Kenya court set to rule on whether to scrap anti-gay laws

NAIROBI, Kenya – Extortion, physical assaults, verbal abuse, denial of state services, forceful evictions, harassment, being disowned by family members.

These and many other challenges may begin to fade away for the Kenyan gay community if a court rules Friday in their favor to abolish laws that criminalize homosexual behavior.

The court case stems from a petition by the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, and the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya. The groups argue that sections of the code are in breach of the constitution and deny basic rights by criminalizing consensual same-sex relations between adults.

Existence of these laws within the Penal Code validate stigma, discrimination and violence toward individuals who do not conform to society's expectations on gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation, they argue.