President Barack Obama will put an emphasis on the importance of LGBT rights in his state visit to Kenya, he told the BBC.
Despite several trips to Africa during his presidency, this it the first time the President has visited Kenya — the birthplace of his father — while in office. In an interview with the BBC ahead of his trip, Obama made clear that he would be raising the issue of LGBT rights with Kenya’s president, despite protests from some politicians in the nation.
“The deputy president in Kenya, who you’re going to meet, Mr Ruto, he said, ‘We have heard that in the US they have allowed gay relations and other dirty things,'” BBC correspondent Jon Sopel told the President.
“Yeah. Well, I disagree with him on that, don’t I?” Obama responded. “And I’ve had this experience before when we’ve visited Senegal in my last trip to Africa.
“I was very blunt about my belief that everybody deserves fair treatment, equal treatment in the eyes of the law and the state,” he continued. “And that includes gays, lesbians, transgender persons. I am not a fan of discrimination and bullying of anybody on the basis of race, on the basis of religion, on the basis of sexual orientation or gender.”
The President declared that LGBT rights would be “front and center” as part of his agenda, alongside Kenya’s treatment of women and girls. Mr. Obama emphasized his personal connection to the nation, which fueled a desire to see greater equality in the region.
“As somebody who has family in Kenya and knows the history of how the country so often is held back because women and girls are not treated fairly, I think those same values apply when it comes to different sexual orientations,” he said.
The President won’t have an easy task ahead of him in convincing Kenyans that LGBT rights are an important part of improving their nation. A UN report determined that homosexuality is “largely considered to be taboo and repugnant to [the] cultural values and morality” of Kenya. Sex between men is illegal, punishable by up to 21 years in prison, while transgender individuals are often subject to stigma and violence from the general public.
We asked readers what they're most (and least) looking forward to in 2025, as well as their plans and resolutions for the new year. Here's what they had to say.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
How are you planning to celebrate New Year's Eve?
RICHARD A., 46, Gay, D.C.: I'll be hanging out with friends in our birthday suits!
GORDON BINDER, 76, Gay, D.C.: Time was back when we'd be out New Year's Eve until early morning hours at one of D.C.'s discos, partying with friends. As we get on in years, however, those days are over, and likely my husband Michael and I will have a quiet celebration at home to welcome the new year.
Murray Hill will host King of Drag, the first-ever drag king reality competition series.
The series, which is slated to premiere this spring on the LGBTQ streaming network Revry, will run for six episodes and feature eight performers in competition for the title "King of Drag."
As reported by Variety, the series will be different from other reality competition shows because viewers will learn more about each contestant's backstory, what motivates them, and their goals should they win as part of each episode.
"Rather than rehash the format of other drag competition shows, the series' producers will showcase drag king’s unique talents, including comedy, unconventional performances, and timely commentary on masculinity, which has been part of the drag king subculture for decades," reads a press release announcing the show.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has ordered employees to stop processing claims from LGBTQ individuals alleging violations of their rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of "sex."
In a 2020 court case, the U.S. Supreme Court found that the federal civil rights law's protections extend to instances where employees have been fired or denied promotions due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The finding in that case runs counter to the Trump administration's recent executive orders refusing to recognize gender identity as valid and recognizing "sex" as fixed and congruent with one's assigned sex at birth.
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