Join our host, Selma Ndasilohenda Iyambo, as she engages in yet another insightful conversation with Ruele Okeyo, the Director of Kenneth and Jacobs House in Kenya. This is a haven for homeless and runaway LGBTIQA+ youth in Nairobi, Kenya. He is also a gay man that is openly living with HIV and a host as well as founder of Sex-Ed by Ruele-ations.
In this episode, Ruele broke down the concept of consent and how we can raise more awareness about it. This was broken down through the concept of Netflix and chill as the perfect example of what consent looks and doesn’t look like. Additionally, he also added insight on how his experience as a gay man living with HIV has impacted his understanding of consent.
Ruele shares his journey from his previous relationships in terms of the stigma that he has received and shared tactics on how young LGBTQ+ youth can communicate their consent and set their boundaries in such incidents. He also highlighted how his advocacy through his social media platforms has helped him in sharing information and raising awareness.
Moreover, he also shared ways through which we can better support LGBQTIA+ youth who have been harassed and sexually assaulted. Lastly, we dwell on how we can create more inclusive ways that can create more inclusive and affirming spaces for all young people in their diversity.
He concluded the conversation by calling upon activists, decision makers and us as a society as a whole to create safer services and link young people to service.
Fun Fact: This episode was inspired by the International Workshop on HIV & Adolescence 2023 held in Lusaka, Zambia at the beginning of October. Both Ruele and our host Selma were in attendance.