Law and religion are tag-teaming fearful gay Kenyans. But religion's definitely on top. While colonial-era anti-gay attitudes have crept into the African nation's legal policies, some could argue that multiple spiritual forces have an even larger role to play.

…Many say that gays shouldn't have rights, are "un-African," and not good Christians.

Kenya is a country of faithful people and religion plays a defining role in homophobia in Kenya. Seventy percent of the country is Christian and there is a sizeable Muslim and Hindu population.

"This is an abomination that is totally unacceptable by God who formed us not to function in that way," says Patrick Kuchio, a popular preacher at Parklands Pentecostal Church.

More traditional denominations in Africa are also conservative, leading the charge to stop gay pastors from being ordained. Though the Pentecostal church made major inroads to Kenya only in the 1950s, many of its supporters, and other faithful in the continent, consider homosexuality a Western concept.

"Amongst traditional Kenyan people, it was unheard of," says Pastor Kuchio. He believes the practice must have been imported into Kenya.

Who brought the gay over, you ask? Butt pirates, of course!

Like so many post-Colonial nations, Kenya continues to rail against its gays. While it's still technically illegal to be gay in the African nation, ABC News found that gay men have found space in so-called "mixed bars."

Despite relative freedom on the dance floor, most gay men and women continue to live in fear. Unless, of course, they're raking it in:

The one exception to homosexual intolerance was, and continues to be, sex tourism. For several years during the Moi regime, there was a club in downtown Nairobi, frequented by British sailors and ex-pats, Steve said, where men could pick up other men, often male prostitutes.

In the coastal town of Mombasa, male prostitution continues to be part of the tourism trade without much scrutiny from the government — or even the local community. "If you have money in this country you can do whatever you want," Steve said.

Isn't that always the case: whores and their rich benefactors have all the fun!

The Kenyan government continues to hobble along after last month's contested election. We know this isn't a "gay" issue, but the slow erosion of the democratic process deserves a bit of attention. Here's a blurb about politicos voting for Kenya's Speaker of the House, the third most powerful position:

The vote for Speaker - the nation's third most powerful figure - began amid bitter clashes, with the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) calling for an open rather than secret ballot.

Senior ODM official William Ruto said: "We went through [national] elections with a secret ballot, and you stole the vote."

But government MP Mutula Kilonzo retorted: "You are now violating the very principle this country has been seeking."

After one false start, MPs were called forward to cast secret ballots into a transparent box in the centre of the chamber.

A valiant effort, indeed….

Kenyan journo Mark Mzungu gets nasty in an impassioned editorial on Ugandan gay activists, who recently held a press conference calling for equal civil and medical rights. Of that press conference, Mzungu writes:

One of the contradictions I came across this week in the Ugandan newspapers was a press conference called by homosexuals, asking to be left in peace.

A press conference is a sure way of attracting attention and this seems to be exactly what they wanted. If, as they say, people with this problem have been around a long time, why is it only now they are coming out in the open?

Oh, that's easy: institutionalized homophobia and assholes who call homosexuality a "problem". Namely: people like Mark Mzungu.

Kenya's Archbishop Benjamin Nzimbi ain't feeling the Episcopal Church's queer compromise.

The American branch of the Anglican Communion voted yesterday to "restrain" itself from ordaining any more gay clergy, as it did with Gene Robinson's 2003 consecration. Nzimbi refuses to accept the Episcopal position:

That word 'halt' is not enough… What we expected to come from them is to repent - that this is a sin in the eyes of the Lord and repentance is what me, in particular, and others expected to hear coming from this church.

What this situation has brought to the fore is the malaise - something much deeper - that the entire communion has not dealt with and the consecration of Bishop Gene really brought to the surface something that was there. It is not the same church because it's broken on very fundamental lines.

Of course Nzimbi doesn't think the Americans did enough, he's helping Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola set up shop stateside.

HIV/AIDS continues to tear through Kenya and shows no signs of slowing down, especially in prisons. Experts warn Kenya's anti-gay laws are inadvertently spreading HIV amongst Kenya's criminals.

Considering the fact that conjugal visits remain illegal, many prisoners - even "straight" men - turn to gay sex to get their kicks. The African nation's ban on sodomy, however, hinders AIDS education.

CONTINUED »

AIDS rates among Kenyan men who have sex men are no laughing matter. According to a recent study, 40% of Kenya's men who have sex with men have HIV. Scary shit.

Despite these numbers, new infections overall have dropped over the past few years, largely because of government sponsored safe sex messages. Kenya's anti-gay laws, however, leave queers out in the cold. This, of course, needs to change. As National AIDS Control Council's Prof. Alloys Orago said Monday, "NACC knows that the gay practice in Kenya is still illegal. But NACC cannot exclude the gay community in the war against HIV and AIDS." With the utmost tact and respect, he continues, "Those practicing gay [sex] often do it in hiding and discreetly and therefore are not easily reached by HIV and AIDS program intervention implementers." Yes, those practicing gays sure can burrow deep.

• Madonna got a haircut. No word on an amount, but we bet it costs a fucking fortune to look so - um…well, to have such nice looking hair. The face? Not looking so hot…

• Ellen injured! Lesbian talk show host and all around lesbian Ellen Degeneres will be performing her chat fest from bed after injuring her back. Perhaps Portia got a little rough?

• Kenya is getting lax on the fags. Gay activist Angus Parkinson says:of Liverpool VCT, a support centre in Nairobi, "Kenya is heading in a different direction from its neighbours." Well, we should hope so, because neighboring Uganda doesn't have the best record…

• Today's fag rags have less fag and more rag, according to journo Sam McManis: "Now, these niche newspapers and magazines seem more about the "active lifestyle," as the media cliche goes. Home improvement. Fashion. Celebrity culture. All the fun, frivolous stuff." Yeah, but it also brings in the ever-important dollar. Gotta get that dollar, homie…

• Candy Spelling's plan to save America's international image? More reruns of Charlie's Angels, Dynasty and, if we're in a bind, Falcon's Crest.

• On Friday, we informed you that an Arkansas man's suing his local library because his son suffered "many sleepless nights" after finding The Whole Lesbian Sex Book. Um, duh he had sleepless nights (assuming, of course, he's straight). Speaking on the brouhaha, the book's author, Felice Newman, asks, "If librarians pull such books from the shelves, where will kids find out about sex?" You're looking at it…

• Andy Warhol's the number two highest-selling artist in the world. Picasso's number one.

• Pete Wentz ain't just a make-up wearing rock star, he's a linguistic mastermind. For example, he doesn't wear eyeliner. He wears "guy-liner". Total difference. Total genius.

• As you know, porn producer Bryan Charles Kocis got stabbed and torched last week, but do you know how many times he got stabbed? Twenty-eight. Yeah, someone really, really wanted him dead.

• Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton says Don't Ask, Don't Tell doesn't make "sense". Well, perhaps hubbie Bill can shed some light, dearie.

• Sure, New York Magazine may have a gay EIC and portends to write about one of the world's most gay-friendly cities, but that doesn't mean they give homo couples benefits. Oh no. No, no, no…

• Kenyans are gearing up for a good ol' fashioned homo beat down. Hurray!

• If you're looking for a laugh, head over to the AfterElton blog and watch Lisa Lampanelli's bit from the Pam Anderson roast. It's seriously one of the funniest things we've ever heard. Although, we can't help but ponder this censorship: "What a whore Courtney [Love] is - she's suck a dick for a diet [bleep]". Why?

• Toronto's basketball team, The Raptors, have announced they'll host a "gay day". It's called "Rainbow Hoops". Clever.

• The Log Cabin Republicans are spearheading efforts to repeal the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, which, if successful, would make it that much easier for you and me to get a free one-way ticket to Baghdad! [NY Times]

• A convicted pedophile serving time for kidnapping and thirteen child assaults gets "special treatment" at the Broadmoor Prison Hospital in Berkshire, England. What's the treat? Gay porn. We want to know if it's twinks only. [Pink News]

• What if curing HIV was as simple as clicking our heels together and having Glinda the Good Witch tell us that we had the power all along? That may seem glib, but new research at Ohio State University suggests that certain cells in our bodies, if protected from the debilitating effects of the HIV virus, can actually help to fight the virus and limit its spread. [365 Gay]

• Being Christian and gay can be a troublesome combination, unless you're a Dolly Parton sort of Christian and a Gene Robinson sort of gay. Well what if you were also from Kenya, where sodomy is illegal, and on top of that, you had decided to lead a celibate life because of your faith? Yikes. For real, it's the true story of a Christian,gay, celibate 32-year-old Kenyan man, and he's pretty chipper about it all. [BBC]

• If this makes you feel better, hatemongering is not only unique to the American political process, but is happening Down Under as well. [ABC Australia]