Homosexuality and Health in Kisumu

Jul 31st, 2009 10:13 AM UTC
By Steven Thai

Our ONE Campus Challenge students are on the ground in Kenya. Steven Thai reports back:

Another amazing day in Kenya! Today I was able to meet with many people in my age group! Most of the people we were able to meet today were HIV-positive. This was an uplifting experience because most of these people have so much hope and a positive outlook on life.

Where I would like to focus my blog post on today is MSM (men who have sex with men) and the political impact of the 2007 election. We met with a group that is participating in outreach and support group services from Tuungane Youth Center in Kisumu.

First off, a little background on the situation of these men. Most of them live in the shadows of Kenya because it is illegal for men to have sexual contact with other men. But at the forefront of their concern is the large stigma that is attached to being a man who has sex with men. Some of these men would not identify themselves as homosexual, but rather heterosexual. This is because some have become commercial sex workers in order to make a living. Others would classify themselves as homosexuals, but they may never be able to openly be who they are. All of these men knew their HIV status.

During the 2007 post election violence, many of them lost friends, family members, and partners. Some also had to flee to outlying cities of Kisumu because of what the violence does to their tribal/ethnic heritage. For commercial sex workers, it was also a very difficult time because financial means of purchasing sex were very limited to their clients.

Some of the members of this group talked about starting their own revolution so that they can receive the basic right to be themselves. They also talked about not being able to speak to their members of Parliament because they would be jailed or ousted for being MSM.

This was also a time for them to ask us questions. Many of them thought that LGBT people in the United States were treated fairly just like other citizens. We informed them that much of the United States has a large stigma against homosexuality. They were very surprised by this.

What many of these men felt that they needed was much more access to MSM health care. But most importantly, water-based lubricant, which increases the likelihood of condom usage. Condoms are readily available in Kenya but lubricant is very expensive and many cannot afford it. This was something that the MSM community feels that funding for sexual health for all must be increased.

That’s all I have today! If you have any questions, please leave a comment!

-Steven Thai

TAGS: 2009 OCC Africa Trip, ONE