Homosexuality/ Gayness: The Kenyan context

Kenyan MPs' caucus recently caused a stir in parliament trying to publish an anti homosexual bill. To their dismay the parliament refused to discuss such matters terming it as illegal even to discuss in the house. That threw the spanner in the wax. Among their proposals was stoning of any foreigner found engaging in homosexual acts(To them it appears that foregners are the ones teaching the young men). Further life imprisonment of any Kenyan found engaging in homosexual acts(The prisons? really?)

The London marriage of Kenyan gay couple was landmark among the gay community who saw it as a big step towards recognition of their rights. “Although, they have wedded in London, it is a step forward and it won’t be long before Kenyans stop thinking it irrational and unfounded,” says one fiery gay who requested anonymity for fear of victimization. In this paper I will take the issue of homosexuality on two perspectives: Children and adolescents(Discovery age that is full of adventures)Adults(persons who make well informed choices and are aware of what they are doing)

Children and Adolescents
Certain types of same-sex activity were tolerated in tribal tradition, but only as childish behaviors unworthy of an initiate. In tribes where initiation involves long periods of separation from female contact along with powerful emphasis on male group bonding (Maasai), situational homosexuality is not uncommon. When limited to mutual self-pleasuring, it is regarded as merely unmanly. Oral or anal intercourse can, however, result in expulsion from the age set, severe beatings, and disgrace.

Urban poverty has created an underclass of abandoned street youth, almost all male, ranging in age from 7 to the late teens. These “parking boys” survive by protecting parking spots, begging, petty crime, and scrounging for garbage. Though the older protect the younger, situational homosexuality is normative.

Adults
Self-identified gay Africans exist in Kenya, although homosexual activity is not unknown. There are no homosexual gender roles, such as the berdache in Native American societies, or the effeminate gà’tuhy of Thailand. Because homosexuality profoundly violates the traditional social pattern, it has been tabooed to the point that subcultural social norms have never developed. However this does not mean the homosexual community is small a quick preview on the social dating site shows Kenya has upto 10,000active gays though many live double personality lives in the fear of being found out. One finds some nonpenetrative homosexual behavior among Maasai askaris (guards) who have migrated to Nairobi or the coast. They more oftenly fondled each other in the night as they guarded many claimed to be looking for warmth.

Kenya has retained many aspects of the colonial British penal code, and homosexuality continues to be illegal as a “crime against nature.” It is regarded with disdain and disgust by the majority of the population, and persons arrested for homosexual activity are treated harshly by the police. In some traditions (e.g., Kikuyu), homosexuality could be punished by death. However one striking factor is that more openly gay men are Kikuyus this is by fact that they stay mostly in the urban areas and their economic activities keep them away from their wives for long. A disturbing trend is that there are youths at the age of 13-18 who are actively gay sexual partners this can be linked to the fact that they belong to the same ageset thus they were circumcised together. Further reading on Kikuyu circumcision practises will enable one understand better why the youths are more curious after circumcision

Kenyans discriminate against same-sex behaviors. Self-pleasuring with a partner or spouse present is regarded as childish, but relatively harmless, particularly between friends. While socially and legally tabooed, playing the inserter role in same-sex acts does not define a man as homosexual. Accepting insertion, especially in anal intercourse, is regarded with extreme disgust. In addition to that most homosexual men who act as bottoms(accept insertion) are held with low self esteem while the inserter is held high as a hero. This is however a stereotypic behaviour, majorly fueled by male chauvinism since the bottom is normally viewed as a woman.

There are no gay venues as such though gays have identified some pubs where they frequently meet. Kenya has no overt gay presence although this is because many are closet gays and bisexuals in marriages. in A small white, predominantly British, homosexual society exists in Nairobi, although over years Kenyans have been more assertive and come out to own up to the fact that they are gay. Most expatriate white homosexuals avoid African partners because of the drastic consequences, and confine themselves to sexual activity on trips to Europe. On the contrary due to poverty and fear of victimization many gay kenyans go after whites so that they can get gifts and money in return. This has led to a good number of them being kept in the houses as sex partners.

Male prostitutes are readily available on the streets of Nairobi,Mombasa,Kisumu, Eldoret usually catering to tourists and married men. They are well dressed in order to be able to enter international hotels. Male prostitution serving an African clientele does not seem to exist, this does not mean there aren't african clienteles . The prostitutes themselves are probably bisexual, many having girlfriends or wives, and consider themselves heterosexual. All religious groups abhor homosexuality and condone its complete suppression. There are gay activist and support groups in Kenya although they have not been very assertive. It is only in the recent past that they have come to be recognised as key stakeholders in the fight of HIV and AIDS, any gay publications are held in their offices and not in public libraries for public perusals. Foreign gay publications are proscribed.

Lesbian and bisexual relationships are either so rare or so hidden as to be unnoticeable. The “woman-to-woman” marriage should not be confused with lesbianism, even if an occasional sexual exchange may occur.

Homosexuality is often ascribed to the coastal Swahili, Arabs, and Muslims generally as a racist slur, and the few Africans involved are said to be exploited by these groups. The sexual act in these accounts is always sodomy, which, as an image of rape and political dominance, effectively excludes mutuality in same-sex relationships. Male homosexuality is politically interpreted in terms of racist, anti-black exploitation by whites (former colonial masters) and Arabs (former slavers).

This pattern, both expatriate and African, is typical of sub-Saharan Africa except for the Republic of South Africa. Although the dramatic AIDS pandemic has generated interest in research on same-sex behavior, almost no such research has been done in Africa. A 1995 study indicated that such research is almost unknown in sub-Saharan Africa. In Kenya, all survey research designs must be approved by the Office of the President, a sufficient damper on any same-sex studies. The National AIDS Programme has no literature or outreach to homosexuals in Kenya, although last year it had the interest of doing a gay census after indicators showed that most male youths were exposed to adventurous sex.

The imposition of Western social notions of homosexual/gay patterns tends to obscure any true picture of same-sex activities in Africa. To say that there is no organized gay community in Kenya does not mean that there is no homosexual activity. There are cliques of men who are predominantly or exclusively homosexual, but who limit their sexual activities to their acquaintance group. In this sense, in urban concentrations such as Nairobi and Mombasa, these serve as homosexual analogs to age-set groups. Occasionally, one finds a group organized as a brotherhood or fraternity, a form of homosexual support group providing casual, although not promiscuous, pairings. A 1995 survey indicated that violent assault was either likely or possible for homosexuals in Africa—at 69%, the highest in the Third World. This helps to explain the closed nature of homosexual society in Kenya and other African countries.

Gender Diversity and Transgender Issues
Gender-conflicted persons are regarded as homosexuals and treated as criminals. Suppression is so complete as to make such persons, to the extent that they exist, invisible.

Kenyan traditional societies did not provide for special gender roles. During the independence movement, sodomy was practiced by some in the Mau Mau society, with the sole intent of making the participants ritually unclean and thus unable to participate in normal society. This is the only ritual use of homosexual behavior known.

Conclusion

A cursory glance will reveal that the gay community in Kenya is now an audacious lot. What with the vibrant movement- Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK-www.galck.org) that has even forwarded its views on the Constitution, to the CoE. There is Ishtar-MSM, an organization that deals with the sexual problems of gay men, and it have quite a following judging from its web site.
The organization has a church in an exclusive suburb in Nairobi’s Westlands and quite a considerable congregation. Queer nights are routinely held, but they are disguised as ‘theme nights’ exclusively for invited guests. In the recent past, the possibility of a man being hit on by a man, especially in swankier joints was high.
Gay community is living at home!!!

REACHING OUT TO HAITI

 

I feel your pain
and long to touch the hurt
and make it melt away.
Yes, I know
that I can’t really see
the breadth
and depth
of this dark valley you’re in. ...
I can’t truly know
just how sharp the knife is
in your soul –
for it is you in its path,
not me.
But I have known other valleys
and in my heart
still bear knife-wound scars.
Even so,
I would walk your road
and take your pain
if I could
I cannot.
And yet, perhaps
in some way
I can be a hand to hold
in the darkness;
in some way, try to blunt
the sharpness of pain.
But if not –
it may help a little
just to know I care.

In my eye's

 

In my eye’s you are my sunshine.
In my eye’s you are my freedom.
In my eye’s you are my one and only.
Baby you are the best thing,
that’s has happen to me.
In my eye’s you are forever mine.
In my eye’s you are the keeper,
Of my heart. ...
In my eye’s I see our past, Present, and Future,
For there’s nothing I cant do without you by my side.
When we are long gone from this world,
Our love shall carrying on like the wind breezing through the tree’s.
For our love is one in a million.
In my eye’s our love shall never die.

FACE YOUR FEARS

 

Your bus was late, so you got home late, so your dinner was late, so you got ready late, so you left the house late, so you've arrived late to your new youth group, choir practice, footie team, party ... you get the picture. You're by yourself, and you look through a crack in the door and see that everyone is there already. You're about to walk in,... but then the fear kicks in. You start to sweat and panic; there's no way you can go in there and face them all. What if they all turn around to look at you, thinking goodness knows what? What if you get embarrassed and they all think you're stupid? What if they all talk about you? So many 'what ifs'. So you turn around and go home, missing out on what could have been a fantastic night. Stop! Rewind! Go back to when you got to the door, and stop saying "What if ...". Instead, say 'So what if ...?' Know that with God on your side, with His grace, you can handle anything. You may not especially like it, but you can do it, and you'll survive to face another day. When Jeremiah wanted to scarper from a whole bunch of people, God stepped in, and told Jerry not to be afraid, because He would be with him every step of the way. The same is true for you; so don't run away.
Do you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to other people? Have you got a case of 'if-only-itis'? You always see where everyone else gets it right, and you just keep getting it wrong? You wish you were more like your best mate. Or maybe you always see the glass half empty, 'They'll never want to talk to me', or 'I could never do that' or 'Why would they go out with me when they could have someone better?' If that's you, stop! Rewind! Try and look at yourself with a God-mirror. Isaiah 43:4 says 'That's how much you mean to me! That's how much I love you! I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.' (TM). That's you He's talking about there. Say to yourself: 'They're what God made them, and I'm what God made me. I'm unique - in a good way. Yes, I make mistakes, but I'm not a mistake. With God's grace, I can work on loving myself, on being the capable person He's made me to be'. Accept that it's a process. You don't have to get it right straight away - after all, you're only human! But if God says you can do it, you can, so face your fears. Do what you've been afraid to do. God's promise of '... I am with you ...' (Jeremiah 1:19 NLT) was all Jeremiah needed, and it's all you need too.

Digging wells that won't hold water!

 

'My people have...dug...cisterns...that cannot hold water.' Jeremiah 2:13
Do you feel like there's something missing in your life? Are you running from place to place and person to person trying to find it? Until you put God at the centre of your life, you'll keep digging 'cisterns...that cannot hold water.' We all want to be loved and feel succes...sful, so we look to our jobs or to others for a sense of fulfilment. But by expecting a person or a pay cheque to do what only God can, we keep coming up short. 'Cursed is the...one who depends on mere humans...he's like a tumbleweed...rootless and aimless...But blessed is the man who trusts...God...They're like trees...putting down roots near...rivers...calm through droughts, bearing...fruit every season' (Jeremiah 17:5-8 TM). Fulfilment doesn't come from having 'the right people' in your life, or more money, prestige and accomplishments. A larger house won't do it; you'll just have more to clean. The latest car won't do it; you'll just end up with bigger payments. A job promotion won't do it; you'll just have more stress and longer hours. Yes, you'll make more money, but after taxes and buying what you need to maintain your new image, you'll be back to square one. At the end of a lifetime spent '...striving after [the] wind...' (Ecclesiastes 2:11 NAS). Solomon said, 'Everything...can be put into a few words: Respect and obey [honour and put your trust in] God! This is what life is all about' (Ecclesiastes 12:13 CEV). The One you're looking for today has been there all along, and He's ready to meet you at the point of your need. You just have to invite Him in!
: Col 1-2; John 19:1-16; Ps 105:8-15; Pr 30:5-9;

AND LET US CONSIDER HOW WE MAY SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON TOWARDS LOVE AND GOOD DEEDS

 

MELT DOWN AND PUT BACK INTO CIRCULATION.
During the reign of Oliver Cromwell, the british government ran low on the silver used to make coins. So Cromwell sent his men to a local cathedral to search for some. They reported back to him that the only silver they could find was in the Saints standing in the corners. Cromwell sent back word, "Good; let'...s melt down the saints and put them back in circulation." That's what we need; men and women who've been melted down, filled with God's spirit and put back into circulation. WHAT GOOD IS OUR EXPERIENCE, IF WE KEEP IT IN THE CHURCH, ENJOY IT IN THE CHURCH AND LEAVE IT IN THE CHURCH?

For me, the highlight of Christmas 2007 was providing for a struggling single mother and her three children. Working 12 hours a day, she and her children could provide only bare essentials. So I bought her 18 year old boy a shirt and full school uniform for he had dropped out of secondary school. I promised to pay his fees and worked hard to get him an admission to Friends School Mbururu, when all these happened this mother broke down to songs of praise and wept with gratitude. It was the first time anyone had done anything like this for them. All round you today are people with genuine needs, who feel unloved and unwanted. Share with them what you've got, both materially and spiritually. ASK GOD TODAY TO MELT YOU DOWN AND PUT YOU BACK INTO CIRCULATION

Rebirth...My Drum.

Incredibly detailed

How you dove into my veined arms,

How you explored my dark and poignant soul;

Metaphorically saying you were in paradise

How delighted you made me feel

When I picked up all the whispering tones;

Tuning lovely tones

How I buried all the dying beats;

Bringing the life back to my lonesome world

And how you tinted the black and whites;

Making them vividly colored once more

Reverberating once again

It was the way you slowly lighted up

My once lifeless world;

It was brought to life again

Full of bliss, very lively

Not until I felt

an overpowering embrace of reality.