Founded by six young legal advocates, The National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) announced its foundation at its inaugural Gay and Lesbian Awards in December 2012. Held in Nairobi's City Hall, the Awards affirmed the Kenyanness of the LGBTIQ community while demanding for their inclusion in public and social organizing spaces. Since then, NGLHRC has been encouraging diversity and agitating for public dialogue on sex, sexuality, gender and non-conformity.
They began their work by conducting a nine month study to understand the needs and priorities of the LGBTIQ community. Their study found that current punitive criminal laws against expressions of same sex intimacy were a major barrier to equality. This has allowed for ongoing and unfettered discrimination of the community.
Their study also found that the LGBTIQ community was greatly in need of a national legal aid response mechanism that would:
- Prevent discrimination on account of real or presumed sexual orientation and gender identity, and
- Respond to discrimination on account of real or presumed sexual orientation and gender identity
NGLHRC addresses these needs by providing a coordinated national legal aid response mechanism for Kenya's LGBTIQ community across every city, town, rural area, and county.
MISSION
Their mission is to promote and protect the equality and inclusion of LGBTIQ individuals and communities in Kenya, and advance their meaningful participation in society.
NGLHRC's key objectives are:
1. To achieve policy and legal reforms towards equality and full inclusion of sexual and gender minorities through strategic litigation, legal clinics, research and documentation and urgent action missions
2. To promote freedom of expression and association by building LGBTIQ movement and culture in Kenya through activities and calendar events
3. To encourage political and civic participation of LGBTIQ individuals and communities in Kenya through dialogue, lobbying, civic education and technical support to LGBTIQ political aspirants
