[JURIST] US President Barack Obama on Saturday called on Kenya and other African countries to provide for the equal treatment of gay and lesbian people at a press conference [statement, video] with the president of Kenya, Uhuru [official website]. The Obama Administration [official website] has said it is committed to eliminating barriers to equality and fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the US. Obama extended this commitment to Africa where many nations treat gay and lesbian citizens unfairly under the law. The Kenyatta responded that the call to action was a “non-issue” for his country.

Gay and lesbian citizens have varied rights throughout the world. In June the US Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] in Obergefell v. Hodges that states must issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and also must recognize same-sex marriages that take place in other states. Also in June Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage bans unconstitutional. In May Ireland became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage [JURIST report] by national referendum. In August Ugandan Attorney General Peter Nyomb filed [JURIST report] an appeal against the constitutional court ruling that struck down the nation’s anti-homosexuality law. Last January the Nigerian president signed [JURIST report] the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act into law, banning same-sex marriage and criminalizing same-sex relationships. Similar laws exist in Singapore and Jamaica [JURIST reports].