Kenyan Update

About two weeks ago there was an item out of Tanzania on the alleged group abduction and assault of a man who planned to "wed" his male lover in neighboring Kenya. Same-sex weddings are not uncommon in Kenyan coastal regions—but homosexuality is still a criminal offense and there are many cultural taboos.

A new report from Behind the Mask suggests that some of these taboos are slowly eroding.

Reporters found evidence of a new gay club

within walking distance of the University of Nairobi. In a building open to the public, young men who openly refer to themselves as gay meet regularly to socialise. A few even come in for a drink at the end of the day.

Meanwhile, Nairobi and the United Nations disagree over HIV transmission and prevention. UNAIDS experts say gays must come out of the closet to receive needed medical attention. But the Health Ministry insists that HIV transmission through gay sex is "negligible."

BTW, our good friend Kui is a Kenyan-American living in Britain. Her highly informative site often covers African sexuality; there are many links to Kenyan weblogs and female, African bloggers. It's a great source of information on a beautiful, fascinating country.

Comments

[Ryan]

thanks for re-posting this Rod..and linking to Kui's site...good stuff.

Will be checking Behind The Mask to get more info...

[Kui]

Thank you not just for the link but for the brilliant post.

Behind the Mask are doing fantastic work.

[WM]

Nice post Rod. Wonder if I know where that "club" is...

[blupanther]

I think that there is a website called Gay Kenya (www.gaykenya.com) where gay kenyans go to share and discuss issues relevant to them.