Category: Kenya

Articles Kenya LGBTQ+ News Life News Openly

Rejected by banks, Kenyan LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs turn to loan sharks

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Mary Akinyi, an intersex woman from the city of Mombasa, ended up borrowing money from a loan shark after being turned down for bank credit – a situation faced by many Kenyan LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs, advocates say. Akinyi said that despite having a solid business plan and credit score, she was told by a loan manager at the Kenya Women Finance Trust Bank in Nairobi she had been rejected because her gender identity did not match her ID card. “It was disheartening, I felt rejected, dejected and out of place because…

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Articles Kenya LGBTQ+ News Life News Openly Supreme Court

Ruling by Kenya’s Supreme Court buoys LGBTQ+ community

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Ten months since a Supreme Court win, LGBTQ+ Kenyans say they feel more emboldened to fight for their rights and report hate crime – even as they face homophobic protests and a legislative proposal to toughen penalties for gay sex. The court ruled in February to allow the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC), a rights group, to register as a non-governmental organisation – winning praise from LGBTQ+ campaigners but triggering a menacing backlash. Last month, the court upheld its original ruling following an appeal brought by a…

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Amnesty International Articles Kenya LGBTQ+ News Life National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission News

LGBTQ+ asylum seekers face extreme violence in Kenyan refugee camp, report finds

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LGBTQ+ asylum seekers living in one of Kenya’s largest refugee camps routinely face extreme violence and human rights abuses, Amnesty International and the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) said in a joint report. Content warning: This story includes topics that could make some readers feel uncomfortable and/or upset. The 54-page report, titled Kenya: “Just Like Any Other Person”, details the discrimination LGBTQ+ people face at the Kakuma camp. This included hate crimes, rape and other serious human rights abuses which perpetrators were able to commit “with almost…

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Articles Kenya LGBTQ+ News Life News Openly Uganda

LGBTQ+ Kenyans and Ugandans hide from wave of homophobic abuse

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LGBTQ+ Kenyans say they are living in fear after a pro-gay court ruling triggered an outpouring of abuse and death threats, while an anti-gay bill in neighbouring Uganda has stoked a rise in hate incidents, according to East African activists. Kenyan rights campaigners said some religious and political leaders are whipping up a homophobic backlash to the court ruling, which has led to calls for tougher laws against gay sex and a surge of abuse against sexual minorities. “I’ve stopped going out, especially at night. It’s better not to attract…

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Articles Football Kenya Lesbian LGBTQ+ News Life News Openly

Kenya’s lesbian footballers fight for the right to play

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All Imani wanted to do was to play football. But Kenyan fans, gossiping about her sexuality, had other ideas. “That one is always with girls,” Imani overheard one man saying as she was in the middle of a match in the coastal city of Mombasa. “Jersey number four, she is a renowned lesbian.” There and then, Imani knew her game was over. She faked an injury and went straight home, worried for her safety in a country where discrimination against LGBTQ+ people is rife and can lead to abuse including…

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Anti-LGBTQ discrimination Articles Chimano coming out Kenya LGBTQ+ News Life Music News Willis Austin Chimano

Kenyan singer Chimano comes out as gay: “I am expressing myself”

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Willis Austin Chimano has come out as gay in a move that is being praised as a boost to Kenya’s LGBTQ+ community. Willis, who is more commonly known as Chimano, is one of the stars in Sauti Sol, a vastly popular and famous Kenyan band. Speaking to Standard, a local newspaper, Chimano said he was tired of living a lie. He recently released a solo song, Friday Feeling, which he discussed with the outlet, calling it “a true representation of who he is”. “It is the first time I am…

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