Anti-gay nude Obama protest cancelled

A planned 5,000 strong nude protest in Kenya against President Obama’s support for LGBT rights has unsurprisingly come to naught.

According to the Star, Republican Liberty Party leader Vincent Kidala, organiser of the event, claimed he was forced to call off the unusual demonstration, ahead of the American leader’s visit on Friday, after receiving a 2am call from the Kenyan presidency.

“The caller said President Uhuru Kenyatta is not planning to discuss gay rights with US President Barack Obama and that he is against gay rights,” Kidala told the newspaper.

“The unidentified caller said protesting would be like pushing for a terror attack. He said they have terror alerts and would not want to take chances,” he added.

The plans for the march were likely little more than a publicity stunt.

Despite the Republican Liberty Party being relatively obscure, Kidala claimed that 3,600 men and women had registered to participate in the nude protest by Tuesday and were still standing by in case he changed his mind.

Kidala, whose party last year proposed stoning gay people to death, previously explained that the demonstration aimed to allow Obama “to see and understand the difference between a man and woman.”

The American president’s visit to the country has sparked controversy in the wake of the US Supreme Court legalising same-sex marriage. Anti-gay politicians and clerics in Kenya have warned Obama not to speak out in support of gay and lesbian rights during his trip.

Gay sex is illegal in Kenya, with penalties of between five to 14 years’ imprisonment.