Kenyans less conservative than previously thought, survey shows

Nairobi; Kenya: The cat is out of the bag. That’s because last week Google dropped a bombshell — a real doozy — on Kenya. Kenyans, Google revealed, are addicted to gay pornography. Get this — on a scale of 1 to 100, Kenyans scored a perfect 100. No other country, or people, are more intrigued than Kenyans by homosexuality. Which begs the question — why do Kenyans love gay porn if, as we’ve been led to believe, the country is crawling with virulent homophobes? Why do so many Kenyans spend countless hours trawling the Internet for gay sex? I am flabbergasted and flummoxed. Clearly something doesn’t add up — either Google is lying, or Kenyans are hypocrites. Let’s peel this banana to expose the bare flesh. Perhaps no one really knows what Kenyans are doing — or thinking — except Google. But the shocking news from Google wasn’t just about Kenya. Except for South Africa — which has legalised homosexuality — seven of the top ten countries obsessed with gay sex are in the so-called Third World. It’s even more perplexing that three of the top seven (Pakistan, Nigeria, and India) have large Muslim populations. Only three Western states — Ireland, United States, and New Zealand — made the top ten. But these three sat at the bottom of the top ten. If that isn’t turning facts on their head, then what is? This deflates the popular narrative that homophobia is most poisonous in the Third World and among Muslims.

Let me dig deeper and tell you what Google’s discovery could — may — be saying about Kenyans. First, Google could be saying Kenyans aren’t as homophobic as we’ve been led to believe. Perhaps the loud opposition to homosexuality in Kenya is propagated by a tiny, but well organised and powerful minority. The silent majority could be cowed and afraid to speak up because of the stigma of being branded “ungodly”or “un-African.” Kenya’s mainstream press, the Mosque and the Church, and the political establishment give vent and legitimacy to homophobia. But Google has shown that contrary to this script, Kenyans may have a love affair with same-sex relationships in the privacy of their own web browsers. Gay may be hip.

Second, Google may be telling us there are more gay Kenyans than we think. It’s generally accepted that in any society, at least up to ten per cent of the population is either gay or bisexual. Homophobes dispute these numbers as too high, and argue that homosexuality amounts to unnatural social deviance. They say homosexuality is a choice, not a product of nature. The difference is immaterial and would be meaningless even if it were true. That’s because in a free society individuals should be free to choose who they love, or engage in intercourse with, as long as they are consenting adults. That’s what the Google data reveals to us — free people will exercise their conscience.

Third, Google may be telling us Kenyans are more curious and experimental about sex than we think. Curiosity and experimentation may be driven by boredom. Perhaps folks are unhappy with dull and boring traditional sex lives. They may want to put a little spice into their lives, or experience the unknown. This could be a quiet rebellion against tradition and the popularly accepted teachings of clerics. Perhaps Kenyans are unconvinced by the attacks on homosexuality. They may find homophobia irrational and outdated. They could be going to the web to see for themselves whether gay sex is the evil they’re told it is. I would be worried about the Google data if I was a homophobe.

Fourth, the Google data could be saying Kenyans are hypocrites — they say one thing, then do another behind closed doors. They may publicly condemn homosexuality and either privately engage in it, or enjoy watching it on the web. Either way, the data says ugly things about Kenya. That’s because things aren’t what they appear to be. Many Kenyans are either repressed homosexuals who live in the closet, or heterosexuals in public, but more complicated in private. A free and democratic society shouldn’t drive sexual preferences — and sexual orientation — underground. Heterosexuals don’t hide and live in fear. They flaunt and strut their stuff. Why should gay and bisexual people be discriminated against, or subjected to social calumny?

Finally, I’ve noticed a public denial and silence of the Google data in the Kenyan media. As far as I am concerned, this is the biggest discovery to-date on Kenyan sexuality.

It shatters many myths about Kenyans and gay sex. It creates a wide open canal for public interrogation of the sexual mores and taboos of Kenyans. It says that Kenya should revisit its anti-gay laws. It invites the courts — especially the Supreme Court — to consider the issue of same-sex relationships and marriages. It’s — in a word — earth-shattering.