LGBT Kenyans Dealt Double Blow

I feel so heartbroken for our Kenyan sisters and brothers who are forced to live in a country who despises their existence and uses colonial laws to keep them in line.

Last week was a harsh week for LGBT Kenyans.

Kenya's high court upheld colonial-era anti-sodomy laws and the community lost Binyavanga Wainaina, a beloved, award-winning writer and gay activist.

"It's a dark day not just for Kenya, but also for Africa," Andrew Maina, program coordinator at HIVOS, told Reuters.

He hoped Kenya would set a precedent and be a beacon of hope for other African countries that have similar anti-sodomy laws.

The court ruling came a few days after Wainaina's death on May 21.

NPR reported that Wainaina, who came out as being HIV-positive in 2016, died of an illness. Reports are unclear if it was an illness due to HIV. He was 48.

Wainaina came out as gay in 2014 in a lost chapter of his memoir, "I Am a Homosexual, Mum." He published the essay largely due to Kenya's criminalization of LGBT people.

"I felt this is one of the most successfully, put-together and honest pieces I've ever written," he told NPR at the time.

Full story