"Homosexuals will no longer breathe in this country. Homosexuals will no longer have freedom of expression in this country," lawmaker Diaraye Ba told colleagues in the National Assembly to applause. The bill, passed overwhelmingly with three abstentions and no opposing votes, awaits President Bassirou Diomaye Faye's signature."
"In addition to doubling prison terms and fines for homosexual acts, the measure includes criminal penalties for those found guilty of promoting or financing same-sex relationships. Passage of the bill comes amid a veritable gay panic in Senegal, with a wave of arrests and anti-LGBTQ+ protests by religious groups in the Muslim-majority country demanding tougher penalties."
"Social media has been flooded with homophobic messages outing gay people, and the media has fixated on the government arrests with headlines like "Big homo clean-up" and "Bisexuals, walking dangers." Adding to the hysteria, the gay sweep has been conflated with a child sex ring investigation that detained gang members accused of sexual violence against minors."
Senegal's Parliament overwhelmingly passed a bill doubling penalties for homosexual acts from existing sentences to 5-10 years in prison, with harsher maximum penalties for acts involving minors. The legislation also criminalizes promoting or financing same-sex relationships. This measure fulfills campaign promises made by both the president and prime minister. The bill passed with only three abstentions and no opposing votes, awaiting presidential signature. The passage occurs amid escalating anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in the Muslim-majority nation, including waves of arrests, religious group protests demanding stricter penalties, and widespread homophobic social media campaigns. Media coverage has sensationalized the enforcement with inflammatory headlines, and authorities have conflated gay arrests with unrelated child sexual abuse investigations.
Read at LGBTQ Nation
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