SCHOOLGIRLS SUSPENDED OVER LESBIANISM CLAIMS

Twelve girls are reported to have been suspended from a high school in Kenya following accusations that they had “practised lesbianism”.

Kenyan media reported that six students at Moi Kadzodzo Girls Secondary School in Kilifi County had “admitted” to having engaged in lesbian behaviour after they were interrogated by school officials on Wednesday.

Six other girls who have also been accused of similar behaviour have denied the allegations.

The students have been sent home to their parents pending investigations into the matter.

According to Capital FM News the government has “dispatched a team of education inspectors to the school to investigate allegations of lesbianism within the learning institution”.

“I got reports from the general student body that these particular girls were not behaving according to the school rules. They practised lavish touching and kissed each other which is not normal for people of the same gender,” said the school’s Principal Dorcas Kavuku.

In August 2011, Behind the Mask reported that 54 schoolgirls were questioned for allegedly practicing “lesbianism and devil worship” and were sent home for two weeks.

Homosexuality is illegal in Kenya with penalties including imprisonment of between five and 14 years.

In 2010, Kenya saw anti-gay hysteria sweep across the country as people accused of homosexual conduct and groups offering HIV/AIDS services became the targets of vigilante mob attacks.