Kenyan Writer Binyanvanga Wainaina Comes Out

While writing about the anti-gay law in Nigeria, I considered advocating that Africans who can needed to come out especially now that anti-gay sentiments are at an all time high in many African countries. People still see LGBTs as “them” and we need more people to see gay men and women as “part of us” so to speak. However I say ‘considered’ because I didn’t – it’s hard for me to push for something that I am not yet ready to do myself. So it was a welcome surprise when Binyanvanga Wainainia, the Kenyan writer and recipient of the 2002 Caine prize wrote this article as a “lost chapter” of his memoir in which he discusses his homosexuality. It has generated quite the buzz in gay and heterosexual circles especially since he isn’t the stereotypical gay male. While some doubt that this one article will make a dent in the anti-gay movement,I think it’s definitely a step in the right direction.