A word of welcome from Emmanuel Kamau, founder (1997) and former director of Ishtar MSM of Nairobi, Kenya
In my new capacity as Other Sheep Coordinator for English-Speaking Africa, I warmly welcome Salome Ochaola to our Other Sheep Kenya seminar. Other Sheep Kenya is greatly interested in HIV-AIDS prevention, care and education.
In June, as Other Sheep Coordinator, I attended the United Nations high level meetings on HIV and AIDS. More than one speaker from Africa -- including a speaker from Kenya -- stated in his or her report that LGBT people must be understood and accepted and that homophobia must be addressed if significant advances in HIV-AIDS prevention is to be achieved.
Through religious educational materials and networking, Other Sheep Kenya purposes to make a difference within the religious communities of Kenya. Other Sheep is asking religious leaders to dialogue with LGBT people and to reexamine their professed beliefs in light of ongoing biblical scholarship and the evidence of the social sciences.
I am an "other sheep" -- a gay Christian from Kenya. Together as Kenyan "other sheep" we hope to gain an audience with our churches in Kenya and tell them our stories. The religious community is our home. We are people of faith. As we raise our voice in search of meaningful dialogue, may the church we love come to understand that we are people of human worth and human dignity as gay people.
Other Sheep Kenya will do its part in speaking as the "other sheep" who have always been there in the midst of our churches. And in doing so, may homophobia dissipate, and may HIV-AIDS prevention make significant advances.
