25/09/2025
Reflections from East Africa: Gender, S*xuality, and Resilience
Traveling as a s*x therapist through Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania opened my eyes to how culture shapes intimacy, rights, and resilience — often in heartbreaking, but also deeply inspiring ways
Recently, I returned from a journey through Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania that left me deeply moved — both professionally and personally. As a s*x therapist, I often work at the intersection of intimacy, culture, and social justice. Experiencing these societies firsthand gave me a powerful reminder of how context shapes our bodies, relationships, and freedoms.
Uganda: Contradictions and Constraints
Uganda presents sharp contrasts. While the law imposes severe penalties — even the death penalty — for same-s*x relationships, I also witnessed men walking hand-in-hand in Kampala, potentially, a gesture of friendship rather than romance. Posters around schools reminded young people of their right to education and freedom from harassment, yet gender roles remain deeply entrenched. Women, though present in parliament, are barred from the presidency. Families average five children, and the shadow of AIDS lingers, evident in the number of orphans and single mothers.
Kenya: Community and Custom
In Nairobi, same-s*x relationships are tolerated privately, but rarely acknowledged publicly, and certainly not in rural areas. Privacy itself is scarce — a nightclub called “Bunga” doubles as a place for couples to rent rooms simply to find space for intimacy.
Among the Masai, traditions around gender and family remain strong. Boys and girls both undergo circumcision as rites of passage. Marriages are arranged, and women’s lives are often dictated by polygamy and widowhood. Yet, I was struck by the beauty of Masai jewellery, fertility symbols, and the resilience of women who create meaning within these cultural frameworks.
Tanzania: Hidden Lives and Harsh Realities
Here, the criminalization of same-s*x relationships is even more severe — up to 30 years in prison for men. Women, however, sometimes navigate same-s*x friendships under the guise of companionship. In everyday life, the gender divide is stark: women work tirelessly, often hidden from view, with little autonomy over even their haircuts.
What I Took Away
Across Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania, one theme kept repeating itself: the absence of s*xual rights, body autonomy, and justice. Women are too often treated as commodities, and LGBTQIA+ people live under threat of violence or imprisonment. Yet, in the midst of hardship, I also witnessed beauty, humour, resilience, and love.
Traveling as a therapist gave me more than just insight — it gave me perspective. It reminded me that while cultural practices differ, the human desire for connection, safety, and dignity is universal.
Beautiful. Sad. Wild. Dangerous. Resilient.
That is East Africa — and those are the reflections I carry with me.