Kenya’s lesbian pastor says LGBT people are ‘children of God’
Kenya’s first lesbian pastor Jacinta Nzilani (Tuko TV)
Kenya’s first lesbian pastor has defended her sexuality and said that LGBT+ people are “children of God” in a powerful interview.
Jacinta Nzilani—who came out as a lesbian in February of this year—made the comments in an interview with Kenya’s Tuko TV when she was asked about Biblical passages condemning homosexuality.
The evangelist who preaches in Nairobi replied: “God didn’t give us freedom which is limited—it is unlimited. I am free to choose what I want.”
She continued: “The way they [LGBT+ people] relate—the way they associate and express themselves—should not be agenda for others to block them, criminalise them and let them be cocooned somewhere.
“They are people of God, children of God, and God has given us all things in equity. If it is life, it is equal to everybody. If it is salvation, he gave it to us all.”
Kenya’s lesbian pastor Jacinta Nzilani was married to a man before coming out as a lesbian
In the interview, the lesbian pastor spoke about her long journey towards coming out in Kenya, a country that still has an oppressive regime against LGBT+ people.
She explained that she was married to a man for many years, and that she came to realise through “all the struggle in the marriage” that she “loves women.”
“They are people of God, children of God, and God has given us all things in equity. If it is life, it is equal to everybody. If it is salvation, he gave it to us all.”
– Jacinta Nzilani
“I was looking for that touch of a woman, that love, that care, hospitality,” she said. She said she wanted to wait until her mother passed away as she didn’t want to “embarrass” her by coming out.
When asked how long she was unhappy for, Nzilani replied: “25 years.”
She continued: “I thank God for my daughter who I love so much… She was like: ‘I’m behind you mum, because I love you.’ She knows how we pass through difficulties and hardship together, and she told me she would pray together with me.”
‘You can never change that which is in you’
Nzilani said she ultimately came out as a lesbian because “you can never change that which is in you. You feel it, it has to come out.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Nzilani said she supports people of all backgrounds coming to her church.
“What I know is that there is no greater wealth in this world than peace. I am trying to bring peace in this conversation, because peace means a lot.”
She was also asked what she looks for in a woman, and simply replied: “I look for that compassion, that touch of a woman. It means a lot.”
Life for LGBT+ Kenyans can be difficult. Sodomy is a criminal offence in the African country and can be punished by up to 14 years in prison.
The state does not recognise relationships between people of the same-sex in any way.
