AFRICAN LGBTI REALITIES: Are You Listening? Meet Denis Nzioka, Steave Nemande, David Kuria - Arguably Africa's most prominent/out gay activist citizens

Left to Right--Denis Nzioka, Kenya-Steave Nemande, Cameroon-Senate Candidate David Kuria, Kenya

I salute our brave LGBTI Activist Brothers and Sisters in Africa....all of them, seen and unseen, for taking the necessary steps forward to face a world of discrimination, persecution and often hounded by hate crimes, personal/intimate violations and even death. 

Each of us will perservere, as best we can, sometimes silently and sometimes boldly.

As I look into the picture of the three Men above (and think of our devoted brother Gay Uganda too who can´t be pictured because of the current pogrom in Kampala) I see joy and I feel joy too...the kind of joy that people like me experience when we are free ¨to be¨ the authentic people that God created us to be...it´s quite a celebration to feel joyous and FREE after being oppressed and despised! 

Make no mistake, ¨we¨ are ¨authentic¨ (even if you can´t see us, we are standing shoulder to shoulder with you) in our families, amongst our coworkers and friends. We are assimilated with you, our fellow citizens and join you in all that we collectively do at all levels of society...we are like them and you but we can no longer ignore the demonization and degration that has been spewn at us for lifetimes. 

We must say no to fear/superstition, hate, bigotry and lies.

Most of US are like OUR dear friends pictured above in Mother Africa--we have always been here next to you and we aren´t going away...ready or not, believe it or not, we are also the beloved and we are ¨now proud¨ and look forward to sharing our lives living productively amongst all of you.  We need not go far to do that as we are together already.

The unified LGBTI emerging voice in Africa:  ¨We are responsible¨

· Thanks to Gay Kenya, sidebar
· Thanks to Gay Uganda, sidebar
· Thanks to Cameroon
· Thanks to African Activist