Laughter, solidarity, and conviviality were in the air at a quietly remarkable event in a Nairobi hotel on February 12. Yet the subject matter discussed at the event was anything but light: depression and suicide, public stripping and rape. The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK) was presenting its new report, "Research on the Lived Realities of Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer Women in Kenya."
The report addresses the often overlooked experiences of queer women. In much human rights reporting, violations against queer women, which often occur in the private sphere of the home, are overshadowed by violations in the public sphere. And our ears are attuned to the loudest voices - usually, men's - while women too frequently suffer human rights abuses in silence. The women of GALCK, trading in trust built among LBQ communities, transcended those barriers and elevated the voices of Kenyan women, bringing their experiences front and center.
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