"Born in the city of Touba, central to Senegal's Sufi Muslim faith, he said he has been living with another friend who doesn't know his secret. It's an increasingly common story in the country where homosexuality is illegal, and the government is a step away from putting in place longer prison terms for it. There's a lot of fear, the young man said."
"Senegal is the latest country in Africa, where over half its states have laws against homosexuality, to pursue harsher penalties for it. Uganda in recent years introduced the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality, to an international outcry."
Senegal is escalating legal persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals by implementing stricter prison sentences for homosexuality, which is already illegal in the country. A young gay man from Touba described living in hiding after being disowned by family and facing police threats, now concealing his identity while living with a friend unaware of his sexual orientation. This reflects a broader African trend where more than half of countries maintain anti-homosexuality laws, with some nations like Uganda introducing death penalties for aggravated homosexuality. The intensifying criminalization creates widespread fear among LGBTQ+ communities, forcing individuals underground and limiting their ability to live openly or seek support.
#lgbtq-rights #senegal-criminalization #african-homophobia-laws #persecution-and-hiding #human-rights
Read at www.independent.co.uk
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