By Colin Stewart and Erin Royal Brokovitch Sexual minorities from French-speaking Africa at a networking workshop in Cameroon denounced several lesbian associations’ call for a boycott of the Feb. 21-24 workshop, which was aimed at bolstering the activism of lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. The four organizations of lesbian, bisexual and queer women that boycotted … Continue reading
By Colin Stewart and Erin Royal Brokovitch Four organizations of lesbian, bisexual and queer women last week boycotted a workshop in Cameroon organized by two LGBT associations — one based in France and the other in Cameroon. Their objections, which were rejected by workshop participants, were “the imperialist, paternalistic and patriarchal nature of this project” … Continue reading
On Jan. 20, as the United States inaugurated a president who might roll back advances toward LGBT justice and equality, troops thousands of miles away in West Africa were reported entering the Gambia, seeking to install the newly inaugurated president who would replace that nation’s violently anti-LGBT strongman. Continue reading
The Erasing 76 Crimes blog has updated its sad tally “100s are in prison for being gay” — one of the blog’s most frequently visited pages. In the past, the blog tried to keep track of individual cases of LGBTI prisoners and defendants, but the number of cases turned out to be too great to continue. … Continue reading
By Jean Marc Yao Senegalese member of parliament Mberry Sylla submitted a bill on May 8 that would specifically criminalize homosexuality in Senegal. Under existing Senegalese law, committing “an improper or unnatural act with a person of the same sex” is punishable by up to five years in prison. In response to international human rights … Continue reading
Several countries in sub-Saharan Africa have made progress in recognizing the human rights of LGBTI people, but much work remains to be done in the region’s 29 countries that still have laws against same-sex intimacy. LGBTI rights in those African countries are the focus of the following excerpts from the 2015 edition of the U.S. … Continue reading
Mamba Online reports: Students at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal, have gone on a homophobic rampage, threatening to kill a man they accused of being gay. According to reports and video footage, the student was accused of propositioning another man in the showers and was accosted by an angry mob in the … Continue reading
Most tolerant countries The Afrobarometer network, which conducts public opinion surveys in Africa, recently listed the continent’s most and least homophobic countries. In these four African countries, the majority of residents say they would welcome or would not be bothered having a homosexual neighbor: Cape Verde, 74%. South Africa, 69%. Mozambique, 56%. Namibia, 55%. Least … Continue reading
This week marks the first official week of publication of the French-language affiliate of the “Erasing 76 Crimes” this blog. “76 Crimes en français,” which has been published in beta version for months, provides coverage in French of an under-served part of the world — the 13 francophone countries, including 12 in Africa, where LGBTI … Continue reading
Seven men have been sentenced to six months in prison in Senegal after being convicted of homosexual activity in a private apartment. In discussions with the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2013, the Senegal delegation claimed that no one is punished for homosexuality in Senegal, but only for homosexual activity. Defense lawyers said that none … Continue reading
