Today is the
International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), but
not everyone recognizes it.
And, for some
members of the LGBTI community, a lack of recognition traces all the way
back to their family members, who abandon or shun them once they come out.
The
International HIV/AIDS Alliance, along with Nature Network hosts Ronnie and
Raymond Brian, shed light on abandonment faced by LGBTI communities across Africa.
Both men in the
video are members of an LGBTI refugee group in Nairobi, Kenya, so Ronnie knows
exactly how it feels to lose touch with family because of who he is.
He says:
‘It has been hard because my family thinks it unnatural. They’ve grown up in
this concept where it’s a boy marries a girl.
‘It feels too
bad. You feel disappointed and abandoned. You feel alone and you have this
self-rejection because everyone is against you because of who you are. You feel
yourself, you’re gay, it’s your feeling, but everyone is against it.’
Ronnie cites
religion and the countries’ anti-LGBTI constitutions as reasons for
close-mindedness.
Watch the
entire video here:
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