GAY AND LESBIAN COALITION OF KENYA

International Day against Homophobia, May 17th 2012.

Good evening, and let me express my deep honour and pleasure at being here. I want to thank the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya for the invitation to be your keynote speaker. I want to commend Monica and MaqC for their inspiring words.

On December 10^th, 1948, the UN General Assembly passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It proclaims a simple, powerful idea: All human are born free and equal in dignity and rights. And with the declaration, it was made clear that rights are not conferred by Governments; they are birth right of all people. It does not matter what country we live in, who our leaders are, or even who we are. Because we are human, we therefore have rights. And because we have rights, Governments are bound to protect them.

Press Release by GALCK and KHRC on the KNCHR Report

The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK) and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) commend the great work done by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) in their recently launched report on the “public inquiry into violations of sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) in Kenya”.

GALCK and KHRC are cognizant of the numerous violations that sexual and gender minorities continue to face, relating to their sexual and reproductive health rights and other human rights, on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity. We recall that all human rights are universal and inalienable and, in encouraging the realization of these rights in Kenya, GALCK and KHRC endorse the recommendations set out in the KNCHR report and further urge the Government of Kenya and non-state actors:

There have always been lesbian mothers and gay fathers, for as long as there have been lesbians and gay men (and how long that is depends on how you define lesbian and gay). For most of that time - whenever you think it started - lesbians and gay men with children had them in heterosexual marriages and came out later. Out lesbian and gay parents were sometimes rearing children as singles or in couples, although heterosexist legal decisions mean they often were not able to parent their kids. In any event, issues concerning lesbian and gay parenting were inextricably bound up with issues of divorce, and often of remarriage and step-parenting as well.