Silvestre AJ, Hylton JB, Johnson LM, Houston C, Witt M, Jacobson L, et al. Recruiting minority men who have sex with men for HIV research: results from a 4-city campaign. Am J Public Health. 2006;96(6):1020–7. Until recently there was no data to indicate how many young Kenyan women are involved in sugar relationships. But this year the Busara Centre for Behavioural Economics conducted a study for BBC Africa in which they questioned 252 female university students between the ages of 18 and 24. They found that approximately 20% of the young women who participated in the research has or has had a "sponsor." Mildred Ngesa, an ambassador for the global activist group Female Wave of Change, makes a similar argument. After decades of women struggling for the right to vote, to own land, to go to school, she argues, the "choice" to engage in sugar relationships is steeped in contradiction.

In the past, some of Kenya's socialites have styled themselves as #SlayQueens, and have been quite upfront about the financial benefits that have come from dating tycoons. Having made it to the top, though, they often begin to cultivate a different image - presenting themselves as independent, self-made businesswomen and encouraging Kenyan girls to work hard and stay in school. When participants were asked to describe specific concerns in their lives, many men responded not only being concerned about HIV and STI’s, but also about violence and discrimination due to multiple overlapping identities. Participants reported stigma in school, in the community, when accessing healthcare, and at work. Men described instances of discrimination that they encountered due to their sexual orientation and/or feminine behavior. Several participants described anecdotes of being teased or bullied at school by other students or teachers because of their nonconformity to masculinity. One man shared that being teased for spending too much time with girls at school, which led him to hang out with only boys. Now as adults, many men describe experiences of discrimination based on their perceived sexuality. Moreira AD, Halkitis PN, Kapadia F. Sexual identity development of a new generation of emerging adult men: the P18 cohort study. Psychol Sex Orientat Gend Divers. 2015;2(2):159–67. Emmanuel G, Folayan MO, Ochonye B, Umoh P, Wasiu B, Nkom M, et al. HIV sexual risk behavior and preferred HIV prevention service outlet by men who have sex with men in Nigeria. BMC Health Serv Res. 2019;19(1):261.

Several participants felt that the legal changes have contributed to a safer environment with less violence towards sexual minority individuals. A few participants compared the situation in South Africa to the rest of the continent to highlight the significance of these legal changes. Some men thought that the legal changes had contributed to increased comfort levels among younger SMM because they were not alive to experience South Africa when homosexuality was criminalized. Although participants stated that they did not benefit from these protections while they were exploring their own sexual identity, they were pleased about the positive impact of these changes for younger generations of sexual minority men. Many participants also shared that many of these positive changes have been limited to the legal realm, and that discrimination against same-sex sexuality still exists in South Africa. Kefentse, a man in his 30’s who identifies as gay, shared that despite these changes, he still experiences homophobia: “ The treatment we get from the hospital and the clinic is very bad. All government institutions, even police stations and home affairs offices can be a horrible experience when going there.” Research Ochse R, Plug C. Cross-cultural investigation of the validity of Erikson’s theory of personality development. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1986;50(6):1240–52. Inferences drawn from these findings provide direction on how to improve middle-aged SMM’s representation in research, such as recruiting a higher proportion of older and middle-aged SMM to serve as seed participants and building stronger community partnerships to disseminate study findings to settings where data collection is conducted. Poushter J, Kent N. The global divide on homosexuality persists. Pew Research Center [25/05/2020] Disponível em: Acesso em 2020;3(07). Some women connect their relationships and spirituality. “Sensuality and spirituality are two sides of the same coin, and I wanted to be with a partner I could learn the faith with, from a place of curiosity, and not oppression,” says ‘Nura’, a Kenyan Muslim convert who married a Senegalese man whom she met on a dating app and with whom she lives, along with his two wives.

Gay men are fighting for their safety, their life. Most of the people don’t accept gay people. I can say 90% of men who are gay guys are scared to be exposed. People are scared because they have been humiliated and judged and all that, to a point where they want to protect themselves and don’t want to expose themselves. Kranz D, Pierrard M. Beyond coming out: relations between lesbian and gay identity formation and psychosocial well-being in young and middle adulthood. Psychol Sex Orientat Gend Divers. 2018;5(3):283–93. Vu L, Adebajo S, Tun W, Sheehy M, Karlyn A, Njab J, et al. High HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men in Nigeria: implications for combination prevention. JAIDS J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2013;63(2):221–7.Cornwell B, Schneider JA. Social venue range and referral chain impact: implications for the sampling of hidden communities. Plos One. 2017;12(8):e0181494. Aho J, Hakim A, Vuylsteke B, Semde G, Gbais HG, Diarrassouba M, et al. Exploring risk behaviors and vulnerability for HIV among men who have sex with men in Abidjan, cote d’Ivoire: poor knowledge, homophobia and sexual violence. Plos One. 2014;9(6):e99591.