Transgender activists seek separate status from gays, lesbians

Lawyer Colbert Ojiambo, who is representing the father of an intersex child and a transgender activist. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

The father of an intersex child and a transgender activist have filed a suit at the High Court in Nairobi seeking to be delinked from proceedings that have lumped them together with gays and lesbians.

In the petition, they say that as a result of being classified together with lesbians, gays and bisexuals who recently moved to court seeking legal recognition, they “have unfairly suffered and continue to suffer societal prejudices associated with sexual orientation” while theirs is a medical condition called “gender identity disorder.”

“The continued classification of lesbianism, gays and bisexuals together with transgender and intersex in these proceedings has created and continues to create an impression in the minds of the public that they are one and the same persons, which is to the detriment of the transgender and intersex persons,” the suit papers say.

DRAW A LINE

They say a line has to be drawn between them and the gays and lesbians who lodged a suit through a Mr Eric Gitari seeking the registration of an exclusive organization.

“While gays and lesbians and bisexuals fall within the scope of sexual orientation, the transgender and intersex persons suffer from gender identity disorder, which is a biological condition,” they told the court through lawyer Colbert Ojiambo.

They said there is no relationship “whatsoever” between lesbians, gays and bisexuals on one hand and transgender and intersex on the other hand and therefore the petition filed by the former “does not raise common issues between the two categories that ought to be addressed together”.