This article is a timeline of notable events affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community in Kenya. During pre-colonial times, various expressions of sexual diversity were integrated into the cultures of Swahili-speaking populations and ethnic groups such as the Teso, Karamojong, and Nandi. [1] However, the beginning of Kenya's colonization by the British Empire in 1895 brought with it the imposition of Christianity and Victorian morality in the territory, [2] as well as laws present in other colonized territories that, among other provisions, criminalized homosexuality. [3]
Contents
- Before the 21st Century
- 1895
- 1930
- 1963
- 1975
- 1984
- 1999
- 21st century
- 2000s
- 2010s
- 2020s
- See also
- References
- Sources
When Kenya achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1963, colonial-era criminal laws were kept in place, so homosexuality remained illegal. [3] During the following decades, sexual diversity was rarely discussed in the country, and authorities such as President Jomo Kenyatta preferred to deny its existence. However, there are reports of networks of LGBTQ people socializing in various cities across the country during the 20th century, with Mombasa standing out as the least intolerant towards gender minorities. [4] In 1999, the first LGBTQ rights activism group in the country's history also emerged, known as Ishtar MSM. [2]
Although LGBTQ people continued to face significant intolerance during the early years of the 21st century, [4] the 2000s also saw a greater push for local LGBTQ activism with the emergence of groups in most major cities across the country and the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya, as well as the first public rallies demanding reforms in favor of equality. There was also an expansion in inclusive social spaces for LGBTQ people. [5] [2] However, homophobic attacks continued to be recurrent in different parts of the country, often fueled by collective hysteria. [6] [7]
A gradual change for LGBTQ people began in the mid-2010s, first with an increase in positive artistic representations, [2] then with a series of judicial rulings that, among other rights, approved the official registration of an LGBTQ organization, [8] recognized the identity of a trans woman and revoked the government ban on showing the lesbian film Rafiki (2018) in theaters. [9] [10] Social tolerance towards sexual diversity also increased, [11] although arrests based on the law criminalizing homosexuality continued to be present, [12] as well as homophobic hate speech, which continued to generate news until the beginning of the 2020s, particularly from conservative groups as a reaction to the judicial rulings in favor of the rights of sexual minorities. [13]
