Kenyan Media and the LGBTI Community

Media portrayal of Kenyan LGBTI is wrong, misguided and stereotypical

The Kenyan LGBTI community credits much of its mentioning in the day to day conversations by the ordinary mwananchi to the media. Over the past few years there have been numerous news reports and newspaper articles on the Kenyan gay community even going as far as a short documentary feature on the lives of both outed and closeted gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual people living and breathing in Kenya. As a member of this diverse sexual minority, I am thankful because the exposure leads to discourse among Kenyans about the gay issue. All in all, even though our dream for legal recognition of our rights and fundamental freedoms is far from coming true (as far as our lack of mention in the proposed draft constitution and the current repressive laws against consensual homosexual acts between adult men are concerned), we can take comfort in the fact that there are Kenyans out there who know that we exist and understand what we go through and the importance of our cause.

But what I want to take issue with in this blog post is not that we are getting media attention but what is being said about us in the news and what is being written about us in newspapers and internet news sites (from which a fairly large number of LGBTI people draw their news). This morning I came across an article on Capital FM site about the day to day lives of three gay prostitutes working in Mombasa. It told of a life of despair and suffering riddled with discrimination, risky sexual behavior and abuse by police officers. The comments on the site where diverse, some complained of the ‘gay agenda’ carried on by the media, others preached their message of condemnation against homosexuals while others sympathized with what the three men went through from day to day calling for at least decriminalization of homosexuality so that at risk LGBTI groups such as MSMs could seek medical attention without the fear of discrimination. As usual I stated that this is what human being were subjected to when they lost their dignity and took issue with those who preached their message of hate against gay people. Denis Nzioka’s comment fiddled with something that had been ringing in my mind after reading so many gay related articles. It had a clear message, that unlike what many people think, the Kenyan LGBTI community was not after pity but recognition!

There is a certain trend when it comes to news pieces and articles that concern the Kenyan LGBTI community. They basically revolve around the same things - A vibrant, highly secretive, mainly closeted, promiscuous community which will bargain for pity if legal recognition is out of the question. Just look closely at what you hear in the news or what you read in the newspapers. It mainly involves a male prostitute working the night in Mombasa (with the obvious ‘mzungu’ connection which further adds to the notion that homosexuality is a western import) or plans to hold a gay wedding in Mtwapa (a story I seriously doubt given the dubious nature of Kenyan journalists to turn any sentence into a page turning story).

When two Kenyan men got married in the UK last year, the media handled the news ‘haphazardly’ in the most flattering of terms clearly unaware of the impact it would have on public opinion. The same can be said about almost every other piece of news concerning homosexuality in Kenya in recent terms. A worrying case is that of Richard Muasya, a life sentence inmate serving at the Kamiti Maximum Prison. A widely read newspaper in Kenya, has handled reporting on his plea for the inclusion of a third gender in the Kenya High Court in what could be described as what could be described as irresponsible and misinformed. By the end of the day it would seem that the article aimed at seeking some form of pity or sympathy toward Richard who is only out to seek legal recognition for his intersex condition (since the current constitution only recognizes two sexes, male and female). Unfortunately what the article (a series of them actually) elicited was a barrage of condemnation with most of them saying he got what he deserved (sad really, it seems the whole point of the article was to add on the ignorance that most readers and Kenyans in general have when it comes to issues concerning homosexuality.)

It saddens me that we LGBTI Kenyans have been reduced into tabloid status by front page hungry journalists. I am aware of  many gay Kenyans who earn an honest living, pay their taxes, enjoy a good time and even find their way to church every Sunday and ARE NOT prostitutes! There are also various gay activists groups in Kenya which advocate for LBGTI rights but ask anyone on the street about this they’ll tell you that they are unaware of the existence of ISHTAR-MSM or GALCK both of which are involved in various forms of rights activism, awareness and provision of medical care for at risk groups such as MSMs. Kenyans still view LGBTI activism as a campaign in support of gay marriage, a western import which has been inculcated into a few people for the detriment of the majority. The Kenyan Media will be doing the Kenyan LBGTI community a big favour if they strove to erode such levels of ignorance and bigotry in its readership.

Fact is that the Kenyan LGBTI cause is being thrown in bad light for news worthiness’s sake. I will not point fingers at who is to blame for this but isn’t it obvious? I heard an argument once that the main reason why the gay issue ever makes it to the news was because of its ability to inflame certain passions on  both pro and anti-gay people alike and now more than ever I am inclined to agree with that view.

As members of the Civil Society, news agencies are most of the time called upon to speak for the voiceless in society, to highlight the plight of those who feel infringed upon, to be the messengers of truth and objectivity. This rarely happens when it comes to LGBTI people. If news agencies really want to highlight the plight of gay people in Kenya, I suggest that they highlight what is really happening on the ground, that most gay people are normal people living normal lives and have hopes and dreams for an inclusive society and a government that does its best to protect the interests of minorities. News agencies should know that what they report, what they write ultimately influences the opinion of the masses. I am in no way urging news agencies to write falsehoods about gay people, I am simply urging for an objective approach to handling of the gay issue, just like every other piece of news is handled.

**Kenne Mwikya is a gay Kenyan blogger and writer