Nairobi, 01 February, 2024 / 9:46 pm (ACI Africa).
Representatives of faith-based entities in Kenya have, in a petition, deed “persistent and well-financede attempts” to to legalize Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) practices in the East African nation.
In their petition delivered to Parliament on Thursday, February 1, the Religious leaders drawn from the Kenya Christians Professional Forum (KCPF), the Council of Preachers and Imams of Kenya (CIPK), and Christ is the Answer Ministries (CITAM), among others, call upon Kenyan Members of Parliament (MPs) to take action.
“In the past ten years, we have witnessed persistent, well-choreographed, and well-financed/funded attempts by persons identifying themselves as representing homosexuals, or more precisely Lesbians, Gay, Bisexuals, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ), to have laws prohibiting homosexuality and other unnatural acts impugned or declared unconstitutional. They have filed numerous court cases and petitions in our courts,” they say.
They add, “The common thread through all these attempts throughout the world has been their claims that their rights and freedoms have been violated through discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. These two terminologies are alien not just to the African but to anyone with a moral fiber in their being.”
The petitioners go on to fault “concerted efforts from foreign non-state actors through financial lobbying to effect changes to our penal law in order to decriminalize such acts long criminalized such as homosexuality.”