Former BBC Journalist, Chris Makena Njeri, is celebrating one year since the start of Bold Network Africa.
Makena quit their media job last year to concentrate on the company.
While celebrating the existence of the company, Makena said it has been the biggest blessing to them and many others in their LGBTQ community.
Makena added that a year after launching Bold Network Africa, they feel so proud to have survived the storms and made great impact through the work we purposed to do.
“My sentiments remain the same. No human being should be denied the rights to exist freely and in their truth,” Makena wrote.
Makena added they are all human and being members of the community should not make them less human beings.
“At their workplace, at home, in church , at events, and as a citizen of their own country. It is an agenda we will continue pushing until we get the freedom to exist just like any other Kenyan. We are Gay, Lesbian, Non-Binary, Trans, Bisexual, in the closet or out but at the end of the day, we are human! We deserve to live a life free of murder because of our sexual orientation and identity.”
Makena added that Bold Network Africa has taught them about discipline and perseverance.
“It’s tough to start a company in Kenya but imagine how much harder it is to start a company that advocates for queer rights,” Makena wrote.
Makena said that when Bold Network started, some close friends and family looked at them and thought it was not going to work.
“I said yes crazy enough to want to create change and let other people like me live freely in a world that is already so unjust,” Makena wrote.
“The journey hasn’t been easy at all but that’s a story for my next Ted Talk. Today I say to anyone step out into the light of your true existence, it might be hard but it has a beautiful silver lining at the end of living in your truth.”
Makena added that over the year they have managed to create a great impact through education and training in different companies in Kenya and Africa.
“We have talked to the HR departments to help them come up with better inclusive working environments because you have to understand that the people you employ are diverse. We have organized events to create safe spaces for communities. We have marched on the streets to defend and mourn our own.”
https://mpasho.co.ke/…/2022-05-24-we-deserve-to-live-a…/
