Kenya Stockholm Blog

A gay wedding in Sweden between two Ugandans. Notice who is in the guest list?

As late as 1979, homosexuality was classified as an illness in Sweden. President Yoweri Museveni has just signed a Law banning homosexuality in Uganda, a practice which is already banned in Zimbabwe where President Robert Mugabe signed a Museveni-like Law many years ago. In Kenya, attempts to include clauses that supported homosexuality in the country’s New Constitution were all thwarted due to strong opposition by the Kenyan population which apparently argued that homosexuality is un-African, un-natural, if not, a product of Western moral decadence. So far, Museveni and Mugabe have been the leading lights in the illegalization of homosexuality in Africa, a move that has attracted the ire of Western leaders and pro-homosexuality activists.

This article does not seek to support or condemn homosexuality but to highlight the “strangeness” of homosexuality as a practice readily accepted and defended by white people. The article is part of a series of KSB articles about “Strange white stuff”  as seen from the point of view of non-white people especially within the African aka black community. Under the “Strange white stuff” series, articles which have so far been published here at KSB include “the flower culture, “kissing in public” and “monitoring spouses”.

Despite attacks on Museveni and similar attacks that were directed at Mugabe following the stand of the two presidents on homosexuality, my bet is that on this issue, the two dictators have millions of secret supporters, both in Africa and in the African Diaspora. The fact that millions of Kenyans opposed pro-homosexuality clauses in their New Constitution that was promulgated in August 2010 can be cited as evidence to argue that majority of Kenyans are both with President Museveni and Mugabe on the question of banning homosexuality in society. In fact, the issue was so hot in Kenya that propaganda against homosexuality took center stage during campaigns as protagonists on both sides of the Referendum debate feasted on anti-gay and anti-lesbian fodder to try and gain political mileage.

In the end, any words, phrases or clauses that could remotely be construed to be pro-homosexuality were effectively kept out of the New Kenyan Constitution. In retrospect, it can be safe to conclude that by consciously keeping the New Constitution “clean from homosexuality”, millions of Kenyans passed an unwritten law “Museveni style” banning homosexuality in the country. Interestingly, no one has been talking about this dramatic development (including Western leaders backed by their gay and lesbian activists) as Museveni is cast on the frying pan. Why? Because it is easier to condemn an individual’s action than the resolve of millions of people. In paraphrase, the world is faced with an awkward situation in which millions of Kenyans were right while one Museveni is wrong even though both parties are opposed to the same practice that is the subject of controversy.

In Africa (and other Third World countries) opposition to homosexuality has mainly been based on both cultural and religious grounds. While Museveni and Mugabe have both exploited arguments based on African culture to push their cases, almost 90% of populations in Africa where Christianity and Islam are rooted can be assumed to be automatically opposed to the legalization of homosexuality across the continent or its practice. Since the two religions are the dominant religions in Africa, and given that “African culture” is the leading reason usually cited by anti-homosexuality operatives, it can safely be assumed that majority of Africans are opposed to homosexuality. For this reason, millions of Africans (and non-whites close to the African position) find support for homosexuality among white people very strange and this is the crux of this article.

Same sex marriages
For opponents of homosexuality, the tired questions are innumerable: how can two males or two females have sex? Biologically, the ass-hole is designed to be the final exit point for shit and since any shit stinks, the ass-hole is deemed to be the dirtiest hole on the human body. Under the circumstances, and for many non-white people, what is strange is how millions of white people can openly support the act of a man knowingly or willingly forcing his manhood in another man’s shit-hole in the name of sexual rights! Worse still, imagine a man putting his tongue on another man’s ass-hole “to stimulate him” in readiness for action then such an action is supported by white people! If it does not sound strange to you as a reader, may be you are white!

What about lesbians? There is no question that whatever two women perform in a room privately ought to be their business. For example, if they decide to use their fingers to imitate the male organ so that they can derive pleasure by dipping into their vajeyjeys during the so called “gal-to-gal articulation”, the act should be nobody’s business. Just like gays, the lesbians may be black, white or even non-white. Regardless of the justification, millions of non-white people (especially Africans) find it strange that apart from the need to leave lesbians alone to do their thing, many white people are likely to support them. This article does not seek to suggest that homosexuality is strange per se. It seeks to underline the huge support homosexuals enjoy among white people. On the subject of “strange white stuff”, it is this support that looks strange. In fact, the massive support for homosexuality among white people has always led Africans to pose the question as to what is wrong with white people.

Alternatively, supporting a man kissing another man in the name of love may sound very strange to an African. Then of course, there is the place where homosexuals get married to live like husband and wife! In Europe today and the United States, it is an accepted practice that the marriages take place in designated churches! This may be very strange when such actions are supported by white people.

This is not to suggest that homosexuality is not practiced in Africa by Africans or that it is not practiced by other non-whites. In Africa, the practice is as old as the universe. The difference is that it has no mass support because it is deemed “unnatural”. There are many strange white stuff which seem very normal to white people but support for homosexuality seem to be one of the most extreme when compared to other stuff which have been named here like the love for flowers, kissing in public and monitoring spouses. It needs to be mentioned that there are white people who do not support homosexuality. The point with this article is that majority of them do support the practice and this is what constitutes “strange white stuff”.

Okoth Osewe