QUEER KENYA; HOMOPHOBIA AND THE RISE IN GAY CAMPUS STUDENTS

There has been a steady rise the number of gays and gay activism in Kenya in the recent past.Despite the widespread homophobia, gays are everywhere in Kenya and despite our anti-gay laws, they go on with their business as usual but discreetly. Gays in Kenya will, in most cases, do everything to conceal what they are for fear of 'reprisal' from the larger straight society; of course we have had cases where gays are stoned to death.In most cases, you get to know one is gay the moment they start hitting on you.I never got to know any till I got to campus.It is here that I have come to learn that there are so many gays in campus and the whole country at large, with majority of them being in Nairobi and Mombasa.

About a year after joining campus, I met this dude( I can't exactly remember how it happened) who later became my friend. He was a good friend, just like any other I had though with time he started acting weird.He started getting too close that even my girl started complaining that I spent too much time with him.I however didn't see anything wrong with hanging out and doing drinks with a friend.As time went by, he started calling me names I can only my girl especially over the phone. When I objected, he brushed them off as jokes. At this point, I had started to notice weird things about him, things that, to avoid disgust, I'd rather not talk about.One day, I met this dude at his place who was introduced to me as a cousin(I later came to realize that it was a lie). It happened that he asked for my number which didn't seem weird to me. 'The father of all shocks' came weeks later when I got a text from him(the 'cousin') saying,"I LOVE YOU,YOU ARE SO HOT I CAN'T RESIST YOU!" Holy Mary, Jesus and Joseph!...You should have seen the shock on my face. To cut the story short, with all the evidence I needed at hand, I terminated the friendship. I came to realize that he is in it for money, on which he lives a flashy lifestyle. I know of many campus girls who wish to get him(coz of the chums maybe) and all I do is pity them.

Since that time, I have come to meet a few more gays, in campus and elsewhere. One of them, a homosexual, shared a number of things about being gay, their code and their life. He seemed to enjoy it and had no regrets for doing it.It is through him that I got to know of natural gays and nurtured gays. He is a natural, that is, he had those queer feelings since childhood. He has always enjoyed the company of good-looking males. He told me that the feeling is so strong that you can't resist and that only gays like him can understand what it feels. It is strange how a man gets attracted to another, just as he said, I still fail to understand. Notably, there is a type of gays he hates, the male prostitutes, who are in it for money. Most of them are nurtured and it is the wicked allure of money that got them there. Most of these are in campus. Their clients are the elder working men, most of whom are divorced or are living a double life. These campus gays are after the money and are easily identified by their lavish lives in campus.My concern is that so many people in campus are getting into this illicit trade.

All in all, I like keeping an open mind, which helps because you don't get to hurt yourself & others quite often. However, at times you get to lose your cool-even a donkey can carry this much! These are those times when, like in my case, your comfort and moral principles are threatened-I can't stomach a man hitting on me, for heavens sake, I am not a woman!! I don't hate gays, I hate the act.I have interacted with them and for sure, they are not bad. They are just normal humans with a sexual orientation I don't approve of.  I don't have a problem with them, as long as personal boundaries are respected. I am yet to meet a lesbian. I hope that someday, i will get to hear their views and concerns.
Your views will be greatly appreciated but, no insults please.