This archive report was first published on 18 May 2020.
On May 18, 2020, Letoya Johnstone, a brave transgender woman, shared a heart-wrenching story of her experiences in Kenya, where she faces stigma and persecution as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
Johnstone, a fashion stylist and runway model trainer, has been a vocal advocate for the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals in Kenya. In her story, she recounts how she was raped and lost teeth in the hands of her tormentors.
"This is the face that has gone through the most atrocities in this Kenya. I have lost friends, I have lost family, I have lost dignity, I have faced death and above all else I have lost half of my teeth in the hands of those who raped me, kicked me out of their houses and labeled me names of misfortune," she wrote.
Johnstone's story is a testament to the struggles faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in Kenya, where same-sex relations are punishable by 14 years in jail. In May 2019, Kenya's high court upheld a law banning gay sex, a decision that Johnstone described as a blow to her dignity and survival.
"Tears have run down my cheeks. My government has forsaken my dignity and my survival in the face of the world when he said, 'The LGBTQ+ Community issues are none issues.' Most of my fellow Kenyans have used my sexuality and my gender against me. I came over and faced most. The world health organizations have done enough, but myself and others who love differently have stood up tall and fought for repeal 163 of the constitution of Kenya. It never passed. Why? Because convincing the public opinion about my gender and my sexuality proved to be something that they labeled not pure," she wrote.
Johnstone's story is not an isolated incident, but rather a reflection of the broader struggles faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in Kenya. She has been displaced in her own country, and her community is not included in the Sustainable Development Goals, a collection of 17 global goals designed to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.
