7/28/2023 0 Comments Xstand go![]() In some countries, laws prohibit LGBTQ+ rights groups from even registering as nongovernmental organizations.ĭiscrimination. Even where same-sex activities are legal, almost no African countries have laws in place to protect LGBTQ+ populations from discrimination, which is pervasive in schools, workplaces, health-care facilities, and other social settings. Pride events are often raided by police and targeted for violence by the public. Several countries ban LGBTQ+ community organizing. Repression. Limits on freedom of expression are some of the most significant restraints on LGBTQ+ rights. The true extent of violence is difficult to ascertain, as experts believe most instances go unreported. Even in countries where homosexuality is decriminalized, such as Egypt, LGBTQ+ people face state-sanctioned violence. Anti-LGBTQ+ policies also reinforce societal rifts, placing LGBTQ+ people at increased risk of violent hate crimes. Physical violence. Long prison sentences, death penalty laws, and in some cases state violence force many Africans to live in fear of their identity being exposed. LGBTQ+ populations suffer a number of consequences: What are the implications of anti-LGBTQ+ laws? They often push for more repressive anti-LGBTQ+ policies during election cycles, says University of Cincinnati Professor Ashley Currier, whose research focuses on LGBTQ+ rights and organizing in South and West Africa. To win support and distract from their shortcomings, some African politicians demonize LGBTQ+ identities as a Western import that threatens social cohesion. evangelical organizations for exacerbating anti-LBGTQ+ sentiments in certain African countries over the past two decades.Īnti-LGBTQ+ laws are also a product of some divisive political rhetoric employed by African leaders. Critics have specifically called out U.S. Additionally, fundamentalist Christianity and all major schools of Islamic law condemn homosexuality, and both religions have hundreds of millions of adherents in Africa. Along with religion, experts say racism was a factor: Europeans viewed Africans’ traditional sexualities as examples of their supposed racial inferiority, and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation served as one means of subjugation. Much of Africa’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation originated under European colonial rule. Still, experts point to several related contributing factors, including the legacy of colonialism, the influence of Christian and Islamic faiths, and modern African electoral politics. READ MORE: How one photographer is challenging the myth that being LGBTQ is ‘un-African’ Today, however, most African countries criminalize same-sex relationships, and most Africans surveyed have held generally negative attitudes on the question, although tolerance varies between and within countries. ![]() While these identities were likely not the norm, some of these individuals enjoyed significant visibility and tolerance in certain traditional communities, though others likely still encountered prejudice. ![]() Historical evidence shows that people with diverse sexualities and gender expressions have always existed in African civilizations. What’s behind laws targeting LGBTQ+ Africans? Nigeria permits flogging, and a handful of countries allow the death penalty, though it is unclear whether any actually impose it. Penalties for gay sex generally include fines and prison time. Rights watchdogs such as the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA World) have found that most African countries impose restrictive policies against LGBTQ+ communities, with few offering basic protections. What is the status of LGBTQ+ rights in Africa? However, the policy landscape for LGBTQ+ rights is overall becoming more varied: despite several countries recently rolling out stringent legislation, other governments, such as Namibia, are moving to adopt more inclusive policies. WATCH: Anti-LGBTQ+ law in Uganda that threatens the death penalty sparks international outcry Uganda isn’t an outlier, and Africans as a whole still face more anti-LGBTQ+ laws than their peers in many other parts of the world. Communities worldwide celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride each June, but in African countries such as Uganda, restrictive new laws are casting a pall over the festivities.
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