Series - International Forum 2022: Global Development and Social Movements

Accelerating acceptance: Chris Makena Njeri on the support African queer communities need right now

Author Neha Chollangi
Chris Makena Njeri, CEO of BOLD Network Africa, speaks on their organization harnesses the power of storytelling to support queer communities.

Why It Matters

Out of 54 countries in Africa, only 22 have legalized homosexuality, and only South Africa has legalized same-sex marriage. While the task of overturning these laws is vital, queer folks more immediately need a support network and safe spaces.

var TRINITY_TTS_WP_CONFIG = {"cleanText":"Accelerating acceptance: Chris Makena Njeri on the support African queer communities need right now. This journalism is made possible by a partnership with World University Services Canada (WUSC) and The International Forum . See our editorial ethics and standards here . In 2019, Chris Makena Njeri was outed as gay. Pictures of their vandalized car with hateful comments went viral on Twitter, and their inbox was flooded with hate mail. Njeri says this topic continued to be a social media trend in Kenya for over a week. At the time, they worked as a journalist for the BBC, and even the validity of their work was being questioned because of their sexuality. \u201cThe fact that I was outed, when I was not ready to come out, was something that really, really di

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