The month of June may be behind us, July-Disability Pride month is past us but we are on a mission to champion for Pride throughout the year. Pride gives us a sense of community like never before highlighting the struggles and achievements of fighting for diversity, inclusion, equality and freedom to love whomever we want. It reminds us of the path less chosen and the emancipation from victimization. We are here & we are queer, get over it. Let's explore the significance of Pride as we know it and why it is not over.
1. Visibility
In many parts of the world LGBTQ+ identities are still looked down upon and ignored in the distribution of national resources. It is even imaginably worse that in some parts of Africa gay men face long jail terms and in extreme cases even punishable by death in countries like Mauritania, Nigeria Sheria law states, Somalia and South Sudan. And gay women are totally ignored.
Out of 54 African States only 22 have legalised same-sex in different measures, we have South Afica where same-sex marriage and adoption is legal, Bostwana currently overruled the decision to ban gay sex and relationships. As other countries like Rwanda are quiet on this front. Most of these countries that don’t recognise LGBTQ+ rights are due to carrying forward archaic colonial laws post-independence.
Despite these laws preying on human rights of the queer community, it is a relief it doesn’t erase the bane of our existence and that is why we live to see a free future. We still celebrate Pride and fight to live everyday the sun rises.
2.Empowerment
Nothing is as empowering as being comfortable in your own skin and embracing that. We may not all have the strength to be bold in our adversities but accepting and being true to self is empowering and no one can take that away from you.
Pride celebrations started out as a riot in Stonewall Inn, Manhattan New York in 1969 and to think that it started in a Western Country and the rest of the world joined in is a wild thought to appreciate. This year, USA marked 53 years of Pride as UK countries marked 50 years. Uganda Pride March has also been resilient over the past 10 years to mark these celebrations despite police evasions and brutality.
3. LGBTQ+ Awareness
Awareness is not time sensitive. Learning and unlearning are ways of growing into yourself and enjoying all life's pleasures has to offer. The emphasis on LGBTQ+ rights especially in Kenya #Repeal162 has had many say we are fighting for rights to be married whereas it is all about abolishing the barbaric British laws that the Kenya 2010 Constitution adopted. The sections that punish gay sex define it as ‘carnal knowledge (sexual bodily connection) against nature (anal penetration)’ and section 165 that says, “any act of gross indecency (contact between the genitals of a person, their breasts and buttocks with that of another person) with another male person”, whether in public or in private. This is punishable by five years’ imprisonment. According to the law sex is only supposed be in the confines of decency and carnal knowledge. If this is the case, are people practicing anal sex caught? This particular law contradicts other articles of the 2010 constitution that grants one the right to privacy (Article 31) ,dignity (Article 28), protection and freedom of expression (Article 29); and health (Article 43). How many people understand these? Clearly not a lot of people outside the queer and allies communities.
Everyday is a learning curve and beliefs and personal ideals can’t blind us to life as it is-practice understanding before bashing others.
4.Challenging the Narrative
Calling for invalidity of these laws is a huge part of challenging the narrative. These vague and ambiguous laws are directly and indirectly putting queer lives in danger of discrimination, unemployment, denial of right to congregate, to seek health services, rent a house or even walk safely in the streets . Failure to convince the High Court of this, the appeal process is still ongoing to the higher courts..
The testimonials of queer bodies existing and thriving in this harsh realty is enough to fuel the fight against these laws. Even though we recognise and learn from other countries like South Africa that a huge chunk of the work is changing the minds of the individuals in the society. Queer persons can exist, thrive and excel in harmony with the society and we do have a right to share Pride.
5.Exploration of Rights
With the ambiguities in the pre-colonial discriminating laws against LGBTQ+, we still cannot ignore the fact that unless you are caught pants down with your partner having same-sex, only then does the law apply to punish you accordingly. However, being part of the UN chartered countries we still have to uphold the bill of rights but have a long way to go to enforce it. Amnesty International Kenya reported that there has been an increase of violence in the Jubilee government tenor with horrific cases of deaths of non-binary, trans and intersex persons being on the receiving end of the stick. This follows a disturbing report presented in Geneva in April 2022 by a NGLHRC representative, on the overview of the Prevention of Torture Act 2017, that human violations have continued based on their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.
In Kenya, we have also witnessed the progressive laws that added Intersex as the third gender in 2016 and even before that we had the case of Audrey Mbugua a transwoman who successfully changed their dead name in their identification documents.
Therefore hope is inevitable and around the corner, as we also stand in solidarity with the USA against the overruling of the Roe vs Wade case, which bans abortion rights. This invades one’s right to privacy and bodily autonomy that may be used against LGBTQ+ & ITGNCs (Intersex, Trans, Gender Non Conforming) identities’ rights.