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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Kenyan Gay Ally Rev. Makokha Speaks OUT












In the first installment of this two-part exclusive audio interview, Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Reverend John Makokha, senior pastor of Riruta United Methodist Church in Nairobi, Kenya. He is the African correspondent for Reconciling Ministries Network and the Country Coordinator of Other Sheep Kenya Trust, a faith-based LGBTI organization. John is the Africa Author of Reconciling Ministries Network. He passionately runs educational awareness seminars on human sexuality and gender identity programs to address religious homophobia and transphobia in Kenya with his wife Anne.

When asked as a heterosexual man how he got involved in the LGBT community, Rev. Makokha stated, “In high school when I was still a student I had friends who were gay. I saw them going through a lot of persecution, a lot of suffering and living in the closet. And one of them named David who was very dear to me, very close to me, was expelled from high school and also his family threw him out because of his sexual orientation. And later on he took his life. He committed suicide and that really effected me.”

As Coordinator for Other Sheep Kenya, John organizes and leads educational awareness seminars on human sexuality and gender identity throughout Kenya. Other Sheep Kenya addresses religious homophobia, transphobia, social justice, and HIV/AIDS in Kenya through capacity building and advocacy programs for LGBTI people and Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). Other Sheep has ministries in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. Other Sheep Kenya came into existence during the 2007 Kenya summer ministry program of Rev. Stephen Parelli and Jose Ortiz, Other Sheep Executive Director and Other Sheep Coordinator for Africa, respectively. Our Gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender (LGBT) community are once again subject to homophobia, religious and cultural extremism. The United Nations voted to remove “sexual orientation” from a resolution that protects people from arbitrary executions. The UN General Assembly has actually voted to allow LGBT people to be executed without cause. Read More…. This holiday season we hope our audience will consider making a donation to support our LGBT community, especially in oppressive countries.
Listen to Kenyan Gay Ally Rev. Makokha Interview Part 2
For More Info: othersheep.org

3 comments:

  1. Anne GoldbauerNovember 26, 2010 at 1:28 PM

    What is sad is the violation of its own Ugandan Law Constitution among other political platforms. What is shocking is that this decision is carrying- in a sense- the weight of the world's governmental opinion. When Stephanie Haun refers to some of these countries as signatories on the IHR treaties, we must
    remember that this decision has tilted the scales to a position of grand imbalance in the UN. Seeking world peace is endless and heartbreaking when we witness these outcomes. Cannot remain binding and we can only hope that the global efforts of all the other nations serving in the UN can tilt the scales in the other direction.

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  2. DonaldDecember 8, 2010 at 11:44 AM

    An excellent interview with a good man and minister standing in solidarity with those suffering from stigma and discrimination.

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  3. Charlotte RobinsonDecember 8, 2010 at 12:29 PM

    Thanks! Later this week we'll have the second part of the interview.

    ReplyDelete