Kenya’s government is taking action against foreign books that contain gay content, which officials believe target teenagers. The crackdown comes following a backlash from parents and religious leaders who have called for a thorough audit of available books and for the banning of those containing LGBT+ themes. Text Book Centre, a leading Kenyan bookstore, was instructed to stop selling the book “What’s happening to me?” by UK-based Usborne publishers. The text sparked controversy among those who believe it could encourage male teens to engage in same-sex relationships, which are illegal in Kenya. The country’s penal code includes a 14-year prison term for same-sex relations deemed to be “against the order of nature”.
The book reportedly contains the lines: “it isn’t unusual to fancy someone the same sex as you when you’re growing up… Usually people go on to have stronger feelings for the opposite sex, but this doesn’t always happen.” It goes on to discuss the possibility of being attracted to both boys and girls and defines lesbian and gay relationships. In a statement issued by Christian, Muslim and Hindu clerics earlier this month, President William Ruto and his government were urged to protect teens from “so-called same-sex doctrine through books from Western countries”.
The clerics described this type of literature as a “Trojan horse which will lead to the destruction of the family unit”. They added: “We cannot christen evil as LGBTQ rights so that it can be embraced.” Some have also called for police to create reporting desks in order to allow the public to report suspected cases of minors being “recruited” to become LGBT+. In September 2017, Kenya’s government revealed that it was in talks with Netflix to ban the streaming of LGBT+ films.
