Kenya's LGBTI activists and leaders are fearing for their lives after a local newspaper, Citizen Weekly, published their names and pictures on its front page. The newspaper exposed 12 individuals, including a senator and a gospel singer, with several being previously in the closet.
According to Denis Nzioka, one of the names mentioned, 'If h@mophob3s were looking to target people, if the police were looking to arrest people, if anti-g@y youths were looking to attack some teen they assume is g@y, they now have a face and a name,' he told Ga@ Star News. 'We are now walking targets. While some of the people on the list are open about being g@y, some are not. It is putting every person’s career, life and family at risk.'
Nzioka, along with fellow Kenyan LGBTI activist Eric Gitari, is working to ensure the safety of those listed. They are considering a class action lawsuit against the newspaper for endangering the lives of the individuals mentioned in the article.
A recent high court ruling ordered the government to allow a gay rights group to register, citing the country's constitution as supreme. However, activists fear that the newspaper's actions could be part of a campaign to further turn the public against the LGBTI community.
