LBQ women and GNC persons organizing have for long been left behind in the growth of movement and Queer organizing. Thus, INEND’s Experiential learning fellowship is a way to invest & support young LBQ women and GNC persons organizing in Kenya.
INEND will walk the journey with 3 LBQ women and GNC Persons organisations who will lead us to the next phase of this movement; holistically Enhancing their leadership and institutional capacity.
The Experiential Learning Fellowship will ensure the leadership of LBQ women and GNC persons is enhanced with a long term impact of better programming for LBQ women and GNC persons. The cohort will have the capacity to break down systematic disenfranchising, with INEND focusing on continuously building and enhancing capacity of the cohort organisation, and its leadership .
When we support this cohort, they will be able to take up other LBQ women and GNC persons organisations, and offer the same capacity to support ensuring sustainable LBQ women and GNC persons movement.
‘’Capacity Building is Not an Event, it is a process’’
#INENDExperietialLearningFellowship
T here is a need to recognize the importance of consent and mutual respect when it comes to sexual encounters with complete and accurate information so one can make informed choices regarding sexual and reproductive health as it does NOT only address physical health but also embraces a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships.
Here are some of the ways to ensure foster Sexual and reproductive health for a positive and safe sexual experience, free of coercion, discrimination, and violence;
Accessibility
(a)Providing comprehensive Information/knowledge about sex and sexuality and the risks and vulnerability of sexual activities
(b)Availing health services that affirm our experiences, especially for Sexual and Gender Minorities.
Social Norm Shift– Creating an environment that affirms and promotes positive sexual and reproductive health for All.
In 2022, INEND in collaboration with Lesbian, Bisexual, and Queer (LBQ) women in the Coast region developed, validated, and tested several health-related messages for LBQs that highlight the issues that they face in Sexual and Reproductive Health context with CONSENT being key.
Here are the messages for you to print out, share, and Educate!
Together with the undersigned LGBTIQ+ organisations on this statement, we strongly condemn the recent assent of the Anti-Homosexuality Act in Uganda by President Yoweri Museveni. This legislation not only violates the basic principles of human rights but also undermines the dignity, freedom, and equality of LGBTIQ+ individuals in Uganda.The Anti-Homosexuality Act is a clear violation of international human rights standards, including the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. It undermines the fundamental rights to privacy, dignity, freedom of expression, association, and protection from discrimination for all individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
17th May 2023 – Today, on International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, Interphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT), We celebrate the diversity within our families and communities.The theme, “Together always: united in diversity,” could not be more fitting,At a time when the LGBTQ+ community faces unprecedented challenges in Kenya and across the world, it is more important than ever to stand together in solidarity.
Together With other Organisations, We celebrate and recognise the progress made to advance LGBTQ+ and other human rights in Kenya as we acknowledge the significant work that remains. The struggle for equality and human rights is long, but we are not alone. We invite everyone to join us towards centering inclusivity and respect for diversity in all that we do.
W e stand in solidarity with the LGBTIQ+ community in Uganda, facing harsh penalties for simply living their lives & expressing their identities. Criminalization of LGBTQ+ people is a gross human rights violation & goes against equality and non-discrimination.The justification that this legislation is needed to protect traditional values in the country is unacceptable, as everyone deserves the right to live free from fear and persecution, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
As a member state of the United Nations, Uganda has committed to protecting, promoting, and respecting the individual rights and fundamental freedoms laid out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
This is a joint statement by The National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, The Initiative for Equality and Non Discrimination, galck+, Coalition for Grassroots Human Rights Defenders- Kenya, Gay HIV prevention Network, Defenders Coalition, Pema Kenya, Public Health Innovations, and The Key Population Consortium of Kenya. #PROTECTQUEERUGANDANS
LLBQ women and GNC persons organizing have for long been left behind in the growth of movement and Queer organizing. Thus, INEND’s Experiential learning fellowship is a way to invest & support young LBQ women and GNC persons organizing in Kenya.
INEND will walk the journey with 3 LBQ women and GNC Persons organisations who will lead us to the next phase of this movement, holistically enhancing their leadership and institutional capacity.
The Experiential Learning Fellowship will ensure the leadership of LBQ women and GNC persons is enhanced with a long-term impact of better programming for LBQ women and GNC persons. The cohort will have the capacity to break down systematic disenfranchising, with INEND focusing on continuously building and enhancing the capacity of the cohort organisation and its leadership.
When we support this cohort, they will be able to take up other LBQ women and GNC persons organisations, and offer the same capacity to support ensuring sustainable LBQ women and GNC persons movement.
‘’Capacity Building is Not an Event, it is a process’’
#INENDExperietialLearningFellowship
A
10-year legal battle of an attempt to have The National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission(NGLHRC) registered with the Non-Governmental Organisation(NGO) Coordination Board ended with triumph on 24th February 2023 after Justice prevailed with the Supreme Court Of Kenya affirming the Registration with the words ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ in its title.
NGLHRC Lodged a petition at the High Court asserting their right to register an association with the objectives of protecting and promoting the rights of LGBTI+ people in Kenya after the NGO board declined to accent their registration after three attempts.
The High Court found in our favour, stating that the NGO Co-ordination Board had violated NGLHRC’s rights to non-discrimination and declared that the Board had contravened the provisions of article 36 of the Constitution of Kenya in failing to accord a fair and just treatment to gay and lesbian persons living in Kenya seeking registration of an association of their choice.
However, Dissatisfied with the High Court’s decision, the NGO Coordination Board appealed to the Court of Appeal. On a 3-2 vote, the Court found in NGLHRC’s favour as the Board failed to establish any grounds that justified the limitation on NGLHRC’s right to associate.
In their landmark decision, the judges stated
‘ Given that the right to freedom of association is a human right, vital to the functioning of any democratic society as well as an essential prerequisite enjoyment of other fundamental rights and freedoms, we hold that this right is inherent in everyone irrespective of whether the views they are seeking to promote are popular or not … As such, we agree with the reasoning of the High Court that just like everyone else, LGBTQ+ have a right to freedom of association which includes the right to form an association of any kind’
Freedom Of Association Case Timeline Source: NGLHRC
Download the full court judgment
T
he role and importance of governance wherever human populations exist cannot be overstated. It is not easy to dispute that problems associated with poor human development are, to a great extent, largely caused by poor governance. How a country is governed plays a critical role in whether the people within its jurisdiction will be empowered or disempowered by the leadership through the environment created.
Discriminatory laws and socio-cultural constructed norms continue to marginalize and exclude lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender Intersex, and gender-diverse persons from education, health care, housing, employment and occupation, and basically dignified lives! This environment of exclusion leads to violence and inequality of opportunity and access to resources.
LGBTQ+ issues are weaponised by political and religious leaders to the masses depicting the community as a threat to national cohesion, culture, traditions, religion or simply being a non-issue and giving ”socio-economic” issues priority over the protection of human rights
The fundamentalists rise at the expense of sexual and gender minorities, challenging advances, and preventing the development of laws and policies inclusive of LGBTQ+ people disseminating social prejudice and misconceptions about the nature and moral character of LGBTQ+ persons.
#QueeringTheBallot Coffee Forum was seeking to chat on the importance of Understanding Leadership and Good Governance and how that would look like for the Sexual And Gender Minorities in Kenya.
During the first session that we held pre-elections, we had In-depth discussions on elective positions the Leaders were to vie for and their particular mandates/roles. We also highlighted how LGBTQ under the special groups should politically Positions ourselves to ensure inclusion in the elective positions of power.
After the ballot day, the elective leaders were announced and the presidential elections dispute was taken to court. The Supreme Court of Kenya’s ruling settled that the results of elections held on August 8th, 2022 were to be upheld. What followed after was a lot of anxiety in the new political dispensation and LGBTIQ+ rights and privileges in Kenya after some homophobic remarks from the President-elect in the past emerged.
#QueeringTheBallot decided to embark on a campaign dubbed #KnowYourRights , with an aim to inform the community that Regardless of who is in power, the Constitution and other legal protections remain in place as INEND, we felt the need to have another ‘Mahamri’ and ‘Chai‘ post-elections discourse.
The community voted using various approaches which we all respect as they felt the leaders would represent them in their various capacities. There were some who before the first session did NOT want to vote but they, later on, were convinced that they would not relinquish their power.
We mapped various leaders in the coast region who advocate for Human Rights and are allies and how to access them in case we are in need.
There was a unanimous decision to give the current office 100 days and see the changes they are to make and the paths they are to take albeit reluctance from some members of the community who pointed out that the past informs the present and the future.
Here is an article we came across depicting further the Importance of Representation & Rights.
Sexual and Gender Minorities have always been at the front-line of protests and marches demanding for better living conditions and dignity, but they feel there are barriers to them participating in public and political forums. While talking about why they had little interest, the Queer people were anxious of the potential homo-bi-transphobia in the participation process. They mentioned the existing fears of being outed, physical, verbal and digital Violence.
The #QueeringTheBallot: Elections Situation Room (QBESR)is as a creation of the efforts of the four organizations –Initiative For Equality & Non Discrimination(INEND), National gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission(NGLHRC),Empowered Ladies Initiative for Equality (ELITE) and The Western Kenya LBQ womxn and Trans* Non-Binary Persons Feminist Forum -in a bid to ensure participation of LBQ women and GNC persons in the pre, during and post stages of the 2022 General elections.
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