Jonah Chinga on working on sexual orientation and gender identity issues focusing on sexual and reproductive health and rights, advocacy and coalition-building in the year 2015.
At a 2015 joint press conference between the US President and the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta maintained that lesbian gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues are a non-issue for the country. Many Kenyans, however, suffer harassment, discrimination and violence purely on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, despite the fact that the Kenyan Constitution provides for equality and freedom from discrimination. Working with the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK) and now as a member of the Commonwealth Equality Network (TCEN), I have been working to extend my advocacy work to protect LGBT people in the Commonwealth, and most importantly engage with organisations and institutions to ensure that Kenyan and Commonwealth decision-making reflects the views of my community…
*Statistics within article correct at original publication date of CHOGM Report 2015.
Jonah Chinga
Team leader and programme assistant with the GALCK Reloaded TaskForce
