Kenya’s LGBTQ community has decried homophobia in the country’s places of worship leaving some of them with the option of embracing a new queer-friendly church in the capital Nairobi.

The queer people, while sharing homophobic experiences they encountered in Kenyan churches, stated that clerics and other believers have weaponized religious faith as a tool of violence against them.

This hate and discrimination, according to the LGBTQ community, has driven most of them into religious trauma and they are seeking spiritual refuge in the Cosmopolitan Affirming Church (CAC), which is open to queer individuals.   

“As a pastor, I have worked in a [religious] space that as someone who I identify myself as a queer priest, I have been excluded from that very space out of lies that lack the truth to justify my exclusion,” said Godfrey Adera, an associate pastor at CAC.   

Adera spoke during the International Day commemorating victims of violence based on faith and belief marked last Thursday where more than 1,700 queer Kenyans engaged in an X forum.

The forum organized by the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) noted that Uganda’s enactment of the draconian anti-homosexuality law last year has contributed to an increase in homophobic hatred and discrimination in Kenyan churches.

“I have seen a queer person talk about how he was in a church just last week and there were overtly no queer undertones going on in the church and the pastor unprovoked spoke about how he supports President Yoweri Museveni’s decision to deal with gays in Uganda, which is basically calling for a lot of homophobic violence,” said Elle Khaoma, the forum’s moderator from NGLHRC.

The queer community also noted that the plan by Kenya’s opposition MP Peter Kaluma to introduce a punitive anti-homosexuality draft law in parliament and supported by religious leaders and others has increased homophobic hate and stigma in places of worship.

Such actions have seriously impacted the LGBTQ community in terms of religious trauma, mental health, falling away from faith, feeling discriminated against and being perceived as outcasts, and battling stigma to the point of dying by suicide, according to experiences shared by several queer persons.

Some disclosed they decided to flee their homes after being disowned by their parents and siblings for identifying as LGBTQ contrary to religious faith and belief their families and churches subscribe to.

“After the hate and discrimination, I started to recognize my religious trauma. My motivation to overcome it has been that I’m not alone as a queer person to be impacted by religious trauma,” said Wanjiku, a journalist and lawyer.

She reiterated that sharing experiences with other queer persons about religious trauma from various churches, how they have dealt with it, and deconstructing hateful religious ideologies have helped her overcome the stigma.

Pastor Adera affirmed that queer persons should first acknowledge that religion and belief are used as a tool of violence in diversity to target them.

“After acknowledging, it is important to ask critical questions by interrogating the scriptures and finding alternative messages of love, justice, fairness, and God the creator of all humanity then making these messages more heard than the messages of hurt and hate that come with religious narratives,” he said.

He stated that alternative and balanced scriptures that promote inclusivity, diversity, and love that every church should stand for are what the Cosmopolitan Affirming Church teaches to demystify religious narratives of hate against queer individuals in mainstream churches.    

“Religion comes with social control in terms of shaping what morality and norms look like and how we relate to each other, which is not a positive thing as it forms the basis of excluding other people like the queer,” Adera said. “It needs to be talked about and challenged in queer forums and advocacy by calling out people using religion to fuel bigotry, hate, and hurt in the nation.”

The CAC cleric asked the queer persons to take religion seriously since it has a huge influence on society and also urged them to examine it critically to push for inclusive conversations and accommodative norms to enhance social cohesion.  

Adera assured the queer Christians that CAC is one of their alternative religions with resourceful materials like theological books, articles, and scriptures that are interpreted to suit their faith and belief.   

“Mainstream churches have been more of gatekeepers by barring us, the queer persons, from experiencing our religious beliefs like other believers,” he opined.       

During the forum, the queer persons were advised to have trusted and supportive allies who readily come to their protection and deconstruct religious narratives of hate and homophobia passed from generation to generation.     

The LGBTQ community was further urged to be alert and proactive in countering legal, social, and cultural norms or violence that come with religious stigma both at small and large scale.

Kenya’s largest umbrella LGBTQ organization has partnered with Grindr to allow their members to access vital information about their rights.

GALCK+, which is a coalition of 16 LGBTQ rights groups, announced its partnership with the gay hookup app earlier this month under the Grindr for Equality initiative. GALCK+ is the second LGBTQ rights group in Africa to enter into such a collaboration with Grindr.

Grindr on July 11 announced the partnership with IntraHealth Namibia, a non-profit health care provider in Windhoek, the country’s capital. IntraHealth Namibia is the first African organization to provide Grindr users with essential information on sexual and mental health and safety.

Grindr’s collaboration with the two African organizations to provide crucial information to its LGBTQ users directly through the app brings such partnerships to 30 countries around the world.  

“A key pillar of Grindr for Equality’s work towards a world that is safe, just, and inclusive for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities is supporting initiatives that advance safety and sexual health for the LGBTQ+ community,” Grindr said in the latest partnership statement.

Grindr stated its new partnerships with organizations around the world will provide its users access to localized and real-time information on the issues that matter to them via a side drawer on the app’s home screen.  

“We’ve also partnered with GALCK+ to provide our users in Kenya with in-app access to ‘Know Your Rights,’ a safety page designed to empower the Kenyan LGBTQ community by informing them of their rights,” said Grindr. 

GALCK+, while acknowledging the partnership with Grindr, expressed optimism that its ‘Know Your Rights’ resource on the platform not only informs LGBTQ Kenyans about their legal rights but also offers critical information about free therapy, handling extortion and other issues.

“The brand new tab ‘Do I Have Rights?’ on Grindr app specifically for our community in Kenya is packed with essential safety and sexual health resources to help you navigate your experiences with confidence and peace of mind,” GALCK+ said on X.  

GALCK+, through its Grindr resource tab, affirms queer rights are human rights meant to promote a position of social and legal equality for the LGBTQ people in society. It further notes the rights highlighted seek to address injustices that queer people face by outlawing homophobic discrimination and violence and pushing for changes to laws for easy access to health, education, public services, and recognition of same-sex relationships. 

GALCK+, however, notes that despite queer people having the same rights as other Kenyans, laws criminalizing consensual same-sex partnerships remain in place. There are laws that protect intersex and transgender people, but they continue to suffer discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. 

The Kenyan LGBTQ group also cites several constitutional provisions and statutes.

“According to Article 19 (3) (a), the constitution states that your rights belong to you because you are a human being and are not granted by the state,” GALCK+ states. “Although some rights can be limited in some situations (Article 24), some rights cannot be limited at all.”

GALCK+ also highlights to Grindr users Sections 162 and 165 of the Kenyan penal code that outlaw homosexuality by listing sexual activities involved and the fines, including a 14-year prison term if convicted. It notes the two sections affect queer people’s sexual rights because criminalizing consensual same-sex conduct interferes with their lives.

“A person’s sexual orientation is an important part of an individual which, when not fully and freely expressed, negatively affects a person’s search for happiness,” GALCK+ states.

GALCK+ stresses laws that criminalize adult, private, and consensual same-sex acts contribute to violence and discrimination against individuals on the grounds of their sexual orientation. 

“In some cases, members of the transgender and intersex community face violence and discrimination after being mistaken for being gay, lesbian, or bisexual,” GALCK+ states. 

It informs Grindr users that identifying as LGBTQ is not a crime because Kenya’s anti-homosexuality laws only criminalize acts, and not identities that are protected freedom of speech and expression under the constitution. GALCK+ also tells Grindr users that an employer cannot fire or deny them employment based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

“According to the Employment Act, it is the duty of the government and an employer to promote equality of opportunity between employees,” GALCK+ states.

The Employment Act covers equal chances of being employed; promoted; and equal treatment in the workplace without any form of discrimination, although it does not explicitly mention sexual orientation. 

GALCK+ also educates Grindr users about their right to shelter without discrimination by a landlord based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression under Article 43 (1) of the constitution. It states that every person has the right to “accessible and adequate housing, and reasonable standards of sanitation.”

Clement Hadebe, a 29-year-old gay crossdresser, was shot nine times at a Johannesburg B&B on Aug. 10 

Local media reports indicate Hadebe, who is from KwaZulu-Natal province, was at a popular outing area in Johannesburg on the night of Aug. 9 with a friend when they began to interact with the alleged male shooter who was showing interest in them, particularly Hadebe.

Before they decided to leave with the alleged shooter, however, Hadebe’s friend asked him to disclose he was a gay crossdresser. Hadebe did not follow his friend’s advice.

They then left with the alleged shooter, but he didn’t want to go with Hadebe’s friend to the B&B. The friend was later dropped off, and Hadebe and the alleged shooter were left alone. 

Hadebe’s body was found at the B&B on Aug. 10, and the alleged shooter was nowhere to be seen.

Locals have suggested the murder was premedicated, while others have faulted Hadebe because he did not disclose his gender identity.

Sibonelo Ncanana, civil society engagement officer for OUT LGBT Well-being, an LGBTQ advocacy group, in a statement said the organization “is appalled by the murder of Clement as well as the queerphobic victim-blaming sensationalism surrounding his death.” 

“Victim-blaming is never acceptable,” said Ncanana. “The notion that LGBTIQ+ people are hiding who they are when they are simply being themselves is deeply concerning. Our identity is not something that requires disclosure.”

Ncanana said OUT LGBT Well-being will closely follow the investigation into the murder and called upon law enforcement officials to ensure there is justice for Hadebe.

“No one should be forced to reveal their true identity to appease someone else’s curiosity or assumptions,” said Mohale Motaung, a prominent LGBTQ activist. “Again, Clement Hadebe’s tragic story is a reminder that self-disclosure should always be a choice, not a condition for acceptance or safety.”

Although South Africa is the only African country that recognizes and upholds the rights of the LGBTQ community, many South Africans do not support it because of cultural and religious beliefs.

Several attacks against LGBTQ people — including hate crimes, rapes, and murders — in recent years have sparked widespread concern. These crimes have left some who identify as LGBTQ to be skeptical about to whom they disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa in May signed the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill into law. It, among other things, seeks to protect the rights of those who identify as LGBTQ and those who advocate for the community.

The new law, however, does not seem to be a deterrent, especially to those who do not support LGBTQ people as Hadebe’s murder and continued anti-gay political rhetoric prove. So-called conversion therapy also remains commonplace in the country, especially in semi-urban areas where anti-LGBTQ cultural beliefs are entrenched.

LGBTQ organizations in June celebrated Ramaphosa’s appointment of Steve Letsike, a lesbian woman who founded Access Chapter 2, an LGBTQ rights group, as the country’s Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and People with Disabilities. Letsike, a member of the African National Congress who is a member of parliament, has already vowed to ensure LGBTQ rights are upheld and respected in the same manner as other human rights.