situation of sex works is that by criminalisation, there are more human rights violations and abuse that occur and if sex work is decriminalised, all parties would operate in a safe and open environment that would facilitate respect of personal rights, security of the parties and assertion of any violated rights. Decriminalisation allows for access to human rights protections, the ability to achieve labour protections; it creates a more open relationship between police and sex workers, thus making it easier to expose trafficking, the involvement of children and the abuse of sex workers; and it enables delivery of public health interventions, including HIV prevention and treatment.—MONICA MBARU
In this sense, it is perfectly feasible to 'promote' lesbian and gay sexuality and 'make' someone queer. Individuals who have a pre-existing homosexual component in their character, but are inhibited by repression or guilt, definitely can be encouraged to acknowledge their samesex attraction and act upon it. Were future generations to grow up in a LGBT-positive, homofriendly culture, it's likely that many more people would have same-sex relationships, if not for all of their lives at least for significant periods. With this boom in queer sex and relationships, the social basis of homophobia would be radically undermined. In this state of greater sexual freedom, where homosexuality becomes commonplace and ceases to be disparaged or victimized, gayness would no longer have to be defended and affirmed. LGBT identity (and its straight counterpart) would thus, at last, become redundant. Hurrah! - PETER TATCHELL Photo | Prisca Voice
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Identity Kenya
Beginners: And Now Old Gay Men ‘Come Out’ Beginners was a film for which Christopher Plummer, a Canadian actor, won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor this year. It starts off with a scene in which the lead character is packing away his deceased father’s belongings.
promised his artistic honesty by repressing this truth. It is not surprising that the film is loosely autobiographical, based on the director’s experience after his dying father revealed to him about the true nature of his sexuality.
As the narrator begins telling the story, it seems enticing. The focus of the film is Oliver (Ewan McGregor), a young graphic designer whose father, in his seventies and dying of cancer, reveals to him that he has been gay for more than forty years, and that his marriage to the narrator’s mother was only for convenience. Hal (Christopher Plummer) is the dying man who has just come out to his son. But the beginning is the only interesting bit, for this is an ersatz film with few redeemable qualities. Forty minutes into the film, it becomes nauseatingly fragmented and episodic, and that is the least upsetting aspect. When it finally takes on an affected tone it becomes repulsive and unbearable.
The novelty of the storyline is quite refreshing, albeit the theme of a gay father coming out to his son has been explored before. Comedian Robin William starred as a father coming out to his son in the film The Bird Cage, a comedy of manners filled with hilarious slapstick humor. The Bird Cage was highly entertaining, Beginners most certainly is not. No euphemism can hide the fact that it is a tedious, horrendous bore. (Image | IMP Awards) Perhaps the director thought homoeroticism unappealing, especially if a much older man is involved. There are contrasts to Mills’ portrayal of much older gay men in other films and television series.
The flashbacks are ill-timed and often irrelevant. Mike Mills, the writer and director of the film, and also a designer of album covers, employed cinémavérité, a technique of realism in which a filmmaker uses photographic scenes in a film.
Patrick Bauchau in the film Boy Culture, played a wealthy gay septuagenarian who develops a liking for a much younger man, and the director was not shy. He showed them in bed together.
But the plethora of videos and photos that Mills uses become an irritant and rob the film of a much needed unity and coherence. The viewer is bombarded with too much information as if the film were a documentary of sorts.
In the second season of the much acclaimed gay series Queer As Folk, Bruce Gray starred in a scene as a wealthy gay septuagenarian, (they’re always wealthy) naked and frolicking in bed with his much younger lover.
Also, one cannot help but feel that the romantic (and sexual) relationship between Hal and his younger lover is portrayed as casual and cold, and sometimes parodied as being non-monogamous.
In Beginners the question as to whether old gay men are sexual or like angels, sexless creatures, is moot. In the real world, carnality in gay relationships is placed on a pedestal regardless of age, and the director com-
One also can’t help but feel that Beginners is pretentiously cheerless. It almost now seems de rigueur that gay films should romanticise a pall of gloominess as if film noir were the only genre to be espoused. Gay themed films have gained notoriety for being too James-Deanish, obsessively broody with a penchant for only delving into the darker side of human nature. The demons romanticised in most gay film are always the same: terminal illness, fatalism, drugdependency, suffering, isolation, lonesomeness, ennui and death: (Head On, Brokeback Mountain, My Own Private Idaho, Mysterious Skin, Heartbeats). The maker of this film should have best stuck to designing album covers.— NEVILLE TIRIMBA RATING 1/5
Identity Kenya
GHANA: Woman Marries Woman Two lesbian marriages have reportedly taken place at James Town in the heart of Accra, provoking youth in the area to declare war on all suspected gays and lesbians in the neighborhood.
become victims of mass assault, with some fleeing to seek refuge in other parts of town.
The second marriage ceremony was raided and every suspected lesbian stripped naked and chased out of town with sticks and whips.
It is gathered that the second marriage happened about two weeks ago and the ceremony was conducted under the guise of a birthday party at a place called Printing Press near the Accra High Street in James Town.
Ho mosexuals in the neighborhood have since
The female husband-to-be is said to be a trader and resi-
dent of La, another suburb of Accra, not far from James Town, while her bride is an unemployed resident of James Town. Eyewitnesses said it was an open secret that the wife-tobe was a lesbian so when news went round that she was organizing a ‘birthday party’, people were not surprised to see other suspected lesbians in attendance.—BEHIND THE MASK
Two women kiss | OMGhana
LIBERIA: President On The Spot Over Gays In an interview with The Guardian, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf defended her nation's laws which makes the committing of homosexual acts "voluntary sodomy" - punishable by up to one year in prison. "We like ourselves just the way we are," Sirleaf told the Guardian, when asked about
the law, as well as proposals for even stricter anti-gay legislation. "We've got certain traditional values in our society that we would like to preserve." Sirleaf has long been held up as an example of progressiveness in Africa.
Africa, and she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 because she "contributed to securing peace in Liberia," promoted "economic and social development," and strengthened "the position of women." CBS NEWS Sirleaf Johnson | Liberia’s President | AP
She was the first woman elected president in modern
UGANDA: Gay Activists Sue Cabinet Minister Gay activists in Uganda have a filed a lawsuit against a cabinet minister who they say illegally raided and shut down a LGBT rights workshop last month. Jacqueline Kasha Nabagesera, Frank Mugisha, Julian Pepe Onziema and Geoffrey Ogwaro have filed the suit Page 16
against Uganda’s Minister for Ethics and Integrity Simon Lokodo in the High Court in Kampala. They claim that by closing down the event Lokodo violated their freedom of assembly which is guaranteed under the Ugandan constitution.
On the 14th of February, Lokodo, accompanied by a police escort, appeared at the workshop hosted by Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG) at a hotel in the town of Entebbe. He declared the gathering illegal and threatened to arrest Nabagasera after she challenged his order to disb a n d t h e m e e t i n g . — Fr Simon Lokodo | Ugandan Minister MAMBAGIRL for Ethics & Integrity | NewScience Journalism
Identity Kenya RATED 18; ADVISORY-EXPLICIT CONTENT
Kuchus, Tacos, Dating, One-Night Stands...Church? (Photo | One Night Stand | MillsMFAOneNightStand)
August 2009 Enough is enough! I have to get out there and explore. These loin bulges have become one too many. The porn on the internet is aiding me become a pervert and wasting lots of my modem money considering I’m still struggling in the workplace thanks for being a new staff in a lower cadre. I don’t hand in my college assignments in good time and never even had time to read anything despite the hefty cost of education with my meager income. Keeping up appearances on the outside but very contaminated within though very modern at it is the order of the day. Thank God I’ve not got to the fasting bit like my friend Sage’s partner but what I know is that I pray a lot to God to take away these feelings. Some God that I’m not sure I believe in. I’ve been fighting this for long. Aside from the high school experience where attention from the men folk reigned supreme and preferential treatment was like a Grammy to yours truly, this outside world has a harsh reality on me. I want to meet men and I want to be submissive to an ideal one since they are the ones my loyalties have always been tilted towards since I was eight...but where are they in this homophobic flavored city I live in? >>I >>I February 2012 Now my senior brother ‘This is to all the men I’ve been with: Your pen*s is kinda nice, too bad you are still attached to columnist Barfly it!’ (Quoted from some feisty bitch) I pause here and ask you my queer reader: Just how many men have somewhere in this you met and/or even slept with since you chased down the demons of keeping and suffering to your queer magazine may not self? Let me do a quick math. WAIT! Kindly hold this thought, we’ve moved way too fast. I<< I<< September 2010 necessarily subscribe to I am seated strategically at this establishment’s terrace for the first (and probably the last) time. I have no my sentiments but Tacos clue what happens here. Other than some guys seated opposite me strangely smiling at me and my fine self enjoying that ice cold bottle of ginger ale, I feel relaxed until some not-so-bad-looking man joins me just like its counterparts at my table. ‘Expecting someone?’ I nod my head sideways. He orders for a big bottle of St. Dublin Gates, across the world is like 1759(Guinness Kubwa) which is to be served chilled. He starts a conversation with me which I hesitantly the biblical harem join. We get on to the country’s politics including the recently promulgated constitution. He actually admits that he’s impressed by my grasp of the whole discussion. ‘Gosh, the painful attempts at wit. Clearly this guy thinks he’s hot shit on a stick with rice. I do agree with the shit part, though, but I definitely have my suspicions about that stick.’ My mind wanders. The waiter hovers over and he offers to buy me a second bottle of my drink as he replenishes his when he asks. ‘You don’t take beer?’ I hurriedly with all Mutahi modesty admit I’m on a dentist’s austere instruction not to sip anything with alcohol nuance in it for a fortnight. He buys it. So talk goes on, I respond to a few texts from strange men I’ve been talking to in the past week. His hand is suddenly on my right thigh. I’m a bit shocked but after casting a few glances around the place and notice that no one is really watching, I indulge him. I also comply until I get to the bulging part, unzip it. He’s visibly uncomfortable but we are pretty easy. Satisfied with the act of surveying, I suggest we get out of this place, go somewhere private. He suggests his car across the street as we are on the stairs. >>I >>I Today Now my senior brother columnist Barfly somewhere in this magazine may not necessarily subscribe to my sentiments but Tacos just like its counterparts across the world is like the biblical harem. Those of you who have a hint of anything biblical, remember Esther, that fine ass lady who impressed a King or something to be crowned a queen? Yeah, only that in this case you don’t have a prince to choose in the harem but rather you sample the best d*ck to go home with. Unless circumstances have changed but the last time I was there, the tables at the terrace and the lighting just make it the best for this sinful but vital task. My loins have really done for me a lot of thinking in the past. CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
Identity Kenya (Ugandan gay activists at the World Social Forum, 2007 | Uganda Beat)
William (not a real name) described how a militia gang came to his home one afternoon in one of Nairobi’s neighborhoods. The gang members kidnapped William and his friend and took them to an unfinished building site where they were stripped naked and beaten with construction posts embedded with nails. The thugs had compiled a hit list of names of suspected homosexuals and they threatened to kill William and his friend unless they each paid them Kenya Shillings 550,000 [approximately US$6,500]. After several hours of beatings, and attempted negotiations by William, a passer by finally alerted the police, who arrested the gang members. Cases of extortion by members of the public and the police are a common phenomenon. For the most part individuals pay for fear of the consequences of being called a sexual minority. However, as an indication of the changing times, William decided to prosecute his attackers. William— an organizer of a community health group that works with men having sex with men (MSM), including sex workers, around HIV/ AIDS concerns—said he had had enough. William showed up in court alone and identified his attackers. Despite pleas from their families for forgiveness he demanded they face the full extent of the law. The suspects are now in custody and their case is awaiting a hearing. William is represented by a lawyer hired by the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK) in conjunction with the Kenya Human Rights Commission. William was forced to find money and move to a different part of the city for fear of further attacks and retaliation for the court action. He however has no regrets and appears in court whenever his case is up for mention. William insists that he is a proud gay man and he has not done anything wrong to warrant these types of attacks and hopefully his action will stop others from doing the same. The LGBTI community in East Africa like other parts of the world is not homogenous. Transgender, transsexual and intersex people, have a very different experience to lesbians, gays and bisexuals. There is little or no understanding in the entire East African region about what it means to be transgender. There is a common misconception that transgender women are men ‘dressing as women’ or that they are simply gay. This is not the case, as being transgender is about gender identity and not about sexuality. Even medical personnel are not properly trained to deal with this issue. A few years ago, a transgender person who was suffering from acute depression went to a clinical officer to ask for a referral to a psychiatrist. The clinical officer, quoting from the bible rather than a medical text, advised that the problem was caused because the patient was not living by God’s word and that she should not sleep with other men. She left at that point, and did not seek further help until a year later after experiencing suicidal thoughts. As a result of this and many other negative experiences, a group of transgender individuals have formed the first transgender and intersex advocacy group in Kenya. The organization is spearheading education and advocacy activities and slowly challenging national policies that affect the lives of the transgender and intersex community.
Despite this extremely homophobic and transphobic environment, a nascent and determined LGBTI community is emerging that is beginning to challenge the hostility and demand their rights as citizens of the region
In 2009 in Uganda, a draconian Anti-Homosexuality bill was proposed, also known as the Bahati bill after the Member of Parliament who tabled it. To the offences already contained in the penal code, it proposed to add a slew of new ones including homosexuality, aggravated homosexuality (which carried the death penalty), the promotion of homosexuality, and failure to report homosexuals to the state. Further, article 18 of the bill would have required the “nullification of ratified international treaties that are inconsistent with it.” The Civil Society Coalition on Human Rights and Constitutional Law has made representations to the Ugandan Parliamentary Committee charged with reviewing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill on the grounds that it violates provisions of international human rights law and the Ugandan constitution. The coalition is made up of Ugandan gay rights activists and civil society allies that oppose the hate speech, discrimination and violence directed at sexual minorities by Ugandan politicians, churches, and the media. Twice, this controversial bill has lapsed without being passed when the parliamentary session closed. Denying people fundamental human rights can mean the difference between life or death. The African Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (ACTV) based in Uganda has provided medical services to persons who have been tortured by state security forces on suspicion of being homosexual.
Identity Kenya (Marchers at event marking Wold AIDS Day | HomoRazzi)
In 2009, Brian Pande, a 21-year-old gay Ugandan man, and Fred Wasukira, a transgender person, were arrested as suspected homosexuals. They were held in police cells for 11 days before being charged with having ‘carnal knowledge against the order of nature’. Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) organized legal aid and court bail for the two accused, but they were unable to process Brian’s case due to lack of documents. Brian was badly beaten by the police while in custody and upon his release died shortly after ‘of unknown causes’ in hospital while awaiting trial. It is widely believed that his death is connected to the injuries sustained to his head while in police custody. In recognition of the rights to privacy, human dignity, and protection from inhuman treatment, a Kampala court ordered the Ugandan magazine, The Rolling Stone, to compensate individuals affected by a headline story in which the faces, names, residences and other personal details of alleged homosexuals ran alongside the headline “Hang Them.” The January 2011 High Court judgment also restrained the paper and its employees from any further publication of such articles inciting violence against gay people. Sadly, the injunction did not come soon enough for David Kato—a prominent Ugandan gay rights activist whose photo was featured—found bludgeoned to death in his home near Kampala in February 2011. Kato’s death was a huge loss to the human rights community in East Africa. The virulent campaign seeking to strip the LGBTI community of basic human rights through hate speech, discrimination and violence emanates heavily from some Christian religious quarters, with strong support from US based evangelic churches and religious leaders. Three American evangelicals: Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge, and Don Schmierer, held a three-day conference on homosexuality in Kampala, Uganda in March 2009. A The LGBTI community in video from the conference reveals that Lively believes gay people to be behind the Nazi holocaust and shows him defining gay people as child molesters (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amVnWtpR1is). East Africa like other parts of the world is not Such religious extremism, misinformation, and intolerance for others is thankfully offset by other more constructive religious efforts in the region to promote tolerance, understanding and inclusion. In Uganda, homogenous. Transgender, the United Religions Initiative (URI) Great Lakes Chapter, an Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa transsexual and intersex (OSIEA) grantee, is piloting a project to promote inter religious dialogue to promote social cohesion and people, have a very peace. different experience to These few examples are an indication that LGBTI individuals and groups are beginning to lay claim to lesbians, gays and bisexuals their rights as citizens, and that a brave and determined movement seems to be in the offing in East Africa. Equally encouraging is the June 2011 resolution adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council expressing grave concern and mandating a global study to document the serious acts of violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.—NGURU KARUGU This article first appeared in OSIEA; It was reprinted with permission
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Identity Kenya (Tacos bar sign | Facebook)
Recall that time I found myself in a man’s kitchen on a Sunday morning boiling some water at least to have some black coffee before leaving for home? See, I’d met him the previous day, had a great time with him then I went home with him at some not so godly-approved hours of a Sunday morning 130KM or thereabout away from the city. The dilemma with a one night stand is that it’s just that. The pretty boys’ code states that you shall not wake him up but rather leave without bothering him. How many of us have lost all those husband material men we’ve always been looking for to this thing? The last one nightie I had, he woke up prematurely and found me gearing up to leave so when he enquired where I was going I told him that I was heading home and absolutely had no problem If he never got in touch with me and he looked a bit puzzled I must admit though he was very dignified. The pretty boys’ theory suggests that there will never be something tangible if you expect a connection with him after a one nightie. You were too easy for a first date and Morgan, my guy friend opines that even gay men like hunting just like their straight counterparts. This reminds me, those pretty boys who think waking up and trying to tidy his messed up digs will make you the one; pretty, you are wasting your time. Your responsibility is limited to the night before. Have you ever realized that guys always end up serious with some random bitch that you clearly never saw coming when you thought you were the designated one? Then there is that date from June 2011 who suggested we meet in his church on Sunday saying how he’s vibrant and wanted me to become part of it. Okay I’m told kuchus don’t do church and it’s actually swag. Personally I can’t remember the exact last time I interacted on a personal level with men of the cloth unless those ones who occasionally get into public vehicles on Ngong Road. I think it was somewhere around October 2010. I know I’m a lost course when it comes to matters religion but I think it’s quite a susceptible issue and just because you have your deep convictions I don’t think you should really impose them on anyone. I won’t close my eyes to this thing of gay dating. You interact with someone online and they’ve already done a wedding, honeymoon and are already in the future with you. When you come around to the coffee date, expectations are very high. The last time I touched this area, somebody labeled me too opinionated but this is exactly how nice guys operate. They treat all encounters with pretty boys as a form of speed dating and then get annoyed when it’s revealed that the bitch getting coffee was, in fact, actually getting coffee rather than cruising for The pretty boys’ theory suggests that there will an emotionally co-dependent shit storm. never be something Have you finished the math? Fine! My list has been divided into three categories. The total number of tangible if you expect a men I’ve met since August 2009, the ones I’ve slept with and the ones I’ve seriously slept with. It’s in the connection with him tens, tens again and ones respectively! Oh and I’ll keep track of it from today henceforth! - COLE MUafter a one nightie TAHI
Of Teachers, Identities, Attitudes, Gender & Celebrations (Image | I Left My Heart)
You are a pupil all your life until you pass away (not out). But some teachers, or should I say masters, come in different types, callings and attitude. Get out of the class-room perception and let your mind and general focus be free. Having been exorcised, here is my story. Once upon a time in one very famous capital city was a leader who, finding many side street slots labelled “no parking”, asked his body guard why Mr. “No parking” seemed to be more visible and popular than the president? ‘May be Mr. President you need to have all your names and titles put up in very public places as well’, said the body guard in reply. Thus, began an unprecedented spell of long-winded introductions every time this president was presiding over any occasion. This was extended to the times he was chairman of OAU (then) and also a president of a UN standing committee representing the “non-aligned countries” on disarmament when we had two worlds then. Page 20
CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
Identity Kenya
Chronicles V: When BarFly Visited Mombasa (Shanzu Beach, Mombasa | KenyaLogy)
One of the things about living and drinking as a gay man in Nairobi is that one forgets that there are other towns around the country with a whole different bunch of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and intersex people to be met. Some years ago, I had a gay friend visiting me from the US and I was acting as his tour guide around the country. He had been to Nairobi several times for work and leisure, in fact we had first met at Gipsy bar, during one of its “gay bar fame” peaks in the late 1990s. During these peaks at Gipsy you could not swivel on a bar stool without bumping into a gay man. Most were local, but often there were foreign gay men who came out in search of the scene. Taxi drivers from the big hotels in the city centre seemed to know that when a foreigner asked to be taken to a gay bar in Nairobi, the place to take and drop them was Gipsy Bar. Anyway, as I was entertaining my American buddy, we decided to take a weekend visit to Mombasa to enjoy the beach and check out the gay scene there. My friend was planning to come to a big conference in One of the things about Mombasa later that year and wanted to know whether there were bars there that he could frequent during living and drinking as a the conference to hook up with other gay guys. gay man in Nairobi is that one forgets that Before leaving for Mombasa I decided to ring up a gay pal who lived there and who could take us around the bars to check out the scene. Goodness knows I had done the same for him a number of times in Nai- there are other towns around the country with robi. a whole different bunch When we arrived in the coastal town, my local buddy had fallen ill and when we spoke on the phone said of gays, lesbians, he would not be in a position to take us exploring the city’s gay hot spots that night. However, all was not bisexuals, transgender lost and he did let us have the name of two venues that he thought might be what we were looking for. and intersex people to be met I had been to Mombasa a few times before, but often with relatives or with office colleagues and always in situations where I was forced to be closeted. However, now that I had been dragged kicking and screaming out of the closet (another story for another day) I was curious to explore the city with an openly gay eye. I had always been aware that there was some sort of fabulous scene there and I had always wanted to explore it. So, with the names of two bars scribbled down on a piece of paper, my American friend and I walked out of our room at the then newly refurbished Castle Hotel in the city centre, looking good, smelling wonderful and with a sense of adventure. My Mombasa buddy had suggested we start off at a nearby bar called the Casablanca. This was a great name for a bar, one that held the promise of some discreet fun, if it was anything like its Nairobi namesake. My Mombasa friend had said we should have dinner at Casablanca and then head off elsewhere if we wanted to meet more or different guys. Casablanca Mombasa was a huge disappointment. First of all it was nothing like its Nairobi namesake. In fact it reminded me more of Annie Oakley’s near Milimani, Nairobi, than Casablanca in Kilimani. There were more women in the place than men, and when the women saw me and my white American friend they assumed we were there in search of girls who just wanted to have fun and made no bones about coming on to us. CONTINUED ON PAGE 23
Identity Kenya
IRELAND: President Slams Homophobia Irish President Michael D Higgins has addressed a youth organization about the evils of homophobia. Speaking at a conference organized by the Foróige organization, President Higgins spoke out against what he termed “the appalling, destructive reality of homophobia.”
He went on to discuss the trauma that can arise in young people who are subjected to both homophobic and racist insults and violence “The idea that any young person would be driven not just to lower selfesteem, exclusion, isolation and loneliness – but [also to] self-destruction – is an appalling blight on a society.”
He added: “We have to ask about how racism gets going, how homophobia does its destructive work, how isolation tears at a person’s wanting to exist, how important every person is. These are important issues, not merely emotional issues.” - PINKNEWS
Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins | PinkNews
USA: Gay, Lesbian Mass Wedding Held Couples in traditional wedding attire – including some women in tuxedos – gathered in the Galleria.
had the same intention: to send a message to the state of Ohio to recognize same-sex marriage.
More than 200 gay and lesbian couples from across the state participated in what they called the "largest illegal mass wedding ever held."
Hundreds of friends and relatives of the brides and grooms joined the celebration as eight priests and ministers recited marriage vows to couples of all ages.
While some were dressed in more casual attire they all
speeches by activists on the steps of Cleveland City Hall, where a gay pride flag flew under the American flag.— ILGA
A couple enters the Galleria where they were married in a mass gay wedding Saturday in Cleveland | ILGA
The afternoon ceremony followed more than an hour of
WORLD: Mr Gay World Finalists Announced In South Africa from the 4th to the 10th of April for judging, Mr Gay World finalists competing in various events and, finally, appearing on stage for the Grand Finale on 8 April when Mr. Gay World 2012 will be crowned have been announced.
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Mr Gay World is an annual contest for gay men, seeking to establish ambassadors for Gay and Human Rights, with winners of national contests competing as delegates in a variety of categories. This competition is the most publicized gay contest in the world.
Mr. Gay World Grand Finale is set to take place in the dynamic city of Johannesburg, South Africa, April 4-8, 2012.
Mr Gay World Logo | FR2Day
Identity Kenya (Mombasa | Mombasa 411)
My American friend managed to get us out of the clutches of one particularly forceful female sex worker and we managed to escape this place, catch our breath and go in search of the next and only other place on our comprehensive list of two venues. The next place was called the Mercury Bar. After seeing what Casablanca was like, I held out no hope, but my American buddy insisted that we try and find it, just to see what it was like. Outside Casablanca we asked a couple of cab drivers where the place was and they claimed not to know. So I called my Mombasa buddy again and he gave us directions on how to get there on foot. In fact it was just a hop skip and a jump away from our hotel. As I had predicted, this Mercury Bar was in no way comparable to its Nairobi namesake. In fact the entrance was so nondescript that we walked past a couple of times before we found it. As we walked in, we saw a couple of groups of customers sitting, drinking and chatting. They seemed to sense our presence and all turned to see who we were. Meanwhile the bar man/ cum waiter a most wonderful smiling tall fellow came to welcome us inside. We were soon to find out the name of this our jolly host, it was Lazima. Shortly afterwards the owner of the bar also came and introduced himself and welcomed us. Not the most glamorous of bars I have ever been to, but certainly one of the most friendly and soon, the regular customers were joining us and chatting and within no time I could say I had finally found Kenya’s one and only really open gay bar (this was before Olive’s in Nairobi). As we were all drinking and chatting, a couple of uniformed and armed policemen on patrol, popped in. I immediately thought it was some sort of raid and wondered if this would be some sort of Stonewall moment. I got the shock of my life when the cops waved heartily to all said they hoped we were enjoying ourselves and walked back out without once asking for a bribe or intimidating anyone in the style of the Nairobi counterparts. When I mentioned this to Lazima and the owner of the bar, they said the cops were friendly and kept an eye out on the bar and that way they never got any hassle. When I see the pressure gay people in Mombasa and up and down the Kenyan coast are under these days, I look back and think that that night in Mombasa with my US pal and all the rest of the guys and girls were the last of the glory days.
Not the most glamorous of bars I have ever been to, but certainly one of the most friendly and soon, the regular customers were joining us and chatting and within no time I could say I had finally found Kenya’s one and only really open gay bar (this was before Shortly afterwards I directed all my Nairobi friends to Mombasa’s Mercury Bar and all of them loved it Olive’s in Nairobi)
but it was not to be open for much longer and soon I heard the sad new that the bar had closed down
I wonder now what happened to everyone who drank at the bar, its management and owners. Where are they now? And what is the Mombasa gay bar scene like now? - BARFLY
PEMA-KENYA Appoints Lawyer As Legal Officer In a statement, PEMAKENYA, Mombasa’s LGBTI group have appointed Michael Maundu Kioko as their new Legal and Advocacy Officer. Maundu holds a Bachelors Page 23
Degree in Law from the University of Nairobi and a Diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law, Nairobi. He is duly licensed Advocate
of the High Court of Kenya
and a member of the Law Society of Kenya. He has served in various law firms but has also done pro bono work for LGBTI persons since 2007.
Identity Kenya
How No, No, No, Eventually Leads To Yes (Image | Speak Up 9ja)
In the book ‘The End of Poverty’, Jeffrey D. Sachs recounts how he worked as a Harvard professor and then as an advisor to help alleviate hyperinflation and debt crises in Bolivia. He then moved on to helping Poland. Part of the successes he had with these two countries was working closely with key political and government figures to understand the countries’ root problems and plan country reforms. The other thing he did which helped was to lobby successfully for debt cancellations or reductions from IMF and donor countries. It was not easy to achieve this. The IMF and donor countries did not easily agree to cancel their debts. In fact Jeffrey had to push relentlessly and not take no for an answer. One important thing that Jeffrey did was to encourage both the Bolivian and Polish people to take control of their own economy. For instance, in both the Bolivian and Polish cases, the people were encouraged to say no to debt re-servicing when their countries were being torn apart by numerous problems, including debt. At one event a new Polish Prime Minister and reformers came to power and were sharing it with the old government. Jeffrey had an opportunity to speak to the polish people in front of an American senator and other senior polish officials. He A large part of Kenyan told the people to thank their creditors and tell them that they were in a free and democratic era and could society is extremely therefore not pay soviet-era debts. After this event, and with more pushing for debt cancellation, the polresistance to understanding ish people started a new era of stabilizing their own economy. and accepting sexual
Likewise, we can make analogies of these events to our own fight for recognition, acceptance and justice. minorities. Their inability to A large part of Kenyan society is extremely resistance to understanding and accepting sexual minorities. understand, or shallow Their inability to understand, or shallow understanding of, the fact that sexual orientation is an innate understanding of, the fact quality of human beings, is coupled with a more problematic lack of understanding of the variations that that sexual orientation is an sexual orientation takes. My personal feeling about the root cause of this is that Kenyan society has been innate quality of human too closed for too long. By this I mean that as a people, we have been satisfied to believe in what little beings, is coupled with a information we have been fed by ‘authorities’ in the subject. Rather than ask the uncomfortable questions more problematic lack of understanding of the about sexuality, we have contributed peddling half truths, fantasies and down-right lies concerning a subvariations that sexual ject that everyone seems interested in but few have the courage to talk candidly about. Nor have we tried orientation takes to seek more information on the topic through active and enthusiastic research. When Professor Sachs had worked in Russia without much success, he moved to China, which at the time was making remarkable reforms and zooming ahead in economic progress. China had, until the 16th century, been a technological superpower (in navigation, warfare and printing). Thereafter the Ming Emperor closed China to external trade and exploration. This led to centuries of ruin which only truly changed during the Teng era in the 1980s. At this point major universities opened up large research endeavors on economic reforms. The other aspect that happened was that there was a spontaneous agricultural boom because farmers were free to farm on their own plots instead of communal farms. This was followed by a freedom to leave farms and work in rural industries called village enterprises, which opened up millions of new jobs. I would venture to make the analogy between this and with the benefits of having an open society that cherishes freedom of thought and engagement. Of course this does not take into account the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
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Identity Kenya One of the problems that the IMF, donor countries and creditor banks had was their unwillingness or inability to accurately analyze the roots of the problems that prevented developing countries from lifting themselves out of poverty. Even when it was pointed out to them, they often stubbornly and irrationally refused to prescribe the kind of assistance that would have eased the burden off these distressed developing countries. A case in point is the recent interference by the IMF in Kenya’s financial sector, that led to the dollar exchange rate going way above the Kenya Shilling 100 mark (Nation Television, 2012). Likewise, when sexual minorities inform the rest of society about the facts regarding sexual orientation, and the challenges experienced, it is expected that society would listen. But this is not often the case. We hear the words ‘no, no, no’ from society so often that it is easy to get disheartened. Jeffery Sachs mentions beginning to work in Africa in the mid-1990s. He chaired the World Health Organization (WHO) Commission of macroeconomists and public health specialists who were mandated to explain to the WHO and donor countries the cost implications of the health crisis in Africa and the cost benefits of helping Africa with disease control. He says that his favorite ‘hypothesis about collective rationality is that if you put people of strong opposing views in a room together, and infuse their discussion with data, background studies, and unhurried time for debate, it is possible to bridge seemingly irreconcilable positions among the members of the group’. It is what he calls analytical deliberation. He goes on to say that during the Commission’s discussions, the different commissioners were deeply divided over the cause of Africa’s economic situation, some saying that it was the fault of Africans for their own mismanagement, other saying that it was the fault of the pharmaceutical industry for its greed or the rich world for its malign neglect. But by the end of the two year process, a consensus had been reached not just amongst the commissioners but also amongst experts in technical working groups, the NGO community and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry. In like manner, if we were to regularly sit with members of the public and state officials, to dialogue around issues of sexuality, might we not eventually come to an amicable conclusion? I think so. However, with all the dialogue and work - even if we make progress ‘battles are never won, just pushed forward to new terrain’, as Jeffery puts it. Still, for human rights advocates, activists and the larger LGBTI community small successes are a source of great joy and begin to make all the difference in people’s lives.—AKINYI M. OCHOLLA Still, for human rights References: Sachs, D.J., 2005: The End of Poverty. Economic possibilities for our time. Nation Television news, 15th February 2012: IMF involvement in Kenya’s Shilling free fall.** (Image | FlipThisWholeSaler)
advocates, activists and the larger LGBTI community small successes are a source of great joy and begin to make all the difference in people’s lives
New York City spend last year KShs 150 Million to attract this group with advertisements and campaigns that included ads in gay magazines. It is estimated that last year over 45 million people visited NYC and spend 30 Billion dollars! Players in the international tourism industry believe that gay people with two incomes are less likely to cut back on travel, in this recession time, like heterosexuals with families, who take now a cheaper or no holiday at all. In The Netherlands, The Hague, the seat of Government and Parliament and referred to as the “ City of Peace and Justice” hosted a “Pink/ Gay Saturday “ attracting half a million people from all races and backgrounds, supported by the mayor, residents and the business community. The potential and buying power of people with a different orientation is huge. In Argentina, gay tourism is making up 20% of the total visitors and other South America countries are following suit. Next door, Cape Town is voted as one of the top 5- gay destinations worldwide with gay friendly administrators and a safe & vibrant nightlife. Organizations are quite inventive to attract the gay community e.g. in the Netherlands the biggest Fancy fair in Europe is held in the small town of Tilburg. The numbers of visitors declined every year and on certain days hardly any business. A local radio station told gays and gay friendly people to come on Monday and make it a “ Rainbow “ event. A success story, Pink-Monday is now the busiest day of the week and attracted over 300,000 visitors last year. It also helped that special trains were scheduled transporting 24-hours- day & night -visitors from all over the country to this city in Brabant, southern Holland.
Identity Kenya Now, that took half the required time for giving speeches at these plenary but somehow he was accommodated. The psyche of the nation he led was taken over for all the time he was in power. The citizens also took up this habit. There is a saying: the wounds that affect the chief infect the subjects. Thus that saying came to pass. In life we have aural and optical teachers who may not necessarily be physical humans. Culture is one such teacher. Our cultures are related and also unrelated. Cultures are fluid and do fit in the vessels that contain them. Language and relations are the very key in this fluidity. I kept on wondering at this obsession of asking about time and also keeping it. In one culture “sawa” a word borrowed from Swahili “saa” means time. In another urbanized culture it means okay. But I got to learn this at the expensive of asking two of my girlfriends why they continued saying “sawa” at every end of a conversation even if it was in English! Was it because they were rushing to go somewhere? Having known culture is fluid, one then wonders why culture also persists in passing down its “sabre curriculum”. Things will be as they were passed on by our fore folks and no room for ingenuity or change or initiative. The “dragon slayer curriculum” on the other hand posits pragmatism and accommodation. It encourages one to cut the cloth according to material. You are asking what the material is! Gender, identity and orientation constitute the material. How well do you know your gender parking slots? How well do you know your identity parking slots? How well do you know your orientation parking slots? The identity-slot (most visible) has to be paid for and affirming your identity requires you to understand and balance your innate felt needs emotional-wise, spiritual-wise, financial-wise, skill-wise, street wise, politik-wise, sexual-wise, psycho-wise, social-wise and relation -wise. Gender and orientation vehicles fit in the parking slot later. You will then be able to impose your self- image, have your name with extended appendages and be able to make a mark. The gay culture is not one that celebrates laziness, or beer parties or orgies. Written in strict conduct code and engagement in positive work, it calls for engageThe gay culture is not ment and contribution to society. I do not want to put out a list of great giants (deceased and living) whom one that celebrates it is also whispered are of the gay inclination. That would take up the whole space my publisher allotted to laziness, or beer parties me. or orgies. Written in But my message is that whoever indoctrinated the gay movement that social engagement is synonymous strict conduct code and to parties (especially birthday parties), frolicking and happy go lucky tendencies should come back and re engagement in positive -indoctrinate the movement. He seems to be popular. work, it calls for engagement and The movement should embrace what is known as the “social-responsive attitudes”-SPAs. Where there are planned targets to meet, engagement in positive work, genuine desire to work and earn a living, industri- contribution to society ousness, recognizing best practices, punishing misdemeanour, optimizing initiative and rewarding success.—THOMAS MUYUNGA Kenya is still not on the travel map of gays because of lack of positive information, security concerns and uncertainty if gay singles & couples will be made welcome. Checking websites one finds Kenyan companies who are after the pink dollar, and quite a few tour operators are claiming to be gay friendly. Interestingly, I could not find hotels advertising themselves as gay owned or gay friendly, but recently a group of Kenyan guys with their male partners went to the Maasai Mara for a long weekend. The main question still arises, is Kenya and the hospitality industry ready to welcome gays spending their pink dollars on accommodation, safaris and cultural experiences? Is it not yet time to promote Kenya as a destination with a gay community and guys who are interested to act as professional guides to show the beauty of their country and introduce the visitors to their friends? - HANS SPARTACUS (Image | 123rf) Page 26
Identity Kenya
Bisexual Men In Kenya Suffering In Painful Silence (Image | BlackHealthZone)
We had a meeting of about 16 bisexual men in a hotel in the city of Nairobi on March 20th. The participants were aged between 35 to 57 years old. This was a privately guarded venue with adequate security. Participants coming for the seminar were very cautious and nothing was left to chance to avoid being seen by other people. Other Sheep Afrika-Kenya organized this seminar in collaboration with Changing Attitude. As regards our LGBTI ministry, this was a unique group that is not easy to find for a meeting like this one. Our volunteer at Other Sheep Afrika-Kenya who was organizing with mobilization reminded me that this is discreet since they are married men with families and any window of disclosure can be disastrous since they have a name to keep. After the introduction, we realized that all the participants came from various denominational background and they were holding diverse responsibilities in their denominations in Nairobi. These were also professionals from diverse backgrounds working in various sectors of our economy ranging from formal to informal sector. They were also married family men with children. I explained to them about the vision of Other Sheep Afrika-Kenya as a society that is non-discriminative and inclusive of LGBTI community. Our mission is to restore human dignity to LGBTI and address religious homophobia through education and advocacy in Kenya. One participant called Alex said that he was gay and was involved in the same sex relationships. When reached age 32 years, his mother and aunt in the rural village of western Kenya brought a beautiful girl for him as a wife. He was disturbed on that day and ran back to Nairobi since this was not his sexual orientation, his place of work. To avoid hurting his family and due to pressure, he went back to the village to meet his wife. On that he had to take some hard wine so that he could get the courage of sleeping with his wife. He had He explained to the lady also to fantasize about his boyfriend in Nairobi so that he could perform sexually. He has now two chil- that he was gay but the dren. He said, “I love my wife and may be I do not satisfy her but I still enjoy better sex with my boy- lady insisted that it is friend.” fine; that her love Another participant called Tom said that whenever there is some news on gay issues on television or towards him will solve newspapers, he asks his wife’s comments. The wife responds, “Nonsense, how will you do if your son is this issue like that”. He said that he keeps quite stopping any further conversation on the topic. He has now gone further by bringing in the house gay magazines but his wife does not take any keen interest on them. He is indirectly doing all this tricks to create educational awareness for his wife on sexuality issues. He is afraid it is not working the way he thought. Stephen, an Anglican said that he is married with one child but still keeps his same sex partner. He regrets that he married a woman but also blames his Kikuyu culture. He is afraid that where he lives there is Mungiki [Militia gangs] who can cut off his head if it is known that he is gay. He said that he keeps his mobile phone discreetly close to his heart. He said, “ I even shower while watching my cell phone and ensure that my wife cannot read my messages or receive calls since she can get information about my same-sex lovers…I am not sure if she has suspected me”. Paul told us a story of a bisexual pastor whose wife captured evidence that indicated that he was having sexual relationship with another man. The wife has virtually made this man to be under her mercy through demanding money and other programs from him lest he is exposed. This servant of God is literally caged and he has continued paying for his protection or less the wife releases the dossier to the church and community. This pastor is scared of the eventually consequences of this action. One participant called Marc who claimed he was a born again Christian and church elder said that as a bisexual man, he feels he is going against the Word of God as regards adultery. This disturbs his conscience so much but he has no choice. He has prayed and fasted but the urge of love for same sex partner has refused to evaporate. But he has read the Bible and he is convinced that the Sodom and Gomorrah narrative does not talk about homosexuality but gang rape and lack of hospitality. ‘ I think biblical David was gay since he was having intimate relationship with Jonathan.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 29
Identity Kenya
Lesbianism In Kenyan High Schools: What Is Fact? (Image | Daily Nation)
Following the publication of an article the Standard about Riara Girls Academy that purports to ‘curtail abnormal lesbian behaviour’ in its students, through religious education, counselling as well as strict rules on physical contact between students, and the recent incident where 12 girls from Kadzozo High School in Kilifi were ‘sent away’ over lesbian claims, and as a lesbian and former student at Huruma Girls Secondary School and having gone through an ‘outing’ that saw me humiliated, probed and shamed, I am deeply concerned over some of the presumptions contained in the aforesaid article. I feel that the article was rather absurd, hypocritical, judgemental, and guilty of presumption and factually wrong. Some of these need correction. They are that: Homosexuality can be cured through ‘cognitive behavioural psychotherapy and religious guidance’ The normalcy of homosexuality has been generally accepted by the greater scientific community for over 30 years - the American Psychiatric Association, the oldest medical specialty society, removed homosexuI insist that ality as a mental disorder from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in homosexuality is not a 1973. The American Psychological Association (APA) adopted a resolution urging mental health professionals to avoid telling clients that they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or other treat- disorder or choice or ments. They have even cited that such reparative and curative therapy can in fact be harmful to the general ‘situational;’ thus cannot health and social Ill being of the homosexual. be changed or unlearned or cured. I also insist Homosexuality is a learned behaviour; situational or at best, results of a chequered environment or upthat it is a valid, bringing legitimate and healthy The research on homosexuality is very clear. Homosexuality is neither mental illness nor moral depravity form of sexual nor a choice. It is simply the way a minority of a population expresses human love and sexuality. A same- expression that has been sex gender setting e.g. high school, army or prison, drugs, peer influence, lack of parental guidance – dilargely ignored, vorce, separation, lack of a father, e.t.c. – pornography, or any other externals do not lead people to be homosexuals. Same sex activity or practices in such settings does not necessarily mean that the said actors criticized, attacked and are orientated as homosexuals. blamed unjustly Homosexuality is a choice Being a homosexual is not a choice. Why would anyone choose a lifestyle that is oft discriminated and condemned from all quarters? Why decide to engage in something ‘immoral’, ‘degrading’, ‘evil’ and one mentioned in the same breath as paedophilia, abortion or murder? Study after study documents the gay men and lesbians did not choose their orientation. Studies on judgment, stability, reliability, and social and vocational adaptiveness all show that gay men and lesbians function every bit as Ill as heterosexuals. Homosexuals are not stigmatised I beg to differ with this. Homosexuality and homosexuals are discriminated, attacked, abused and suffer in the hands of a cruel and unforgiving community, society, nation and world who view them as abnormal and immoral. Often using religious quotes, the culture/tribe card and amazingly a sense of (internalised) homophobia, many have taken it upon themselves to be rude, hateful, and openly vicious, to the point of violence, against homosexuals. Here in Kenya, it is not easy to be (openly) gay. Stigma, fear of rejection, even death – and rightly so as it is the sad reality – force many homosexuals to hide. CONTINUED ON PAGE 30
Identity Kenya (Image | DrgonRidngFaeryWitch)
We had to explain about biblical interpretations that have caused a lot of suffering. The cardinal principle of committed same sex loving relationships still stands. A story was told by Peter of a gay man in one of the Nairobi churches who wanted to marry a lady because of pressure from the church and family. He explained to the lady that he was gay but the lady insisted that it is fine; that her love towards him will solve this issue. When the time for the honey came, the man’s manhood shrunk when he saw the woman naked. They are still working on the reconstruction of their sexual relationship in the midst of unhappiness and disappointments. Two participants said that their gay partners are pastors and they display elements of homophobia as a way of self-dense so that no one can suspect them. These are religious leaders who are struggling to be religiously right due to religious and cultural homophobia. They also fear loosing their jobs and income. Some of the participants said that they have no regrets if their wives deserted them and left them with the children to care. They will have the freedom and happiness and they will live the way God wanted them to be. John said that he is looking for an opportunity to come out to his wife. “When that right time comes, I will explain to Mama Liz that I am sorry I have never told you this, I am gay and this is me,” he said. Fear of the media was demonstrated since they were not ready to be ‘outed.’ Being ‘outed’ can make them loose everything in their lives, the results can be loss of jobs/business, family, spiritual and physical violence. They have build names to jealously safeguard. They also dreaded blackmail from some young gay men. This made some of them to have their adult gay clubs to avoid any form of identity with some young gay men who can put them in trouble through exposure and extortion. The participants expressed their fears as regards sexuality health issues. They are afraid to visit health facilities when they have anal health issues since the health care providers can mock them and leak this information to their families. They do Fear of the media was not tell their wives the true nature of their sickness and resort to self-medication. They are worried about being infected with HIV and later on infecting their wives; killing their families. It was said one bisexual demonstrated since they were not ready to be man died recently of AIDS related complications and never told his wife due to self-denial in regard to HIV and homosexuality. He used to get ARVS from an MSM organization and never disclosed to his wife outed. Being outed can until he died last month. make them loose The participants requested that the LGBTI organizations in Kenya should target them in their programs in everything in their lives, terms of spirituality issues vis-à-vis of sexuality, health issues and human rights. They are hungry and the results can be loss of thirsty for these services more than ever before. Lastly, we distributed materials on human sexuality and jobs/business, family, brochures from Other Sheep Afrika-Kenya to them for future reference. They have promised to be meetspiritual and physical ing monthly for fellowship and dialogue on issues of sexuality and spirituality. violence Indeed, bisexual men are suffering in painfully silence in Kenya.—JOHN MAKOKHA PS: Names used have been concealed to protect the real identity of the participants.
Upcoming Queer Events According to Q-Events Kenya, the social media site for queer community events, there will be two parties in the next couple of weeks for queer people. The two, to be held in Westlands will be on March 31 and the other is to be held during the Easter season on April 7th. The first,
dubbed, Rainbow-Party of the Easter Function will precede the As I Am Easter party.
with better content and features.
The Identity Kenya website will be officially launched on April 2nd, 2012. The website, that was undergoing routine maintenance will be back
www.youtube.com/watch? v=aUwr4CpEPQw&feature=ga l l u&context=G2baeb4cFAAAAAA AAAAA
A24 featured our Editor in this video here— http://
Happy April Fools Day! Page 29
Image | Q-Events Kenya | Facebook
Identity Kenya (Photo | Amazon)
Homosexuality is a form of punishment; a rite of passage or recruitment Both articles suggests that girls are forced to be lesbians as a rite of passage or to avoid punishment or torture at the hands of much older girls. Whereas I agree, to some extent, that anal sex has been used to degrade and humiliate people as has been evidenced by armies of old where prisoners of war underwent this act, that practice, humiliating and demeaning as it was, is different, to a very large extent, with the homosexual orientation. Sadly, this practice has been documented in some schools. I affirm that such practices, done to degrade others, be condemned and handled with the school authorities. People are equating being gay to being a paedophile I might say, psychologically paedophilia applies to an adult having sexual contact with a prepubescent child - such a person is rarely cured, that is, given the chance will probably repeat the exploitation. Europhilia applies to an adult having sexual contact with a post pubescent child/youth - such a person may only engage in such on one occasion or with one victim; if repeated, there can be hope of a "cure" in the sense that the offender can learn to avoid the behaviour. Legally, the term paedophilia might be used for a crime of an adult having sex with a child below the age of 18. Homosexuality is The research on the attraction of a person to their own gender. It has homosexuality is very been found out that majority of paedophilia occurs clear. Homosexuality is within families or by close relatives. Also most remarkable is the fact that the perpetrators of paedophilia identity as heterosexuals. I homosexuals, being of free will and sound mind and of correct judgment, neither mental illness chose to enter into meaningful relationships, sexual, emotional or otherwise, with other homosexuals of nor moral depravity nor a choice. It is simply the the same disposition i.e. adults. Consensual sex is our agenda. way a minority of a Homosexuality is a result of rape or sexual abuse population expresses human love and sexuality Citing fathers who sexually abuse their children, this article makes the false assumption that girls engage in lesbianism because of such abuses. I note that paedophilia is NOT homosexuality and neither can you equate gays to paedophiles! Paedophilia is sexual activity with children whereas homosexuality is the attraction to one’s own gender. Huge difference! While I strongly insist that cases of abuse of children, sexual, physical or emotional, is criminal and should be prosecuted, I likewise reiterate that these abuses do not lead to the victims being homosexual. I suggest counselling and psychosocial support for such victims to deal with the scars. I also wish to say that any form of criminality be punished to the full extent of the law whether done by homosexuals or heterosexuals. In the end, I insist that homosexuality is not a disorder or choice or ‘situational;’ thus cannot be changed or unlearned or cured. I also insist that it is a valid, legitimate and healthy form of sexual expression that has been largely ignored, criticized, attacked and blamed unjustly. Ignorance, incitement and generalisation have added to this regrettable situation and perpetuated homophobia. Finally, I strongly insist on the basic rights of gay people to freedom from prejudice, to respect, friendship, and justice, to an active role in the religious (Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, e.t.c.) community, both family and institutional settings and to a special degree of pastoral understanding and care.—BRENDA SAUSAGE Page 30
Identity Kenya
Male Sex Workers: The ‘New Kid On The Block’ ‘I remember when one male sex worker, when entering a bar, met a group of gays drinking and dancing. They looked at him, sniffed and said, ‘What has this prostitute come to do here?’ that to me was the moment I knew I had to do something. Male sex workers, especially those who identify as gay are not welcome in the larger gay community. Most are looked upon, shamed and considered as ‘cheap.’ If anything, the same people (gays) who publicly shame sex workers are the same ones who seek the services of the said sex workers. Most of is it is sexual. The stigma that the larger gay community exhibits for male sex workers is worrying and unjustifiable. Many sex workers fear hanging out in social places since they say they feel ‘uncomfortable’ with other gay persons. Others say that since many gays may be successful and have money, they are looked upon and seen as poor and without sustenance. To many, they are pitied and sympathized with. There are cases where male sex workers have been used, sexually, and left without compensation. One sex worker recounted how he was called to a gay party where he met several gay men in a house in Eastlands. After entertaining them and having sexual intercourse with one after the other, he was left with only KSh 500 ($4) as payment for ‘his services.’ On asking why this was, he was insulted and told, ‘That is what a whore is paid.’ Male sex workers face double stigma.
and share their stories. In an event attended by donors and other key stakeholders, sex workers living with HIV recounted their stories of sadness, misery but ultimately, acceptance and triumph. This event did not go unnoticed. With the particular assistance of the Editor of this magazine, Denis Nzioka, HOYMAS and by extension, male sex workers, were given new impetus and a shot in the arm. (Image | John with HOYMAS members at launch | HOYMAS)
Not only is sex work seen as ‘immoral’ or ‘shameful’ the fact that many identify as homosexual is double reason to be excluded. We are also all too familiar with cases of male sex workers being denied entry into the GALCK safe house since they are ‘sex workers’ or are living positively or seen as thieves. It saddens me to hear gay men warn each other that ‘so and so is a thief, do not take him home.’ The HIV prevalence rate among male sex workers is rising. Additionally, and more critical, is the fact that the line between ‘gay’ and ‘sex work’ is so thin, that its hard to decipher. HOYMAS is a group of male sex workers who are living positively and who, realizing the need for social support, came together to encourage, support and be there for one another. We launched last year and the event brought over 200 male sex workers, gays and MSM who, defying stigma and internalized fears, decided to face one another
Moving away from strictly gay activism, Denis has endured calumny and further stigma over his vocal support for sex workers living positively. He is an embodiment of what awaits one who dares ‘defy the order’ and shows a courageous soul willing to face all in order to advocate for the rights of others. Him and many more have given their time and resources to ensuring male sex workers a voice. Its high time to stop stigma against male sex workers and against those living with HIV. Currently, HOYMAS was privileged to be funded by both UHAI and amfAR to undertake projects targeting male sex workers. The successes of these projects are already evidenced and indeed, much more is on the way. To all our supporters and donors, we say thank you. To our allies and networks, receive our heartfelt appreciations. And to male sex workers and those especially living with HIV, your time is now. Its time to own this space head high and with integrity. - JOHN MATHENGE
Identity Kenya
UHAI-EASHRI: Programmes Officer, Grants Admin Vacancy UHAI EASHRI are in the process of recruiting for the position of Programme Officer and Grants Administrator .
EASHRI aims to build a strong, diverse and organised mo vement for change through grant making, capacity support and convening.
UHAI is an indigenous activist fund which provides flexible, accessible resources to support civil society activism around issues of sexuality, health and human rights in the East African region with a specific focus on the rights of sexual minorities. UHAI
This is a senior management position and the staff member will work closely with the Executive Director and the Finance and Administration Manager. Under the overall supervision of the Executive Director, the
Programme Officer and Grants Administrator will assist with overseeing the coordination of all UHAI Programmes and oversee the administration of all grants given to our partners. To apply, please send a resume and cover letter by email to vacancies@uhaieashri.org with POGA Application as the subject line. Application deadline is April 11 2012.
IGLHRC: Director of Development Vacancy The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) are looking for a Director of Development. The Director of Development provides the leadership, direction and coordination of fundraising strategies and activities to support the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission
(IGLHRC). The responsible for funding, special jor gifts, direct communication fundraising.
Director is institutional events, mamail, donor and board
Interested candidates should e-mail a cover letter explaining how your skills and background fit this position and a r e s u m e / C V to doug@dougwingo.com
Please refer to "Director of Development - IGLHRC" in the subject line. No phone calls please. IGLHRC is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. People of Color, transgender/gender-variant individuals and young people are strongly encouraged to apply.
KEMRI: Community Engagement Consultancy The KEMRI / Wellcome Research Programme is keen to employ a consultant for one month to document past and current community engagement (CE) activities related to KEMRIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research of most -at-risk-populations (MARPs) including MSM and Female Sex Workers (FSW).
This consultancy will assess how MARPs-research is linked to the wider community engagement activities of the Programme. To apply for this post you must be a registered user with the KEMRI website here http://careers.kemriwellcome.org/vacancy/ comm unity-engagem ent-
consultancy Candidates must supply an email and telephone contact that will be used when offering interviews. The application closing date is 4th April 2012. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Identity Kenya
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Identity Kenya
Gay Kenyan University Students Break Frontiers Gay students in several Kenyan Universities have come together to form QInitiative, a group formed to advocate for the rights of students.
drew. Q-Initiative hopes to undertake a needs assessment of universities that have gay students in order to better respond to their needs. The needs assessment will then pave way for groups to be formed and led by students in each respective institutions.
Q-Initiaive is an acronym for QUEERInitiative. In full, it reads Queer University Education Empowerment and Rights. According to Andrew Maina, the founder of Q-Initiative, the group was formed to focus primarily on reaching out to University students in Kenyan universities.
Some of the groups that Q-Initiative has partnered with to do outreaches include I Choose Life, HOYMAS, Family Health Options and the Jipange Initiative.
‘Q-initiative was formed after the UHAIsponsored Changing Faces, Changing Spaces conference which I attended. One of the key go-away-messages I received was need for groups to be placed locally and groups that are homogenous to come together and form a strong voice,’ said Maina.
‘We also want to reduce the stigma associated with homosexuality,’ added Andrew. Q-Initiative also hopes to tap into the students it reaches out too later in life. ‘The same students are the future workers, professionals so getting them as alumni will assist in our advocacy as they would have been already in the know on issues of sexuality and its easier to get on our side,’ remarked Andrew.
Andrew, a student at Moi University in Eldoret sais that Q-Initiative is a response to an already existing group for lesbians called Lesbos. ‘I realized that there is no group for gay men or MSM; whereas Lesbos focused on women and girls, Q-Initiative is for gay men and MSM.’ The group aims to be the start for gay students to accept themselves in a learning institution and hopefully, after graduation, be change-makers. ‘One of the reasons for studying is acquiring knowledge; we hope to include sexuality in there too. There is so much information on sexuality, most of it warped, that is taught and we hope to try and change that,’ said Andrew.
Membership to Q-Initiative is drawn primarily from both public and private universities. Its hoped that each university can have its own chapter of Q-initiative. Currently, the Moi University chapter has over 25 members all in different years at the institution. They also hope to reach out to universities that are Christian. ‘We are hoping to get chapters in Daystar, CUEA, Africa Nazarene; these identify as Christian institutions but we know they also have gay students,’ said An-
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Andrew says that homophobia in schools is a big challenge and students perceived to be gay are often stigmatized and discriminated upon. Additionally, there are also fears what measures university administrations might take on learning on an existence of a ‘gay fraternity.’ Another challenge is funding. ‘We do not have staff and since most of our members are students, we are finding it hard to source for funding and also because we have other responsibilities,’ said Andrew. Q-Initiative has, according to Andrew, written formally to the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK) seeking membership. ‘We hope that being GALCK members will benefit us in our work and outlook.’ Q-Initiative are currently using social media and its website to reach out and create awareness. They have a Facebook and Twitter account as well as website.—IDENTITY
IDENTIY MAGAZINE
Editor | Denis Nzioka Assistant Editor | T.A.M Columnists | John Makokha | Neville Tirimba | Kate Kamunde | Barbra Muruga | Queer Watchtower | Cole Mutahi | BarFly | Akinyi M. Ocholla | Terrence Tendai | Eric Mawira Gitari | Monica Mbaru Contributors | Brenda Sausage | John Mathenge | Peter Tatchell | Nguru Karugu | Identity Correspondents | Hans Spartacus | Thomas Muyunga Photos/Logos/Images | Authors & Owners | Sources
Identity Magazine © is founded, edited, published and distributed by the Identity Kenya ©. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, utilized, reprinted, distributed or copied in any form, whole or in part or by any means electronic or mechanical - including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from Identity Kenya ©. The mention or appearance or likeness of any person or organization in articles or advertising in this publication is not to be taken as any indication of sexual, social or political orientation of such persons or organizations.
Identity Kenya P.O. Box 13005-00100 Nairobi, Kenya Editor—nzioka@identitykenya.com | General—info@identitykenya.com www.identitykenya.com