"No, I haven't sat down with my family to talk about the fact that I am a transgender man. So far I have succeeded in avoiding difficult questions. When I was a few months on testosterone and my voice dropped, my family asked me if I had the flu. I told them: 'Yes, where I live it is so cold that I have a permanent flu.' Now, months later, they forgot about my previous voice. But the day might come that I grow a beard, hopefully, and then I have to be ready to share my story.
"It is pretty simple and cheap to change names on ID-cards as a cis person through the deed poll process. People do it often, from married men and women to politicians, for less than 20 dollars. If we, transgender persons, want to change our names, they charge us 1000 dollars. Just like that. Additionally, it is also impossible to change the gender mark on documents. We as a community continue to talk with stakeholders to convince them to be more cooperative."
"It amazes me to be Tanaka's partner. Seeing him live authentically and unapologetically as a trans man, while learning with and growing on this continuous journey of self discovery. He teaches me so much. With every step he takes, I will always be there to support him. He has a friend and a family in me."
"I was urged by my mentor to have a conversation with my psychiatrist and my mother. She was told: 'Your daughter is not your daughter, but your son'. My mom didn't really understand that message. Coming from a very binary and conservative African background, I didn't hold this against her. After that conversation I tried to educate her piece by piece, trying not to overload her with new and extraterrestrial information. I am slowly accepting that my dead name is and will still be used and that I will continue to be misgendered. Luckily I don't need to force myself to talk with a high voice any longer. And I wasn't disowned. For this matter I am blessed."
"I identify as gender non conforming, but most people say I look like a transwoman. My parents have always been very supportive towards me. I remember the day I was treated badly by teachers in secondary school. My mom came to defend me. That support gives a feeling of safety, although I lack that feeling in the street. I am always aware of possible threats and try to avoid busy places or a crowded beach. We have often anti-LGBT-protests here, making us feel unwanted. That scares me."
"When my father found out I am a trans woman he humiliated me, locked me up in my room and called the police, saying he was not going to stay with a man in the house. The police officers were curious when they arrived and one of the female officers forced me to be naked, to confirm I was not a woman. They took me to jail, where I was allowed to call my mother. She came to bail me out of the cell."
"The beach has been my nerve calming space since I was a toddler. I love the smell of the dead sea weed, the white sand at the shore and the sound of the breeze. When I feel anxious or depressed, the beach is the place for me to go. Am not a good swimmer, but I love it when I float."
"As a trans guy in Kenya I face many problems. It starts with being misgendered all day. I am also often insulted for who I am. My fear is that I would never fully transition with hormone therapy and top surgery, because I don't have the money for that. My chest gives me a lot of dysphoria. And finally there are people out there that might want to kill me. As a trans man my chances of death have been increased. It is not safe here in Kenya and certainly not in Mombasa."
"As a non-binary person in a very binary society it is hard to explain my feelings. I sometimes use a quote of Paulo Coelho to describe my transition: 'Maybe the journey isn't so much about becoming anything. Maybe it's about un-becoming everything that isn't really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place."
"To bring hope to our community that has been hopeless for the longest time, I founded an intersex, transgender and gender non conforming persons organization in Mombasa: Hope Trans Initiative. Our mission is to foster a sense of belonging and to eliminate all forms of inequalities. We created programs with the emphasis being on gender affirming and the establishment of a safe space
"I am a faith activist. I work on a dialogue with religious leaders to reduce the myths and misconception that's around the LGBTQ community in Kenya and the world. It is important to keep talking with each other, to create understanding. Not only for the LGBTQ community, but also for the religious leaders. With an open heart and a listening ear you achieve more than with rejection and anger."
