Author: John Korir
Date: January 23, 2007
Source: Kenya Times http://www.timesnews.co.ke/23jan07/nwsstory/news14.html

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Kenyan gays and lesbians yesterday issued a powerful petition for the legalisation of same sex marriages in the country as the World Social Forum (WSF) entered its third day.

Rallying under the aegis of Gay and Lesbians Coalition of Kenya (GLCK), they said sexual rights were as vital as any other human right and should be recognised in the Constitution.

They further argued that homosexuality was not foreign to African culture as widely perceived.

“The old African generation had a rich vocabulary to describe homosexual activity, which the current generations lack. Churches and mosques have however systematically destroyed our indigenous socialisation structures leading to a lack of information about our culture,” Dorothy Aken’Ova stated in her address on ‘Reclaiming Our Sexuality.’

Maria Berenice Dias, a Brazilian Court of Appeal judge, described her efforts to have third world countries allow homosexuals incorporated in the family law. “I propose that homosexual couples be allowed to adopt children whom they can pass over their wealth to when they die. Currently, homosexuals are buried with all their worldly fortunes,” she said. The homosexuals wore black T-shirts with the message “We’re here, We’re queer, We’re proud” embedded on a Kenyan map.