Never Let Hate Dim Your Shine!
One lesson I learned early in life as a queer Kenyan woman was the need to choose to self-isolate for self-preservation. While I prefer to live my life quietly and not shout from the rooftops about my identity there are moments like this one needs to stand up to prejudice. I knew from a young age that as private as I am, I wanted to live as authentically as possible and refusing to confine my life and choices within narrow homophobic closets. I figured, life is far too damn short and precious to defend oneself for being different. So selective socialising and sometimes self-isolation seemed like the best way to steer clear of both outright homophobia and the everyday microaggressions that come even from well-meaning colleagues, friends, and family. This is also why many queer folk take seriously the notion of chosen family . Folks would frequently ask why I avoided most family gatherings or friend get-togethers. My mind drifts to the oh so many times we find ourselves in draining, ...
