“You’ll Be Chased Away”: Sources, Experiences, and Effects of Violence and Stigma among Gay and Bisexual Men in Kenya

Katherine A. Lewis (), Laura Jadwin-Cakmak, Jeffrey Walimbwa, Adedotun Ogunbajo, Juan C. Jauregui, Daniel Peter Onyango, Darius M. Moore, Gabriel Lee Johnson, Wilson Odero and Gary W. Harper ()
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Katherine A. Lewis: Department of Community Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Laura Jadwin-Cakmak: Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
Jeffrey Walimbwa: Ishtar MSM, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
Adedotun Ogunbajo: RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA
Juan C. Jauregui: Luskin School of Public Affairs, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Daniel Peter Onyango: Let Good Be Told In Us, Nyanza, Rift Valley, and Western Kenya (NYARWEK) LGBTI Coalition, Kisumu 40100, Kenya
Darius M. Moore: Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
Gabriel Lee Johnson: Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
Wilson Odero: School of Medicine and School of Public Health, Maseno University, Kisumu 40100, Kenya
Gary W. Harper: Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-16

Abstract: Gay and bisexual men in Kenya face extreme socio-political stigma which manifests in widespread violence and discrimination across socio-ecological levels. We conducted individual in-depth interviews with 60 gay and bisexual men in western and central Kenya. Interview transcripts were thematically analyzed using an inductive, phenomenological approach to qualitatively examine experiences of stigma and violence at the interpersonal and institutional levels. A total of seven primary themes and four sub-themes emerged from the data. At the interpersonal level, participants described stigma and violence from family, friends, and romantic/sexual partners with sub-themes for gay-baiting violence, blackmail, intimate partner violence, and commitment phobia. At the institutional level, participants described stigma and violence from religious, employment, educational, and healthcare institutions. This stigma and violence severely impacted the lives of participants including their mental health, physical health, sexual health, socioeconomic status, and ability to access health-promoting services. These data identify sources of stigma and describe how this stigma manifests in the everyday lives of gay and bisexual men in Kenya. Study findings and quotes from participants highlight the severity of violence, stigma, and discrimination faced by this community and emphasize the need for decriminalization of same-sex sexualities as well as interventions to support health and wellbeing.

Keywords: gay and bisexual men; Kenya; stigma; violence; qualitative research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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