Kenya Could Legalize LGBTQ Relations

Kenya is preparing to rule on overturning the ban against homosexuality, which would be huge for the conservative country. Currently, the punishment for being queer is up to 14 years in prison.

According to New Now Next, the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) and other LGBTQ rights groups have petitioned Kenya’s High Court to make this change. Overturning this law would mean repealing Section 162 of the Kenyan Penal Code, which has been in place since the country fell under British rule.

Nearly 600 people were persecuted under this law between 2010 and 2014, according to reports, and there could be even more victims from more recent years. The law allows discrimination, harassment, and violence against queer folks, and recently, the country also ruled that anal examinations to determine if a man is gay are legal.

“If the law is repealed, people will be able to fight from a point of legal confidence,” NGLHRC director Eric Gitari stated, according to Reuters.

Clearly, there is a lot to fight back against in Kenya, but if this ban is repealed, LGBTQ folks will have a lot more fundamental rights. Stay tuned, because the ruling of this case will be announced April 26.