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A GLBTQ EDUCATION INTERNET RESOURCES Latin America, Caribbean & Africa: Africa

Index: Latin America & Africa -  - Middle East / Asia -  - Race/Ethic Minority Issues: U.S., Canada, Europe,  New Zealand & Australia -  - Homosexuality:  Biological  or  Learned ? -  -  Public School Issues -  - Transgender / Tranvestite / Transsexual -  - Lesbian  &  Bisexual Women -  - Homo-Negativity / Phobia -  - Identity Formation  &  Coming Out -  - Counseling  &  Therapy -  - Professional Education  -  - Bisexuality -  - Religion   &  Spirituality -  - Male  Youth Prostitution -  - HIV-AIDS -  - Gay & Bisexual Male Suicide Problems -  - Drug / Alcohol Use / Abuse / Addiction  -  - GLBT  History -  - Community Attributes  &  Problems -  -  Couples / Families / Children / Adoption / Spousal Violence -  - The Elderly

Latin America, The Caribbean  & Africa: Africa

Section Index

Part 2 - "Africa" (This Page): South Africa - Kenya - Zambia - Namibia - Nigeria - Uganda - Burkina Faso - Botswana - Ivory Coast - Senegal - Egypt - Algeria - Morocco - Tunesia --- Angola - Benin - Burundi - Cameroon - Cape Verde --- Central African Republic - Chad - Comoros - Republic of Congo - Democratic Republic of Congo --- Equatorial Guinea - Erithrea - Ethiopia - Gabon - Gambia -- Ghana - Guinea - Guinea Bissau - Lesotho - Liberia --- Ghana - Guinea - Guinea Bissau - Lesotho - Liberia --- Mauritius - Mozambique - Niger - Reunion - Rwanda --- Sao Tome and Principe - Seychelles - Sierra Leone - Sudan - Swaziland - Tanzania - Togo --- General African Resources --- International Issues & Resources..

Part 1 - "Latin America" : Mexico - Cuba --- Caribbean: Jamaica - Trinidad / Tobago - Puerto Rico - Haiti - Martinique / Guadeloupe - Netherland Antilles - Cayman Islands - Bahamas - Bermuda - Saint Lucia --- Latin American / Caribbean Resources --- International Issues & Resources..

Part 2 - "Latin America": Central America: Panama - Honduras - Belize - Costa Rica - Nicaragua - Guatemala - El Salvador --- South America: Brazil - Peru - Chile - Columbia - Argentina - Equador - Venezuela - Uruguay - Bolivia - Guyana - Paraguay --- Latin American / Caribbean Resources --- International Issues & Resources..
 

AFRICA

Not all SA's gays enjoy greater freedom: "South Africa's gays are enjoying a new era of freedom in cities 10 years after the end of apartheid, but black and coloured homosexuals in townships and villages are still victims of discrimination and hate attacks." - "Gay Apartheid" in South Africa N/A: "She also said that many bars ask blacks for their "membership cards." When they can't produce these non-existent ID's, they are denied entrance. "There is still a lot of racism against blacks from whites," she says. "Black and white gays live in two different worlds. It's almost as if there is gay apartheid." Even white gay and lesbian activists acknowledge the divide. Evert Knoesen of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Project concedes that integrating whites and blacks in the community "remains a big issue."" - Gay battle not won yet: "Gays are enjoying a new era of freedom in cities 10 years after the end of apartheid, but black and coloured homosexuals in townships and villages are still victims of discrimination and hate attacks..." - 'Gay hate' website sparks fury: "South Africa's oldest lesbian and gay service organisation, the Triangle Project, on Friday reacted with outrage at a website that called for the "reclaiming of Cape Town from the homosexual plague"..."

The highest court in South Africa has overturned apartheid-era laws criminalizing homosexuality (Oct. 1998). - Adult gay sex is not a crime, court rules. - A short history of South African Pride. - South African Court Grants Same Sex Spousal Rights. - Court Hears Challenge To South Africa Gay Marriage Ban. - South Africa Anti-Gay Adoption Law Unconstitutional. - South African Gays Gain Adoption Rights. - L'adoption permise pour les homosexuels en Afrique du Sud. - South Africa OKs gays in its military N/A (Related Information: The Effect of Sodomy Laws on Lifting the Ban of Homosexual Personnel: 3 Case Studies) - South African gays take centre stage: "Conservative Christians have threatened to disrupt the Miss Gay South Africa beauty pageant which is scheduled to take place on Saturday." - Gays Reap Rewards Slowly in Post-Apartheid South Africa. - Gays neglected in HIV/AIDS campaigns. - Engendering gay and lesbian rights: the equality cluase in the South African Constitution (PDF Download). - Lesbians targets of rape war: Lesbians are being raped, assaulted and victimised "every day" in the townships, in an attempt to force a change in their sexual orientation. Since January this year, 33 black lesbians have come forward with their stories of rape, assault, sexual assault and verbal abuse to organisations fighting hate crimes in Johannesburg townships.

Behind closed Doors: Gay and Married. -  School boys: the player queen. (Links to 7 other stories at the end of story) - Gay Life in Africa. - Moffies, Artists, and Queens: Race and the Production of South African Gay Male Drag (Abstract). - South African lesbians fear rise of crime against them. - Le mal de vivre des lesbiennes noires: Les homosexuelles noires habitant dans les townships subissent de graves traumatismes, liés aux agressions verbales et physiques dont elles sont victimes quotidiennement. C’est ce qui ressort d’une étude de deux chercheuses sud-africaines. La première du genre à donner la parole à cette communauté humiliée. - Rape New Weapon Against South African Lesbians.

The Lesbian and Gay Equality project: Special features (2004): A Religious Opinion on Same Sex Marriage. - For Same-sex Marriage. - Integration of the Human Rights of Women and the Gender Perspective Violence Against Women: "No woman can determine the direction of her own life without the ability to determine her sexuality. Sexuality is an integral, deeply ingrained part of every human being’s life and should not be subject to debate or coercion. Anyone who is truly committed to human rights must recognise that every woman has the right to determine her sexuality free of discrimination." - Unmasking our struggle: "When black lesbians and gay men turn to the lesbian and gay community, they are often met with racism from their white counterparts. They may be met with white lesbians and gay men who do not understand their cultural background, find them sexually "exotic", cannot be bothered to spell their names properly and have no understanding of how racism has affected their lives. In extreme cases, they are not made to feel welcome at cultural or political gatherings..."

Prisons slammed over male rapes: "Prison psychological services director Dr Lorinda Bergh testified she found it startling that no policy had been developed to protect homo- and transsexual men in jail... She was testifying on claims by former inmate Louis Karp, who claims to have been raped and abused while awaiting trial for car theft in the Pretoria local prison in 2001 and 2002... Earlier on Tuesday, prison doctor Kobeli Khomari admitted that measures to deal with rape among inmates were inadequate, even though the phenomenon was "very common".Khomari also conceded that rape claims very rarely reached court and said rape victims were not referred for psychological help as a matter of course... She agreed with Barlow that "trauma upon trauma" was heaped on Karp, and that this was largely a result of a lack of understanding of male rape..." - Inquiry documents ill-treatment of SA gays in prison.

Black like me? Gay hairstyling and the paradox of modernity in South Africa (2007 Dissertation): The starting point for this research project is hairstyling and "hair saloons". Hairstyles are an important marker of cultural identity and hair saloons frequently provide safe social spaces for gay men as well as a significant point of interaction with broader communities. Hair saloons are thus sites where same-sex identities can be developed and expressed as well as negotiated with the outside world. In the South African public imaginary, gay lifestyles are associated with "modernity", a term which has both negative and positive connotations. This is particularly apparent in the ambiguous response to hairstylists, as a source of what is both desirable and regrettable about "modernity". This research will explore the articulation between "modernity" and contemporary same-sex identities in South Africa. The nature of rural and urban, traditional and modern, will be explored through a network of stylists and their associates who live and work outside of the metropole, in the urban peripheries, small towns and rural areas of South Africa's Mpumalanga province.

The Lesbian and Gay Equality project: Special features (2003): Expressions of Johannesburg pride (Alternate Links 1, 2): "One can almost write a report on Pride before it takes place. South African Gay and Lesbian Pride (formerly Lesbian and Gay Pride - a more inclusive and less marginalizing title) is now firmly following the model set by Prides worldwide... so what are they partying after, you may ask? It is a far cry from the foundation of the Pride phenomenon in South Africa, now in its 14th year. There was a time - and Yusoof Abdullah, co-organiser of the Pride event this year is keen to remind people of his connection to those initial Pride marches - when Pride meant something... Well there is a good reason why some political sentiments need to be injected back into the Pride event - our most public expression of pride in ourselves and our community. Just because it says so in the constitution doesn't mean that people don't discriminate against lesbian and gay people and that homophobia is not still rife in South Africa... Few lesbian or gay people in the world have not heard of Matthew Shepard; a victim of a violent and brutal homophobic attack that led to his death hanging from a fence in the USA. But we have our own Matthew Shepards - we are just less willing to learn their names and honour their suffering with action... I have been marching in Pride marches in UK and South Africa since 1985. I have never missed a year. I even helped to organise one in South Africa in 2001. My commitment to the need for Pride and its meaning is total - so why was this the first year of my adult life that I couldn't march? Am I getting old? And why should that be such a sin in the gay world? No, none of this, I just could not find anything there to be proud of.

'I've got two men and one woman': ancestors, sexuality and identity among same-sex identified women traditional healers in South Africa:  This paper presents preliminary insights into the complex nature of the same-sex orientation of seven women who are sangomas (traditional healers) in Soweto. Data was derived from an ethnographic study, used as the appropriate methodology because of the veiled and secret nature of same-sexuality amongst traditional healers... the belief system of the sangomas provides a window into different categories of sexuality in an African framework through which the interaction and intersection of their personal same-sex desire, and that of their male ancestors, can be viewed. Sangomas construction of identity and desire shifted between that of personal agency and that of a dominant male ancestor. This required constant negotiation and encompassed elements of both the 'modern' and 'traditional'. In the case of these sangomas, same-sexuality the basis of marginality assumes a social status and becomes a source of power.

The Lesbian and Gay Equality project: Special features (2001-03): Charity begins at… uhm… - Meds, Drugs and HIV. - How Sexuality is used to disempower women. - Homophobia and the Rights of Lesbians and Gays. - Recognise Same Sex Marriages. - Queer State funeral in Sebokeng.

Out In Africa: South African Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. - South Africa: Out in Africa: Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. - Homosexuality and South African Cinema. - The Power of Culture Special: Cinema in Africa - South African Queer Cinema Exposes Double Standards.

History: South Africa: Apartheid Military Forced Gay Troops Into Sex-Change Operations. - Gays tell of mutilation by apartheid army. - Men who suffer in silence:  South African law does not recognise the existence of male rape..." - A leading light of gay and AIDS activism in SA. - The official treatment of white, South African, homosexual men and the consequent reaction of gay liberation from the 1960s to 2000. PhD Dissertation. University of Jahannesburg. Download Page.

Troubling Gender: Homosexuality in an African Society: "The aim of our study is to analyse the interrelationship between the stereotypes and my myths surrounding same-sex relationships/sexuality, sexual ransgression and gender-based violence.We will document the findings and place them in the context of the existing, but marginal research. What kind of myths and stereotypes are prevalent around homosexuality in African societies and especially in South Africa? Are there any intersections between these myths and gender-based violence and/or violence against lesbians – and if so,what are these myths? To understand these myths we will documen the history of same-sex relationships in differen African societies..." (Paper presented at he Sex &Secrecy Conference 2003, the 4th Conference of the International Association for the Study of Sexuality,Culture and Society (IASSCS) by Wendy Isaack and Henriette Gunkel: PDF Download).

Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology: Index Page: South Africa: - Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Ambisexual Behaviors. - Gender Conflicted Persons. - HIV/AIDS.

International Encyclopedia of Sexuality: South Africa. See: Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Bisexual Behaviors & Gender Diversity and Transgender Issues.

Resources: - gaysouthafrica.org - SA Pride's Parade official site. - Pride Cape Town. - Gay and Lesbian Archives of South Africa. (Old Site) (Archive Link) - The Durban Lesbian & Gay Community & Health Centre. - GMax: gay and lesbian South Africa. - Gay South Africa. - The South African Gay Information Guide. - South African Lesbian and Gay Equality Project. - Gay / lesbian links relevant to Southern Africans. - Grey Gay Guide. - Feminist Internet Resource Guide: Africa. - Gay South Africa Lifestyle. - Gender DynamiX: African based organisation for the transgender community. The aim is to create awareness and visualize transgenderism. - Lesbians in South Africa: A forum for South Africa's Lesbian community: - Jewish OutLook: the new South African Jewish Organisation catering for the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgendered and Intersex Community.

Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country: South Africa Information News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: South Africa. - Queer afrol. - theGully.com news & Articles: Africa. - Mamba Online: Gay South Africa Lifestyle, News, Dating.

Gay South Africa (Global Gayz) - News Report 2001 to Present. - ILGA Report. - LGBT rights in South Africa. - QRD. - Gayscape.

Arts & Culture Index: Africa N/A. (Archive Link)

Books: - Defiant Desire: Gay and Lesbian Lives in South Africa - 1995 - edited by Mark Gevisser, Edwin Cameron (31 Sample Pages). - Different Rainbows: Same-Sex Sexualities and Popular Movements in the Third World - 2000 - edited by Peter Drucker (7 Sample Pages) (Table of Contents) (Review by Gary Kinsmans: "Third World 'Queer' Liberation "A revolution within the revolution." Contains: "Mandela's stepchildren: homosexual identity in post-apartheid South Africa" (P. 111-36) "Mark Gevisser, co-editor of the South African anthology Defiant desire (1994), discusses the development of homosexual identity in post-apartheid South Africa." Plus: "Awakenings: dreams and delusions of an incipient lesbian and gay movement in Kenya" (P. 179-92) "John Mburu writes from the embattled movements in southern Africa, where a spate of dictatorial presidents have made anti-homosexual pronouncements and embarked on campaigns of anti-gay and lesbian harassment. Mburu specifically deals with the movement in Kenya." - Moffies: gay life in Southern Africa - 2000 - by Bart Luirink (Review) (Abstract) (Amazon).

Books: - Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Among Lesbians and Gay Men (Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian and Gay Issues, Volume 3) - 1997 - edited by Beverly Greene (Abstract). Contains: "From Apartheid to Mandela's Constitition" by Cheryl Potgieter. - The Greatest Taboo: Homosexuality in Black Communities - 2001 - by Delroy Constantine-Simms (11 Sample Pages) (Excerpt) (Interview with author) (Table of Contents) (Review: Black Gay / Gay Black) (We are soliciting essays on Black homosexuality for the "The Greatest Taboo: Volume 2) Contains: "Institutionalizing Sexuality: Theorizing Queer in Post-Apartheid South Africa" by Vasu Reddy. - The Invisible Ghetto: Lesbian & Gay Writing from South Africa - 1995 - edited by Matthew Krouse. - Gayle: The Language of Kinks and Queens, A History and Dictionary of Gay Language in South Africa - 2005 - by Ken Cage. - Hungochani: The History Of A Dissident Sexuality In Southern Africa - 2004 - by Marc Epprecht (Review) (Related Article: homosexuality taboo in africa.

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBT Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

Academic Searches: Search IngentaConnect: The most comprehensive collection of academic and professional publications. - Search Project Muse: Scholarly Journals Online. - Search JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Search The National Library of Medicine.
 

KENYA: -  Being gay in Kenya: (Alternate Link) Though rarely enforced, punishment in Kenya for gay sex is five to 14 years in jail. Sex between women is not mentioned in the law. The gay Kenyan men interviewed by Reuters asked to have their names changed, citing potential family and work problems. - Being gay, Christian and African: A 32-year-old Kenyan student, angered by a campaign in Cameroon "outing" top personalities for their alleged homosexuality, speaks anonymously to the BBC News website about his struggle to accept his sexuality. - Homosexuality debate in Kenya un-muted as key figures start questioning homophobia. - Homosexual Tourists Get Hostile Reception from African Muslims.

Where the Gay Community Hangs Out: In Nairobi, the homosexual community is a close-knit one that often operates in private homes and behind closed doors, unwilling to come out of the closet�at least until recently when �representatives� of the gay community in Kenya have began appearing on radio shows and showing a more visible face of an invisible world. - Life slowly gets easier for gay people in Kenya. - Rants and raves of a Kenyan gay man: Homophobia and Racism. - Being gay, Christian and African: A 32-year-old Kenyan student, angered by a campaign in Cameroon "outing" top personalities for their alleged homosexuality, speaks anonymously to the BBC News website about his struggle to accept his sexuality.

Editorial: Men Who Have Sex With Men and Their HIV Epidemics in Africa (AIDS, Frits van Griensven, 2007): "In this issue of the Journal, Geibel et al. report a capture-recapture study to estimate the number of men who have sex with men (MSM) who sell sex in Mombasa, Kenya. The authors surveyed 77 venues and estimated the number of MSM selling sex at these venues to be 739... the investigators were able to identify and enroll hundreds of MSM selling sex in the African country of Kenya. This number also indicates that there must be a fairly large population of male clients willing to pay for the sexual services of these MSM, as well as a larger community of other MSM, since most MSM do not sell sex. Indeed, an earlier snowball-survey conducted in Nairobi in 2004 enrolled 500 MSM in a needs-assessment within 2 months. That the HIV prevalence among Kenyan MSM may be high can be derived from data from an ongoing cohort study among MSM in Kilifi, a town located on the northern coastline of Kenya between Mombasa and Malindi: 38% (23/60) of men were HIV-infected at baseline.[3] Additional evidence for an elevated HIV prevalence among MSM in Kenya comes from HIV voluntary counseling and testing data from sites throughout the country, where of the 780 MSM tested between 2002 and 2005, 10.6% were HIV-infected.

Homosexuals come out in Kenya: (Alternate Link)  Luzau Basambombo spent six months in a Kinshasa prison, abused over and over again. The Congolese human rights activist suspects that he was put behind bars because he openly admitted being homosexual. 'If you are gay in Congo, you become an outlaw,' he says. After being released from prison, he left Congo for Uganda where he was granted asylum. 'When the authorities found out that I was gay, I was asked to leave the country,' he says. Today, the 38-year-old Congolese lives in Nairobi and he feels comfortable there. 'Things are changing here in Kenya - in favour of us.' Gays and Lesbians are prosecuted in most African countries. In some Nigerian federal states, where the Muslim sharia law is in force, homosexuals are stoned to death. - Kampala homo pubs: The Ugandan Minister of Ethics and Integrity, Miria Matembe recently outed a bar, according to a report in New Vision, a Ugandan newspaper... There is too much immorality all around us. Homosexuality, lesbianism, name it."

Anglicans defect to Kenya over gay priests: On Thursday, two U.S. priests were consecrated as Anglican bishops in Kenya, the latest in a string of priests who are defecting to African congregations because of the American church’s liberal stance on gays. - United Nations Human Rights Committee Pushes Kenya to Legalize Abortion and Homosexuality. - Pro-gay church community established in Kenya, Uganda: (Alternate Link) The church community of St Sebastian, based in the Spanish Canary Islands, has announced the establishment of its first fellowships in Africa, being prepared in Uganda and Kenya. The all-inclusive church community is especially known for its outreach to homosexuals. In Kenya and Uganda, both the government and local church communities are strongly homophobic.

Statement from the LGBTI coalition in Kenya: The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya is a recently formed umbrella body consisting of eight Kenyan groups of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people, representing the interests and concerns of all LGBTI Kenyans... All members of the Kenyan family cannot be said to have equal rights as long as paragraph 162 and 165 of the Kenyan Penal code exist. Whilst these draconian laws remain on our statutes, LGBTI people will continue to be the target of verbal and physical injury, sexual violence and social marginalization. Further to this, these laws inhibit the delivery of effective HIV prevention and treatment services to LGBTI people in Kenya, recognised by our own National AIDS Control Council in the Kenya Country Position Statement to UNGASS, 2006. Enough is enough. It is time to scrap the laws that the British imposed upon us and left us with, laws that the colonizers themselves scrapped long ago. Let Kenya move out from the shadows of her colonial past and recognise the rights of her gay and lesbian citizens. - Rich LGBT program at the World Social Forum 2007 in Nairobi, a milestone for the Kenyan LGBT movement. - Cabinet to Discuss Homosexuality in Kenya: I am the type of person who totally ignores anything a politician says but this article on Ngilu just goes to show how Kenyan politicians have their heads buried in the sand.

Kenya: issue of homosexuality among Coastal youths: Speaking in Mombasa during a leaders meeting, Ngilu said she was shocked by revelations that homosexuality among teenagers was rampant in Coastal towns... “We cannot allow sex between man and man. Men should have sexual relationships with women only,” she said. She urged the provincial administration to crack down on tycoons who, she said, lured youths into homosexuality. Coast General Hospital chief administrator, Dr Khadija Shikelly, said schoolgirls engaged in anal sex to avoid getting pregnant. “There is need for parents to educate their children on the dangers of this vice,” she said. - Human Rights Commissioner Confronts Homophobic Statements by Council of Imams in Mombasa: Recently the Council of Imams and Preachers of Coastal Kenya, along with Muslim youth groups, have launched a campaign to eradicate homosexuality and prostitution from Kenya's second city, Mombasa. The groups claim that homosexuality and immorality are on the rise in Kenya. "The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights is always deeply concerned when those in positions of authority and responsibility make comments that might be understood as some in the community to be a call to violence against another community or group of people - in his case homosexual people. Whilst the law in Kenya criminalizes homosexual acts between men, the law does not criminalize a community or an individual because of his or her sexual or gender identity.

The "Myth" of Homosexuality in Kenya Society (Alternate Link). - Homosexuality and HIV/AIDS in Kenyan Society - A series of articles from Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper. - HIV positive and gay in Kenya; double stigma. - AIDS services for gay men slowly grows. -  Understanding the HIV Prevention Needs of Men Who Have Sex with Men in Nairobi.  - Kenya’s President Jumps on Anti-gay Bandwagon.. - Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Ambisexual Behaviors: Adolescents and Adults. - Gays, lesbians fight conservative governments and an unkind society. - Kenya Gays See End To Repression. - Kenyan Gay Rights Activists Optimistic. (Alternate Link) - Gay bashing the new national pasttime in Kenya. - The gay underground. - Amin Shamji: Kenya's George Michael. - LGB Support in Peace Corps Kenya.

AIDS Kenya: Where Are Kenya's Homosexuals? (Alternate Link) "Daniel Arap Moi, the current Kenyan president, agrees. ''Kenya has no room or time for homosexuals and lesbians. Homosexuality is against African norms and traditions, and even in religion it is considered a great sin,'' Arap Moi has been quoted saying i n Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper. But networks of men who have sex with men can be found across the continent. And in Kenya, where homosexuality is a criminal offence, their voices are beginning to be heard. Statistics on the number of such men are hard to come by." - Kenya: Gay and positive. (Alternate Link) - Support Survive AIDS Kenya. - Homosexuality and Aids: A double-edged sword. - HIV and Kenya's homosexuals. - Mke-si-mume: Neocolonialism and Sexual Practice in Kenya. - Gay men on the agenda: "For many veterans of conferences on the HIV/Aids scourge on the African continent, the recent ICASA conference in Nairobi was remarkable for being the first such high-profile gathering in Africa that made a space for gays and lesbians on the official programme..."

Arap Moi joins the club: Kenyan President Moi has echoed the anti-lesbigay sentiments of Uganda's Museveni, but is it a matter of conviction or a method of distraction? Planet Out news staff reported on 30 September 1999.... The staggering claims, that there are no homosexuals among Gikuyus, is shattered by Stephen O. Murray's interview with a young Gikuyu man called Kamau, who is a student in London. Kamau states that he had been aware of his attraction to other men from a very young age and that he met and knew of other young men who, just like himself, showed interest in men."

Lesbianism sweeps through female soccer in Kenya: Leading Kenyan psychiatrist says closeness between people of the same gender results in homosexuality. - Chronology of Protest And Destruction in Schools: "Devil worship, homosexuality and drug abuse are rampant in schools in Central Province, a new report says... Homosexuality was particularly common in Kiambu and Thika districts, a fact attributed to their proximity to Nairobi, a city going through socio-cultural turbulence."

Kenya Rules Out Condoms For Prisoners: "He admitted that sodomy and homosexuality are rampant in Kenya's prisons. Dr. G.M. Baltazar, a Nairobi  epidemiologist, also admitted that homosexuality is rampant in the prisons. "Prisoners, because they are confined together, will continue having abnormal sexual relations, whether we like it or not," he said." - Une réponse trop lente face une séroprévalence très élevée en milieu carcéral.

Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology: Index Page: Kenya: - Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Ambisexual Behaviors. - Gender Conflicted Persons. - HIV/AIDS.

International Encyclopedia of Sexuality: Kenya. See: Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Bisexual Behaviors & Gender Diversity and Transgender Issues.

Resources: - Queer afrol. - Sodomy Laws. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country: Kenya Information / News. - theGully.com news & Articles: Africa. - Rainbow Kenya. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Kenya. 

Gay Kenya (Global Gayz) - News/Report. - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - Sodomy Laws. - LGBT rights in Kenya. 

Books: - Different Rainbows: Same-Sex Sexualities and Popular Movements in the Third World - 2000 - edited by Peter Drucker (7 Sample Pages)  (Table of Contents). Contains: "Awakenings: dreams and delusions of an incipient lesbian and gay movement in Kenya" (P. 179-92) "John Mburu writes from the embattled movements in southern Africa, where a spate of dictatorial presidents have made anti-homosexual pronouncements and embarked on campaigns of anti-gay and lesbian harassment. Mburu specifically deals with the movement in Kenya."

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBT Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

Academic Searches: Search IngentaConnect: The most comprehensive collection of academic and professional publications. - Search Project Muse: Scholarly Journals Online. - Search JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Search The National Library of Medicine.
 

ZAMBIA: - Zambian gays gather to look into the future of their sexuality (PDF Download). - Hope for Zambian MSM: For the first time in Zambia, men having sex with other men (MSM) will have a government endorsed assessment aimed at identifying their existence and sexual behaviours in relation to HIV and Aids. This is done to draw the government’s attention to health issues faced by MSM in that country. Spearheaded by US-based Centre for Disease Control (CDC) together with the Zambian Ministry of Health and the Society for Family Health International, the assessment “is exciting and will give some sort of identity for MSM in Zambia” according to Riva Ukwimi, who is the project coordinator of Friends of Rainka (FORP) at the Society for Family Health...

Zambian lesbian speaks out:  Cindy aged 28 speaks out about her sexuality after being called a tomboy for years. Living in one of Zambia’s cities located in the heart of copper-belts in Ndola. Cindy talks about what she’s been through and how she’s trying by all means to leave the city because her community can not accept that sort of sickness... From that time I have had threat within the community and I have since moved to Lusaka where I’m not very much free, easier to make friends who are like. I wish there more news and activities involving lesbian in some organisations that way there would be more us coming out to contribute or participate. I’m very please to discover that there is a website that’s dedicated to Zambian LGBT “Africanveil”. I’m also please to be amongst the contributors of Africanveil, this will help in having to open the site to all Zambian lesbian that feel left out, I’m please to have had a chance to speak to ndanji regarding our contribution as women.

- Zambian activists have vowed to fight for their rights, despite official pronouncements that organizing would be a felony. - Homosexuality situation in Zambia. (Alternate Link) - Homosexuality in Zambia. -  Zambian Homosexuals Elect Leaders. - Conflict over Gay organizing spreading north to Zambia. - Fear of arrest: Harassment of activists. - Zambian Gays Hold Meeting In Defiance Of Ban. - Police in Lusaka have begun a clamp-down on the gay movement and their supporters (Must Scroll). - Africa's gays seek swift end to legal bans (Must Scroll). - Zambia Angered by Norwegian Support of Gays. - Homosexuals prowl Zambian Streets.

Gay Group Struggles for Life in Zambia N/A. (Related Information: Government treatment of homosexuals in Zambia, and its attitudes towards gay organisations; protection or support available from human rights groups)  - Conflict over Gay organizing spreading north to Zambia. - No Legal Organizing in Zambia. - Zambia's Registrar of Societies continues to refuse to register the gay organization Legatra (Lesbian, Gay and Transgender Association), according to the Gay and Lesbian Times. - Legatra's foundation was not a wise step. - More on Legatra. - Zambia gets 'tough on corruption and gays'. - Makaveli: The Story Of An African Gay Bar.

African Gays Encouraged by South African Decision N/A: "The London Times reports gay men and women across the African continent have been heartened by the South African Supreme Court's recent repeal of the country's sodomy laws and are hoping that the tolerance evidenced by the decision will spill into the minds of other African leaders. This week Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia's former President, called on Zambians to "cool down" after months of often vicious debate and controversy surrounding efforts by the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual and Transgender Persons Association (Legatra) to gain official status as a non governmental organization. The Zambian government has repeatedly warned anyone agitating for gay civil rights risks arrest and imprisonment."  - Zulu defends homosexual.

'My name is Pelekani Luwenji, I am a homosexual': "Please don't insult me for this letter. It wasn't just Mercy who made me become homosexual, it was an arrogancy of many other girls and the hatred of certain people. I still have dreams of getting back to girls. I can even consider becoming a bi-sexual. I will take my chances of homosexual. At least being gay will satisfy my everyday need for enjoyment and everlasting comfort and passion. In TIME magazine a woman wrote that gays and lesbians should have fair and equal treatment. I know that many Zambians are against homosexuality. I know some can stupidly say that homosexuals are a threat to Zambian society. Can I please enlighten on some truthful and interesting insights on this whole issue? ..."

The Violations of the Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Persons in Zambia (PDF Download) (Word Download): The retention of codes that criminalize sexual relationships between same-sex consenting adults has a devastating impact on same-sex practicing people in Zambia.  Gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in Zambia live in constant fear of arbitrary detention, discrimination in education, employment, housing, and access to services, and extortion—all buttressed by the existence of sections 155 - 157 and lack of specific legal protections for LGBT under Zambian law... On 23 September 1998 in a statement to parliament, published in the Times of Zambia, Zambian Vice President Christon Tempo vowed that, "If anybody promotes gay rights after this statement, the law will take its course... When LGBT organizers appeared in the newspaper to announce their wishes to register the organization, government officials warned that any attempt to register the group or hold public meetings would be met with arrests. The then Home Affairs Minister Peter Machungwa ordered police to arrest anyone who attempted to register a group advocating for homosexual rights... Extortion of gay men remains a major problem, and is often conducted with police participation.  Gay men interviewed for this note all reported that blackmail of men believed to be gay was a regular occurrence and often led its victims to financial ruin, depression and ostracism from family and community.  A recent report on a Zambian human rights website included an report by a police officer in which he described the targeting of gay men—both Zambian and foreigners—for police-instigated extortion attempts...

African prisons' refusal to provide condoms exposes prisoners to HIV: "The report claims that, "Malawi and Zambia show that at least one in eight men has sex in prison."" - Sexual practices and HIV infection in some Zambian prisons. - Zambian Prisoners routinely raped by prison warders. - Responding to the challenge of HIV/AIDS behind bars. - HIV/AIDS in Zambia. - Introduction to AIDS in Zambia.

Resources: - Queer afrol. - Sodomy Laws. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Zambia Information/News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Zambia. - theGully.com news & Articles: Africa.

Gay Zambia (Global Gayz) - News/Report. - ILGA Report. - Amnesty International 1999 Annual Report on Zambia.

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBT Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

Academic Searches: Search IngentaConnect: The most comprehensive collection of academic and professional publications. - Search Project Muse: Scholarly Journals Online. - Search JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Search The National Library of Medicine.
 

ZIMBABWE: - South Africa Gay Marriages Spark Homophobic Outcry In Zimbabwe. - Zambia will never legalise gay marriages-gov’t.  - Zimbabwe Latest: Gay Bashing in Parliament, Mugabe Prez for Life: Another week, another unfortunate report from Zimbabwe. The latest are gay-baiting remarks made by the country's leading opposition figure and a homophobic "joke" by its top minister...- Zimbabwe gay group wins international award. - Kelvin Ncube: I'm gay: ZBC radio and TV presenter Kelvin Ncube has sensationally revealed that he is gay. In an exclusive interview with New Zimbabwe.com last night, Ncube said: "I have always wanted to share this with everyone but the situation in Zimbabwe did not allow it." - Zimbabwean drag queen reveals all.

New Blow for Gay Rights in Zimbabwe: Activists struggle on as legal clampdown on same-sex relationships comes into force... Until recently, homosexuality was not illegal in Zimbabwe, although the statutes outlawed sodomy. However, a new law that came into force in August makes "physical contact between males that would be regarded by a reasonable person as an indecent act" a criminal offence. In a terse response to the new law, Keith Goddard, programme manager for the group Gays and Lesbians in Zimbabwe, GALZ, said, "Lesbians and gays are there and have a right to their sexual preference. Sexual preference is a human right." Geoff Feltoe, a professor of law at the University of Zimbabwe, said the amendments represented a hardening of attitudes towards same sex-relationships. "A seemingly intimate embrace or hug between two men would presumably be construed as a crime now," said Feltoe. "It would seem the impetus for such legal transformation was the sensational sodomy trial of the late Banana."  - L'Église anglicane du Zimbabwe radicalise sa position sur l'homosexualité (Translation). - Activists struggle on despite new legal clampdown on same-sex relationships.

Gay activist goes into hiding: The dreaded Zimbabwe state security agency the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) has launched a manhunt for gay activist Dumisani Dube after the activist made a stunning disclosure to ZimDaily last week that he had a love affair with cabinet minister and Mugabe loyalist Stan Mudenge who infected him with the deadly HIV virus five years ago... The hunted gay activist who fears for his life has gone into hiding and says he is making arrangements to flee the country before he is captured. The CIO is well known in Zimbabwe for their rank brutality and savagery when dealing with suspected culprits. Dube, a member of a fringe association Gays And Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) has threatened to expose names of six well known cabinet ministers, priests and several ZANU PF bigwigs who he claims are gay and have solicited sex from his friends and other GALZ members over the past ten years... - Zimbabwe Hunting Gay Activist, Claims Affair With Mugabe Loyalist.

Homosexual and hated in Zimbabwe. - Zimbabwe Church Council Condemns Homosexuality. - Zimbabwe's Gays & Lesbians Critique Former President. - Zimbabwe Gay Leader Blackmailed, Arrested. - GALZ leader charged with sodomy. - Totally unacceptable to cultural norms: Gays in Zimbabwe fight institutionalized homophobia, see slow gains in social acceptance. - Gay Zimbabwe: Black Gay Life in Zimbabwe. - Gay Advocates Brace for WCC Showdown in Zimbabwe N/A. - Black skin, 'cowboy' masculinity: A genealogy of homophobia in the African nationalist movement in Zimbabwe to 1983.

Mugabe says homosexuals should be 'cured' by church. - Police raids Zimbabwe gay organisation's office. - Statement from the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe: Under The Cloak of Marriage. - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who is currently in South Africa for the opening of the African Union, "has ordered a witch hunt to flush out gays and lesbians in his government." - Lesbianism rife at school (Must Scroll). - Fighting Fear - most well-known lesbian in Zimbabwe. - Zimbabwean lesbian tells tales of her struggle.

Homophobia and Postcolonialism By Mica A. Hilson. - The Apartheid of Homosexuality. (PDF Download) - Zimbabwe's Gays Go 'Out' at Great Risk. - In and Out of the Zimbabwe Closet N/A. - Zimbabwe gay rights face dim future. - Zimbabwe's GALZ Issues Statement on Presidential Election. - Exemples de persécution motivée par la préférence sexuelle de la personne: Zimbabwe N/A. - Homophobic Dictator Mugabe Hunted and Haunted in Rome. - Our day of shame over Zimbabwe: While Mugabe butchers his way to another stolen term, the commonwealth does.... nothing. - Robert Mugabe challenged to 'take the test': Research shows that most homophobes are repressed homosexuals.

Zimbabwe Gays: 'Dogs and Pigs' No More? (Alternate Link, 2) - Mugabe fuels 'Reformation' against gays. - Zimbabwe gays soldier on N/A. - Reports in various Zimbabwean newspapers claim that members of GALZ were beaten and chased from their stand at the Zimbabwe International Book Fair last week. This year's scandal has led to the resignation of honorary trustee, the Midlands provincial governor, Cephas Msipa from the board of the fair. - Gay leader detained: "Gay leader Keith Goddard was detained at State House for several hours and later spent two days at Harare Central Prison for breaching security regulations at State House recently..." - Gay bashing in Zimbabwe: I - Mugabe's unholy war. - Gay bashing in Zimbabwe: II - Outing the gay debate. - Mugabe fuels 'Reformation' against gays.

Gays move closer to recognition in Zimbabwe. "Yet, in subtle ways, things are also changing. Intolerance, particularly at the official level, seems to have mellowed into indifference. The random and all too frequent arrest of gays appears to have ceased, while the police’s last raid of the Gays and Lesbians Association of Zimbabwe (GALZ) office was in 1996. "We have a good relationship with our local station," says Keith Goddard, who heads the 400-member organisation. "They treat us with great professionalism." Furthermore last July, after years of fighting, gays were allowed to set up their own stand at the annual Zimbabwe International Book Fair – no small feat, considering that their presence at the 1995 event caused a fiasco. "We thought it was a positive development and we can now put that whole campaign to rest," Goddard told IPS. Buoyed by a new-found confidence, the gay community is now pushing for greater recognition by society..."  - Zimbabwe gay group wins court victory, but mob attacks exhibit. - Gays Flee Zimbabwe Mob. - Zimbabwe clamps down on male hookers.

The 'Unsaying' of Indigenous Homosexualities in Zimbabwe: Mapping a Blindspot in an African Masculinity - 1998 - by Marc Epprecht, Department of History, University of Zimbabwe (Journal of Southern African Studies 24: 631-51): PDF Download. - Fear and loathing of homosexuality in Zimbabwe: settler origins and African transitions, 1890-present.

Writing Still: New Stories from Zimbabwe - 2003 - edited by Irene Staunton (The African Review of Books): "Two stories dealing with gay rights tell of love lost, or never grasped. 'When Samora Died', by Annie Holmes, is more than a mere 'gay rights' story though. It is about the entrenched prejudices of white Zimbabweans, not just against blacks and communists, but 'homos' too. 'Mea Culpa' by Rory Kilalea, tells of a gay university student beginning to understand, and deny, his sexuality in a world of racism. He finds a voice to fight the racism and in doing so has to deal with the so many other remnants hiding in his closet.

Men, HIV & AIDS: (Alternate Link) "The wall of silence is finally crumbling around the last taboo topics in Africa - male rape and male-to-male sex. Some political and religious leaders have denounced gay men and women as un-African although 19th century ethnographic research documents sex between men in Africa. Politically constructed homophobia has a negative impact on public health because it excludes homosexuals from prevention and awareness campaigns, making them vulnerable to HIV infection... Regional Conference 2003 Report: "With HIV prevalence of 27-30% in its crowded prisons, Namibia offers counselling to prisoners but not condoms because it could be seen as encouraging sodomy, which is a criminal offence. Male rape, possibly the last frontier in public debate, was brought into the conference by Men United, a South African group dedicated to breaking the silence about male rape, providing support and care for survivors and their families, and educating youth to speak out against all sexual abuse."

Male Rape in Zimbabwe: The depravity of Mugabe’s regime knows no bounds. - Reports of rape and torture inside Zimbabwean militia: " Ms. Siyangapi is one of the few women to speak publicly about the prevalence of rape and other sexual atrocities in the Zimbabwe military. But a growing number of human rights groups have charged in recent months that forced sex and sexual torture are routine elements of life for men and women alike in the Youth Service, used as both a reward and a punishment..." - Let's turn off Mugabe's lights: the best way to bring Zimbabwe's regime to its knees is for South Africa to cut its electricity supply - Features - related article: Male rape, the latest weapon for Robert Mugabe's men.

Zimbabwe TV chief faces inquiry: "The powerful head of the Zimbabwe state broadcaster is to be investigated by the government after allegations of homosexuality were made against him, according to newspaper reports. Alum Mpofu, the chief executive of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corp, has been accused of causing a disturbance at a Harare nightclub after being caught "in a compromising situation" with a man, according to the state newspaper the Herald..." - Zim TV chief faces inquiry over alleged homosexuality. - Zimbabwe Media Chief Quits Before Probe. - Gays et Lesbiennes du Zimbabwe (Translation). - Gays et Lesbiennes du Zimbabwe (Translation).

Carlos Mpofu, from Bulowayo, Zimbabwe, was twenty years old when our researcher spoke to him in 2000: Meanwhile, in high school I had just begun inching toward acting on my feelings. I had started dating my O-level teacher. I never had real sexual contact, just small stuff; and we never even discussed the fact that we were both gay. But we knew that we enjoyed each other's company. He was much older. We broke off for a while, because we were frightened. But in December 1998, we reconciled. One night early in the next year we went out; we were holding hands and cuddling, sort of, at a movie house. One of my workmates was in the theater, a fellow teacher at the church school. On Monday, I went back to work and Pastor Bismarck called me in. He said, "I have heard a very disturbing thing and I want to discuss it with you." I was fired on the spot for being gay. They "preaccused" me of things they thought I would do to schoolkids-molest them or corrupt them... I was suicidal for about a month. I attempted to commit suicide; but my friends found me and revived me... In June I fell in love. We made the mistake of being too careless. We did the kinds of crazy things you do when you are in love. Bulawayo is a small city and my mother was well known. My elder brother's girlfriend saw us kissing in town. This was the beginning of the biggest family problems at home...

Totally unacceptable to cultural norms: Gays in Zimbabwe fight institutionalized homophobia, see slow gains in social acceptance (First of four parts): "These are some of the responses government-appointed commissioners recorded just last summer when they surveyed half a million Zimbabweans about what they want included in the country's new constitution. In each of their reports, the verdict on whether or not "freedom of sexual orientation" would be a fundamental right is clear. "Homosexuality and lesbianism were rejected and condemned as they were regarded as totally unacceptable to cultural norms and values of Zimbabwean society," one report sums up. In another report, 98 percent of those surveyed answer no to the question, "Should gays and lesbians be allowed in Zimbabwe?" The invectives go as far as blaming Gays for natural disasters "such as drought, locusts, worms and diseases.""

Film: Tina Machida in Zimbabwe (Harare, Zimbabwe - Gays and Lesbians): A young woman fights for the rights of gays and lesbians against the odds. 26 minutes, Color, Closed Captioned. - Zimbabwe: Gays talk straight: SPARK is a regular series of features that gives young people a chance to talk openly about sex and drugs and other teenage topics. All SPARK features are designed to provoke and carry a wide range of views. In Zimbabwe, young gay men break taboos to talk candidly to Craig Hamilton about their sexuality.

Resources: - Amnesty International On-line, Zimbabwe. - gayZIM: Zimbabwe's only online, interactive magazine. - Gays & lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ: Basic Information) GALZ Web Site. - Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ Web Site).

Queer afrol. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Zimbabwe Information/News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Zimbabwe. - theGully.com news & Articles: Africa. - GLB Organizations. - QRD.

Gay Zimbabwe (Global Gayz) - News/Report. - ILGA Report. - Sodomy Laws. - LGBT rights in Zimbabwe. - Lesbian and Gay Rights in Zimbabwe (1998).

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBT Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

Academic Searches: Search IngentaConnect: The most comprehensive collection of academic and professional publications. - Search Project Muse: Scholarly Journals Online. - Search JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Search The National Library of Medicine.
 

NAMIBIA -  Gay week set to attract 'straight' community: The Namibian lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) organisation – trp – endevours to raise awareness and educate the public about diversity. “We want to increase tolerance and acceptance of all people who are different in society”, Carol Millward, the project coordinator of the LGBTI Week celebrations said. - Namibia Law Banning Male-to-Male Sex Is Hindering Condom Distribution, HIV Prevention in Prisons, Advocates Say (Alternate Link). - Jail condoms draw fire in U.S., Namibia. - Namibia's prisons sit on AIDS 'time bomb'. - Dispelling “heterosexual African AIDS” in Namibia: Same‐sex sexuality in the township of Katutura. - Constructing Namibian queer selfhood in the era of HIV/AIDS (Word Download).

Namibia Chips Away at African Taboos on Homosexuality: (Alternate Link) (Alternate Link) "She also apparently gossiped with colleagues. Other teachers started teasing Gurirab, asking him why he didn't play soccer and why he spent so much time around his mother. Then one morning, he said, the gym teacher invited him into his office, locked the door and forced him onto the desk for sex. Let's see how good you are at it," the teacher said, according to Gurirab, now 25, who recounted the story through tears. The ordeal left his legs and arms with red bruises. The next day, distraught and confused, he had sex with a female classmate. "I wanted to change so badly and not be gay . . . but I couldn't," he said. "I knew I liked men. I decided I would kill myself. . . . I was so desperate I called a lifeline in London. They saved my life... From Uganda, where homosexuality is punishable by life imprisonment, to Sierra Leone, where a lesbian activist was raped and stabbed to death at her desk last year, homophobia has long trapped gays in a dangerous, closeted life. With no places to meet openly, no groups to join, it seems sometimes that gay men and lesbians in Africa don't exist at all. But in Namibia, a growing national debate about homosexuality has followed a period of harsh condemnation, and gay rights groups now operate openly in the capital, Windhoek. One of them is the Rainbow Project, where Gurirab works as a suicide prevention counselor..." (Related Blog) - Namibia's Rainbow Project votes for change. - The Rainbow Project: a lesson in pride. - African AIDS Awareness Campaign: The Rainbow Project.

Namibian leader in new attack on queers: “Gay and lesbian Namibians are being scapegoated for the country’s problems and demonised as the enemies of the state,” according to Peter Tatchell of the UK-based LGBT human rights group OutRage! ”The homophobic slurs by Namibia’s Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Immigration, Ms Theopolina Mushelenga, are the latest in a long series of attacks on Namibian lesbians and gay men by senior government officials. “We echo the condemnation of this vilification made by Gays & Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ). See their statement below. “The Namibian President, Sam Nujoma, has for years echoed the anti-gay hate speech of neighbouring leader, President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. He has denounced and threatened queers, encouraging a climate of prejudice, discrimination and violence.

A Crisis Corps Assignment in Namibia:  Gay Life in Namibia: Through the gaydar web site, I’d met a handful of gay men in Windhoek, all colors, and the unanimity of opinion was total: gay life in Namibia sucked. It’s not completely non-existent, even though there’s no gay bar; it’s just weak, fearful, and fragmented. Only a handful of gay men are “out” in any sense of the word. Namibia’s semi-hidden gay organization is called The Rainbow Project, known among gays as TRP. The name expresses the hopeless desire to unite Namibia’s races under the banner of gay pride. There’s precious little pride and even less racial tolerance. If the whites ever participated, they pulled out long ago, retreating to private parties and social cliques. The Rainbow Project is now a Black and Coloured organization. I’m told that there are tribal differences in the acceptance of homosexuality. Among the Ovambo and the Herero, it’s absolutely verboten; the Coloured and Damara communities are much more tolerant. One Saturday, The Rainbow Project sponsored an HIV/AIDS fundraising dance in Khomasdal, the formerly Coloured township where I lived. That I wasn’t going to miss! As it ended up, I was pretty invisible, but it was an interesting anthropological experience: a slice of pre-Stonewall gay life. About 40 young Black and Coloured men and women pitched up at a plain room that was sparingly decorated with red hearts and red balloons. There were a fair number of cross-dressers, tall young men in spiked heels and bare midriffs, and flapping wrists everywhere. Nobody was older than mid-30...

Nujoma attacks homosexuals (Must Scroll). - A small Namibian gay group, the Rainbow Project, challenged Nujoma on the remarks. - Namibian Court Grants Partner Rights. - Court rebukes government over gay rights. - Court knocks down Namibia gay victory. - Namibia gay rights row. - Nujoma's "gay purges" cause international outrage. - Namibia, The Bermuda Triangle of African Homophobia. - Homosexuality is all-african: (Alternate Link) "September 1999: Thanks to the efforts of a group of Norwegian researchers homosexual behaviour amongst members of a tribe in the north of Namibia, a tribe that has not been influenced by Christianity, has been recorded." - Namibia: Prime Minister Blasts Plan for Gay Castrations. 

Namibian president announces purges against gays. - Namibia: Gays and lesbians under attack. - Namibia-homosexuals: Arrest, deport and imprison gays and lesbians: Namibia's Nujoma. - Namibia’s homosexual detection teams: "Following the banning not only of homosexuality but homosexual persons in Namibia, the government there have decided on a Deportation-on-entry policy at state borders. This has prompted the forming of a special task team to spot homosexuals from ‘normal’ people in the passport queue..." - ILGA's Open Letter to President Sam Nujoma. - Statement by The Rainbow Project, April 2001. - Namibia and EU in dispute over gay rights (Alternate Link) - Namibian President backs down on gay attacks. - Politicians Accused Of Failing Gay Community (Alternate Link). - Sexual Health and Rights in Namibia.

Nujoma's war on gays and lesbians is nothing new: "The Republic of Namibia does not allow homosexuality or lesbianism here. Police are ordered to arrest you and deport you and imprison you," Nujoma told students during a speech at the University of Namibia on Monday, as reported by state television.  Nujoma's comments follow similar statements made by Home Affairs Minister Jerry Ekandjo last year, when he told new Police recruits at Ondangwa to "eliminate" gays and lesbians - whose conduct he equated to "unnatural acts" such as murder - "from the face of Namibia"." - Homosexuals 'To Be Barred From Entering Namibia (Alternate Link). - Gays 'fearful' in Namibia. - Threatening Homosexuals in Namibia N/A: Violence and oppression of the others/of those who are different - a comment on the newly risen harassment against gays and lesbians. - Gay-Bashers Run Riot in Parliament (Alternate Link). - Nujoma afirma que los extranjeros extienden la homosexualidad por Namibia. - International confidence in Namibia damaged by anti-gay attacks. - Nujoma's "gay purges" cause international outrage.

Gay al bando in Namibia: Secondo il presidente Nujoma, i comportamenti omosessuali sono vietati dalla Costituzione. Ecco perché ha ordinato di arrestare e deportare dal Paese gay e lesbiche. - Homosexuality: dimensions of the issue in church and society in Namibia - Homosexuality: Some Elements for an Ecumenical Discussion. - Namibia:  Gay rights (cont'd): II - Namibia (1997).

People in Namibia's slums: Lesbian love. - The lesbian men: "The ostracising of homosexuals leads to secret lives, but in the Namibian township of Katatura, a lesbian football team - the Rainbow Warriors - has been formed. Members wear men's clothes, openly try to pick up women and visit gay-friendly shebeens. They call themselves the "lesbian men", their partners are "the ladies". - Becoming visible in Namibia. - Being a public lesbian in Namibia. (Alternate Link)

Resources: - Queer afrol. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Namibia Information/News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Namibia. - theGully.com news & Articles: Africa. - GLB Organizations.

Gay Namibia (Global Gayz) - News/Report. - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - Sodomy Laws.

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBT Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

Academic Searches: Search IngentaConnect: The most comprehensive collection of academic and professional publications. - Search Project Muse: Scholarly Journals Online. - Search JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Search The National Library of Medicine.
 

NIGERIA - Denying Rights in Nigeria: Homosexual acts between consenting adults are already illegal in Nigeria under a penal code that dates to the colonial period. This new legislation would impose five-year sentences on same-sex couples who have wedding ceremonies — as well as on those who perform such services and on all who attend. The bill’s vague and dangerous prohibition on any public or private show of a “same sex amorous relationship” — which could be construed to cover having dinner with someone of the same sex — would open any known or suspected gay man or lesbian to the threat of arrest at almost any time. The bill also criminalizes all political organizing on behalf of gay rights...  - Nigeria Bans Same Sex Relationships. - Nigerian laws that have banned same-sex marriages and dictate five-year jail sentences for anyone who has a gay wedding. - Homosexuality blamed for rising HIV rates.

Nigerian Closet (Produced by Eric Beauchemin): As in many countries homosexuality remains an enormous taboo in Nigeria. Many gay men face intense social and family pressure. Homosexuality is regarded as a Western import but activists point out that it has always been an integral part of the culture. There are no laws regarding same sex relations between women, but lesbians have also suffered persecution. Producer Eric Beauchemin reports on the perils of being gay in Africa's most populous nation. - Listen to Nigerian Closet. - Challenges for the sexual health and social acceptance of men who have sex with men in Nigeria: Little research exists regarding men who have sex with men and sexual risk in Nigeria... Five focus groups were conducted with a total of 58 men... Same-sex community networks were hidden, with social activities taking place in non-commercial, private venues. Socially ostracized by culture, religion, and political will, the risks embodied within same-sex activity are high...

18 gay Nigerians remanded: A Sharia judge in Nigeria’s north-eastern state of Bauchi, Malam Tanimu, ordered the remand in prison of 18 suspected gay Nigerians. The men will be stoned to death if they are found guilty by the Shariah courts. The men reportedly hailed from a neighbouring state. Dressed like women, they stormed Bauchi to celebrate a gay wedding. The State Prosecutor, Tadius Boboi, said the men acted against Sharia, a system governing Bauchi and other Muslim-dominated northern Nigerian states. Since the introduction of Sharia in Nigeria seven years back, a dozen of Muslims have been sentenced to death by stoning for committing adultery or sodomy. However, no single person was stoned to death... - Gay Anglican accuses Africans of slave language: The homosexual Bishop Robinson of the Episcopal Church of the US says his African critics use language used in his country to justify slavery. Nigerian archishop Akinola reportedly refers to homosexuals as worse than animals.

Death sentence for homosexual act in Nigeria: A Shari'a court in northern Nigeria has handed down a death by stoning sentence for a man admitting to have engaged in homosexual acts. The middle-aged man has been on death row for several months, awaiting his execution. A human rights spokesman of the UN today urged Nigerian courts to give the man a milder sentence...  - Homosexual - 18 Accused Persons Escape Death. - New law and old prejudices threaten Nigeria's gay community: In the Muslim north of Nigeria, Bisi Alimi could be stoned to death for having gay sex. In the south, he could face three years in prison. Now, a proposed law would make it illegal just to share a meal at a cafe with gay friends... - Anglican Church in Nigeria Welcomes Ban on Homosexuality. - Nigeria's anti-gay witch-hunt: This African country claims to be a democracy but its persecution of gay people is pure tyranny. - Nigeria gay law 'risks democracy'.

Historic first meeting for gay Nigerian Christians. - Members Of Congress Protest Nigeria Gay Death Sentences.

Anti-lesbian rapes in Nigeria (Alternate Link). - Gay Nigerian Sentenced to Death by Stoning. - The Nigerian Closet. (Alternate Link) - Preliminary Survey of Homosexuality in Nigeria: PDF Download, PDF Download. - Natural gestures: How women get together in Nigeria. A personal view by Buchi: Young girls growing up in Nigeria easily engage in forms of physical contact that might be labelled ‘lesbian’ in the West. Yet African society is deeply hostile to homosexuality, says Buchi Emecheta. She gives a personal view." - Gay murder in Jigawa. - Nigerian Anglicans denounce gay bishop. - La Iglesia Anglicana de Nigeria ataca a sus compañeros del Sur de África. - Nigeria leads anti-gay protest.

In Africa, homophobia goes beyond church: (Alternate Link) "I think homosexuality is becoming more rampant here," said Bisi Tugbobo, deputy country director of Pathfinder International in Lagos, a non-governmental organization working to combat HIV/AIDS. "You hear about it. You read about it in the papers. But people don't want to talk about it. Not in the churches. Not in the mosques. Even some NGOs are reluctant to discuss homosexuality." There is little outward evidence of Nigeria's gay community. Not on crowded city streets, or in public schools, where memories linger of the 2002 killing of a gay university student in northern Jigawa state. Alliance Rights Nigeria, a fledgling gay rights group, advertises no office address. Efforts to reach members by phone proved impossible. Those giving rare interviews to the media use pseudonyms. Gays are certainly not welcome in Nigeria's 17-million-member Anglican church, the world's largest Anglican "province." Nigeria's Anglican primate, Archbishop Peter Akinola, has condemned Robinson's consecration as a "satanic attack on the church of God." ...In the north, where a dozen states have adopted Islamic Sharia law, Sharia council head Hakeem Baba-Ahmed said accepting homosexuality "will lead to a further erosion of our accepted principles of morality." ...  Out of sight, African homosexuals are unable to shed new light on the virus -- as did their counterparts in the West. "By pushing these people underground, African countries lose the chance to learn from homosexuals," Kahramanoglu, of the international gay association said. "And in the case of AIDS, ignorance equals death.""

Persecuted gay community cautiously seeks voice: "Homosexuality is a criminal offence in Nigeria, but gay rights groups made their first ever appearance at the country's fourth national AIDS conference in the capital Abuja this week. They called on their fellow countrymen to recognise and protect Nigeria's gay community, pointing out that it has been hit hard by the AIDS pandemic. In Nigeria, homosexual practice can carry a 14-year jail sentence under federal law. In 12 northern states that have adopted Islamic Shari'ah law, adults who are found to have engaged in homosexual intercourse can be stoned to death. However, most of the time, people deny the existence of "MSM's" - men who have sex with men - as male homosexuals are generally known in Nigeria..." - UN cautiously seeks a voice for gays in Nigeria.

Nation's Homosexuals (Alternate Link): "Homosexuals who used to hide their faces, have of late, become more brazen in their acts. Their influence pervades the public and private sectors in Nigeria... The recent trend is that homosexuality, which used to be a carefully guarded secret by the practitioner, is graduating into an open level. Gays abound in the armed forces, in the bureaucracy, among politicians and the private sector... Homosexuality also abounds in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano and other cities in the country... Low class gay brothels can be found along Abedi, Freetown, and Sani streets, all inside Sabon Gari... The high-class gays, incorporating Nigerians and some of their Lebanese friends do their own at guesthouses where they keep their lovers. Such guesthouses are along Sultan Road, Nassarawa, G.R.A, Kundila Estate and Maiduguri Road. They are also found at Hausawa quarters and Sabongari. Among the top gays in Kano is the Galadima Kano, Alhaji Tijanni Ashim. Although, he has several wives, at the same time he has sexual peccadillo for his gender. Ibrahim Dan Kabo, who died last week, was also reputed for being a bi-sexual... Meanwhile, just as environmentalists and human rights activists have their own pressure groups, so also are Nigerian homosexuals. They now have an NGO known as "Alliance Rights" to fight for gays and lesbians in Nigeria..." - Nigeria: Gays of Nation Unite!

Nigeria Country Report (2004, PDF Download): "Homosexuals: Nigerian law prohibits male homosexual conduct, and homosexuals can be subject to prosecution. The penalty for convicted homosexual behaviour varies from 3 months to 14 years imprisonment or a fine and/or corporal punishment. [82a] 6.118 Homosexual males in Nigeria are likely to face discrimination and occasional violence if they are overt about their sexual orientation, but not on an organised or systematic scale. Society is not openly hostile but homosexuals can be subject to ridicule. There are some areas in Nigeria where it is possible to live openly as a homosexual - such as in a large city like Lagos. There have been instances of homosexuals being subjected to violence, but they usually keep themselves to themselves and are usually left alone. [82b] 6.119 In February 2002, the Shari'a code in Gusau, Zamfara State, was used to sentence a man to one hundred strokes of the cane and one year imprisonment for sodomy. The Shari'a code, as applied in some Nigerian states, has specifically proscribed homosexuality, both male and female. It is possible that these laws will be strictly applied, as other laws governing personal conduct are being enforced in states with a Shari'a code. [84]"

Preliminary Survey of Homosexuality in Nigeria (PDF Download, PDF Download): Informal presentation at “Obstacles to Organizing for Sexual Rights” panel at the Commission of the Status of Women March 7, 2000. Given by Cesnabmihilo Dorothy Aken 'Ova. "Some people -- including some government officials -- argue that homosexuality was brought into Nigeria through colonialism. But this idea is easily challenged. As one of my respondents said, the fact that there is a name for it in various languages in Nigeria indicates that the practice existed well before colonialism... The environment is very homophobic or at least appears to be. There is an outward expression of homophobia in the dominant culture, although among the general population, there is greater tolerance and understanding that the practices exist. It is difficult for gays and lesbians to come out and admit to others that they are gay or lesbian or bisexual. They are therefore forced into heterosexual relationships. They marry to give a semblance of belonging to the widely accepted sexual orientation - heterosexuality - while they continue to meet their same-sex partners secretly." - A Primer on Homosexuality in Nigeria.

Natural gestures: Young girls growing up in Nigeria easily engage in forms of  physical contact that might be labelled ‘lesbian’ in the West. Yet African society is deeply hostile to homosexuality, says Buchi Emecheta. She gives a personal view. "Most of us remained sexually virgins but we knew how to play with each other as young girls. To us it was nothing. To us it was one human being comforting another. For instance in my culture, we do not kiss, but we do hug each other, we hold hands openly, all natural gestures for us. Nobody ever made it into a ‘problem’ - lesbianism - as you do in the West." - The Emerging Lesbian Voice in Nigerian Feminist Literature.

Friends Unite Nigeria: For the rights of Young gay Nigerians: "FUN is a gay organisation set up by the Nigeria young Gay community with the sole aim of fighting HIV/AIDS, Discrimination. Criminalisation of Gays in Nigeria. FUN tends to create this awareness through the use of fun and education with entainment, this will include lectures, seminars, workshops, and even party and social engagement like beauty pagaent etc. Fun desires to work vigorously to eradicate the stigma attached to gay person in Nigeria through education of the masses most espcially our parents and friends who are straight and also members of our immediate society like friends in school, at home and even in the club. FUN also sets to encourage open living where it is possibly as this will boost the morale of young gays in Nigeria. Presently FUN has a membership base of 150 young gay men in Lagos and works with organisation like Alliance Rights Nigeria the foremost gay rights organisation in Nigeria. - Changing Attitude Nigeria holds successful first General Meeting. 

Words By Bisi ,LGBT activist. Alliance Rights Nigeria: " The gay issue in Nigerian, I will be very frank with you. No matter what you had heard about the Nigerian situation I think it is more horrible than what people think ---- some people try to illustrate a very sweet story but in real life the fact is that the nigerian gay experience is for those who care to have the courage to survive. In 2003 a student of the university of Lagos was set up to be beaten and almost killed by fellow student for being gay -he managed to break away  and had to run away from school. His friend staying in the same room with him was beaten up and greatly molested, the case got to the school authority and and the school constituted a panel to look into the case but despite the innonce of the two gay boys, the school withold justice on the ground that the gay guys are immoral and so the school can not prosecute the violent students. In early january, a young boy of 20 was locked up by his parents in a police cell in Lagos for being gay and he was kept behind bars for 4 days without food or water and was constantly beaten up to confess that hes gay so they can prosecute him, he was so emanciated when he was brought to me and was almost losing his head and was in a state of great depression because of the fact that he was ripped off his rights as a citizen of his country. 3 weeks ago a group of boys in a bid to "cleaned" their environment almost set ablaze a house that accommodate a gay boy .The boy  was eventually picked up and locked up and beaten  up by the police for being gay. I  have also had problems for  being gay and on sereval occasion the parents of the gay boys have thretened my life for protetcting their children and giving them support both morally and financially when they have been sent out of their house for being gay..."

'Sagba's organise in Nigeria Alliance Rights: "Nigeria is a gay welfarist association and was formally launched on the 2nd of July, 1999 in Lagos, Nigeria. Since inception last year, ARN have been engaged in organising seminars and lectures in various high schools within the Lagos metropolitan area which is their present base of operations. Their lectures focus mainly on AIDS, STD's and safer sex. They also encourage LGBT pride as a means of achieving freedom within their society."

Alternative Lifestyles Foundation of Nigeria (ALFON): Nigerians Organize and Vocalize. (By Joe Murnan, Co-Chair, Lesbigay SIG): "Under the fear of imprisonment and legal persecution, gays and lesbians in Nigeria have been prevented from seeking equality. With the installation of a civilian government this past spring, gay and lesbian activists have formed ALFON to push for recognition and equality for gays and lesbians. ALFON's mission is to organize gays and lesbians into a formidable pressure group; to engage in activities that would enhance, promote, protect, advance the interest and integrity of its members to expand membership to include the continent of Africa; and to break the social taboo associated with being gay or lesbian...."

Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology: Index Page: Nigeria: - Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Ambisexual Behaviors. - Gender Conflicted Persons. - HIV/AIDS.

E-mail scam targets gays: Appeal offers new twist on Nigerian ‘419’ scheme (Alternate Link).

Resources: - Queer afrol. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Nigeria Information/News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Nigeria. - theGully.com news & Articles: Africa.

Gay Nigeria (Global Gayz) - News/Report. - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Nigeria. - Sodomy Laws.

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBT Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

Academic Searches: Search IngentaConnect: The most comprehensive collection of academic and professional publications. - Search Project Muse: Scholarly Journals Online. - Search JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Search The National Library of Medicine.
 

UGANDA - Ugandans hold anti-gay sex rally. - Ugandans defend gay sex ban: Thousands of Ugandans took part in anti-gay rally in the capital Kampala, asking the government to sustain the ban on gay sex, despite immense pressure from the international community. - Anti-Gay Group Hits Back At Rights Activists: A COALITION of religious groups has lashed at the Human Rights Watch (HRW), accusing it of promoting homosexuality. The anti-gay group said the letter the HRW's director of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights programme, Scott Long, wrote to President Museveni was based on a false assumption that homosexuals were 'born that way'. In the August 23 letter, Long called for the reform of existing laws against homosexuality and an end to what was described as 'a long record of harassing' lesbians, gays, bisexual and trans-gender people. However, the Interfaith Rainbow Coalition against Homosexuality in Uganda (TIRCHU) insisted that homosexuality is illegal and against Ugandan family values...  - Uganda rejects a gay rights call. - Ugandan gays demand freedom: The quest for gay rights is a challenge to Uganda's increasingly authoritarian church and state. - Sexual minorities Uganda condemns Homophobic threats.

Activist: "Uganda is the new Zimbabwe". - Ugandan government accused of "state homophobia". - Uganda's anti-gay witch hunt escalates. - Gay rights group OutRage! exposes the 'outing' of 45 gays by a Ugandan newspaper (Red Pepper) in a witch-hunt against lgbt people. arrests have followed. - Uganda gay-baiting raises persecution fears.- Ugandan gays in email row with minister. - Ugandan Rights Group Slams Gay Ban Law. - Uganda's gay community demands equality. - Ugandans seek deportation for writings on gays: Protesters in conservative nation call U.S. journalist’s articles ‘immoral’: Hundreds of people held an anti-gay protest in Uganda’s capital Tuesday, denouncing what they called an “immoral” lifestyle and demanding the deportation of an American journalist writing about gay rights in the deeply conservative country. - Ugandan Gays, Lesbians Launch Campaign: “Let Us Live in Peace”: “We have had enough of the abuse, neglect, and violence”,

Why the fuss about homosexuality in Uganda? Everyday i wake up to a different story about homosexuality on the Ugandan air waves. I don’t know if this has got anything to do with the fourthcoming common wealth heads of state meeting slated for kampala come November this year. The Queen of England is expected here, and like you and me know, most of these common wealth countries are positive about gays back home.So this confrerence,or CHOGM as it is known locally here, may have a hand in this All of a sudden, gay people are out to claim for their rights “openly”and with vigour. On the other hand society is threatening to go all the way even if it means helping the police in identifying and helping arrest these so called homosexuals. I heard on radio this morning that the muslim tabliq sect is ready to help police on this (arresting gay people) in all ways.

Lesbians Want Protection: Two Ugandan lesbians are suing the government for trespassing, theft of property, illegal arrest, and inhuman and degrading treatment. The case has been in court since December 2006 and a verdict is expected when the court session resumes in August. Victor Mukasa, a 31-year-old gay rights activist and Yvonne Ooyo, a 24-year-old Kenyan, claim that on July 20, 2005, LC1 Chairman John Lubega from Kireka Kamuli zone illegally raided and searched and their home without a warrant and proceeded to arbitrarily arrest Ms Ooyo who was alone in the house at the time.

Intimidation of lesbian and gay activists. - Same-Sex Marriage Ban Deepens Repression. - Gay and lesbian rights activists intimidated, and same sex marriage criminalised. - On the road to legalizing homosexuality in Uganda. - Being Gay in Uganda:  There is a very hidden underground community of gay people in Uganda now; mostly in the capital. I have even heard of many young men engaging in sex (even when they are not gay) because they heard that there is money to be made there. So the lines continue to be blurry. I can only wish the best for the few gay people I met there. It is such a sad situation because there are not a lot of places where they can go for support. - Ugandan churches demonstrate against gay acceptance. - Ugandan LGBT community speaks out against gay hate. 

Uganda Homosexuals Ordered Arrested (Max Penalty is life in prison) - Arrests of gay men have begun in Uganda. - Unafrican? Why The Hunting Season Has Been Reopened? N/A " President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda recently ordered his secret service to arrest all homosexuals in his country. Uganga Criminalizing Homosexuality - A Licence to Torture: "Look for homosexuals, lock them up and charge them...” President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, 1999 (PDF Download). - Church Backs Museveni Against Homosexuality. - Ugandan Church attacks gay community. - Uganda Bishops Condemn Integrity/Uganda. - Integrity/Uganda. - Integrity Uganda: Prophets or Profit? - Gay doctor flees Uganda. - Homosexuality in Uganda (Radio).

Uganda queer activists write the president (2003): "The Gay And Lesbian Association (Gala) of Uganda have sent a letter to President Museveni demanding rights and threatening to form a political party and it has caused a rash of debate in the east African press...  After years of homophobic rhetoric from President Museveni and a life lived under the shadow of prosecution for being gay, the letter is putting the message and the issue on the agenda following the cabinet's non-inclusion of sexual orientation in the Constitutional review process...The boldness of the letter is striking, it calls for the decriminalisation of homosexuality, the redefinition of marriage to include same-sex couples and advises the president to read a selection of books which will help disprove the theories that homosexuality is unnatural and unAfrican. The letter also emphasises that gay rights are human rights and that homophobic legislation is contrary to Uganda's own constitution. Whether the call will be successful in changing the minds and attitudes of Uganda's parliamentarians is debatable..." -  Uganda Gays To Gov't: Give Us Civil Rights Or We Form Our Own Party.

John's story: "It wasn't easy trying to set up a meeting with John. He was very worried about his own security as well as the safety of the other gays and lesbians he was going to bring along. Fear has been a constant factor in John's life ever since he was detained and tortured in October 1999..." Homosexuality in Uganda (Radio Netherlands, 2004). - 'My life as a gay Ugandan Christian'. - Interview with Ugandan Lesbian wins Award.

Uganda Has Many Homos: "Mukasa said failure to acknowledge that homosexuality is a reality would deny Ugandans an opportunity to solve a major problem in mono-sex schools." - Uganda has no gays, says president (Alternate Link): "After accepting an award for his government's successful campaign against AIDS, Uganda's president declared Sunday that his country has no homosexuals, one of the groups most threatened by the global epidemic." - African Scholar Opposes Ugandan Stance on Homosexuality. - Mazrui Attacks Museveni Over Homo Arrests. - Prejudice in Uganda: "Nonetheless, gays and lesbians in Uganda are fighting to obtain recognition and acceptance..."

The Flames of Namugongo: Postcoloniality Meets Queer on African Soil? by Kenneth Hamilton: Presented to the American Academy of Religion, "Gay Men's Issues," Toronto, Canada, November 22, 2002: "The story of the 1886 martyrdom of Charles Lwanga and his companions takes me to the intersection of diaspora studies, queer theory, critical race theory, performance studies, and radical Catholic historiography. It is the founding missionary narrative of Christianity in Uganda, East Africa which equates that founding with the uprooting of same sex practice on the "Dark Continent." It raises suspicions around the demonization of "darkness", which includes "Africa", African male same sex, African traditional religions and Islam, African masculinity, and the feminized African land. Moreover, the sublimation of this narrative into Roman Catholic canonization further defines same sex desire as that which is not Christian and not Ugandan..."

Gay Uganda (Global Gayz) - News/Report. - ILGA Report. - Sodomy Laws.

Queer afrol. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Uganda Information/News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Uganda. - theGully.com news & Articles: Africa. - Gay Uganda. - Gay Rights Uganda. 

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBT Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

Academic Searches: Search IngentaConnect: The most comprehensive collection of academic and professional publications. - Search Project Muse: Scholarly Journals Online. - Search JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Search The National Library of Medicine.
 

BURKINA FASO - Coming Out in Burkina Faso: "Eventually, he introduced me to the entire Gay community of Burkina Faso: about twelve guys." - The (Unexpected) Men in My Life (Peace Corps Volunteer, Burkina Faso): "As all the brochures promised, people here do, at least verbally, abhor the very notion of homosexuality. And yet, homosexual acts are taking place in mud huts (and health centers) across the country at this very moment. Boys will be boys. Shame on me for every doubting, eh? Intriguingly enough, each ethnic group has a unique, mostly unspoken code dictating which acts fall short of the feared homosexual dividing line. Draga  boys indulge in mutual masturbation, while the Bissa have a strict above-the-waist rule. Men in the Gulimance district are very hands-oriented and prone to kissing, and pretty much anything goes for the chancy, lucky Mossi, the nation’s ferocious, predominant ethnicity (Related Information).

Thee Dagara tribe of Burkina Faso (east of Nigeria and north of Ghana): The "gatekeeper" 'gay' concept embodying a "save the world" role- an interview with Malidoma Somé, author of the book, Ritual: Power Healing and Community (Alternate Link). - Homosexuality: The Gatekeepers. - (Related Information 1, 2) - Information about female homosexuality in the Dagara tribe obtained from the book, The Spirit of Intimacy by Sobanfu Somé. - Information about the Dagara tribes.-   Welcome to The Great Debate on Homosexuality in The Black Community. - Stolen Heritage: Reclaiming Our Birthright. - Wisdom from West Africa.

La question de l'homosexualité chez les Lyéla. - The Africa Question: Did They or Didn't They? - Philippe Gosselin hides his sexual identity to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Burkina Faso. (Alternate Link). - Situation analysis of prostitution in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso and vulnerability of the sex workers in the context of the HIV epidemic. - Homosexuality now debated all over Africa (Responses to the South African decision to legalise same-sex marriages): In Burkina Faso, far, far away from South Africa, the nation's first encounter with the issue was more accidental. A Burkinabe living in France told about his homosexuality on 'TV5', criticising double moral standards in his home country. The interview got picked up by the press in Burkina Faso, advising that the issue was loosing from its inherent taboos. .. Also 'Le Pays'... demonstrated admiration of South Africa's development and indignation over a recent "homophobia campaign" in Cameroon.

Homosexuality now debated all over Africa: (Alternate Link) In Burkina Faso, far, far away from South Africa, the nation's first encounter with the issue was more accidental. A Burkinabe living in France told about his homosexuality on 'TV5', criticising double moral standards in his home country. The interview got picked up by the press in Burkina Faso, advising that the issue was loosing from its inherent taboos. In the latest issue of 'Bendré', Burkina Faso's leading independent weekly, journalist Jean-Paul Bamogo goes into a larger discussion about homosexuality based on the new South African legislation... Also 'Le Pays', a leading privately-owned Burkinabe daily, last week philosophised whether South Africa's gay marriage law was "luxury or a necessity" and whether one could still call South Africa an African country. The rather balanced article brought few conclusions, except one: "One thing is sure, Africa cannot anymore close its eyes on the phenomenon of homosexuality." While calling the new marriage law "superfluous and premature," 'Le Pays' demonstrated admiration of South Africa's development and indignation over a recent "homophobia campaign" in Cameroon.

Men who have sex with men in Burkina Faso, Senegal, and The Gambia: The multi-country HIVAIDS program approach: (Alternate Link) "This paper summarizes issues involved in reaching MSM, and recommends strategies for meeting the needs of this target group in the three countries. The paper outlines knowledge gaps about HIV/AIDS and VCT services among MSM, and provides suggestions on how to address these problems. The paper also describes the main features and lessons learned from prevention and treatment programs serving MSM, and lists experts and institutions in the public and private sectors working or interested in the target group. Conclusions: MAP increased access to HIV/AIDS prevention, care, support, and treatment programs with vulnerable and at risk groups, especially MSM and boys and men who have sex with men in exchange for money or gifts."

Resources: - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Burkina Faso Information/News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Burkina Faso. - theGully.com news & Articles: Africa.

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Burkina Faso.

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBT Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

Academic Searches: Search IngentaConnect: The most comprehensive collection of academic and professional publications. - Search Project Muse: Scholarly Journals Online. - Search JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Search The National Library of Medicine.
 

BOTSWANA - Botswana's Church leaders denounce gay Bishop. - Bishop Mwamba looks to 'breakthrough' on homosexuality row: Anglican churches will soon return to their mission to alleviate poverty, disease and injustice and abandon a "fixation" with homosexuality, says Anglican Bishop Trevor Mwamba of Botswana, the recently-appointed dean of the Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa. "Very few of us take the homosexual debate as a top priority issue because there are more pressing issues facing the African church," Mwamba told Ecumenical News International in a telephone interview from his office in the Botswana capital, Gaborone.

LeGaBiBo fights for welfare and voice: Mothers Union – a Christian faith-based movement caring for welfares of families globally, at least will receive a letter of grievances from Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LeGaBiBo) of how the organisation was being ill-treated during a recent dialogue on homosexuality that took place in Botswana... LeGaBiBo was there to take part, and its representative – Skipper Mogapi – complained that she was gagged from talking positively about homosexuality. She further complained that the dialogue was one-sided as all panelists incessantly quoted the bible to reinforce their views condemning homosexuality... - Still oblivious battle after many years for Botswana gays: Gays in Botswana – who founded Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LeGaBiBo), are being continuously frustrated by government in that country.

Botswana Gays Rejoice As Opponents See Red:  Early this week the South African parliament made history and passed a bill that ushers in a law that recognizes same sex marriages. This development, the first of its kind in Africa has generated a lot of excitement amongst the gay community and human rights organizations in Botswana. LEGABIBO, an organization of Gays and lesbians in Botswana has applauded South Africans for passing the law despite the fact that homosexuality and lesbianism remains a taboo in the country... "This is frustrating as homosexuality has always existed in Botswana. We suppressed it because we are such a secretive society," she said. She lamented that they cannot register LEGABIBO because the Constitution does not recognise them. " It is even difficult for homosexuals to access medical facilities as they are discriminated," she said. Moepi's sentiments have been echoed by the director of Botswana Network of Ethics, Law and AIDS (BONELA), Christine Stegling who emphasised the necessity of passing out a law that recognise gay and lesbian marriages. She said this would be an indication of Botswana's commitment to human rights and fighting discrimination.

Is there hope in vision 2016? (Alternate Link) The government of Botswana has issued a bold vision statement for the nation called Vision 2016. It promises all citizens safety, security, freedom of expression and a tolerant nation, but how will this help LGBT people if they don't lobby around their rights within the framework of the vision...  These bold words of inclusivity would seem to be opening the doors for LGBT lobbying; laying the ground for successful change in legislation that outlaws homosexuality in Botswana. However, Legabibo, the country's LGBT group are dispersed and virtually none functioning. "It is very hard to get hold of them," one activist told me. "Because they have no office space and no permanent staff. The law prevents them from registering as an organisation, which has left them pretty helpless." At the All Africa conference in Johannesburg earlier this year, representatives from Botswana admitted that the registration issue was just one part of the problem. "Lesbian and gay people in Botswana are not really interested in organising. If we throw a party then they will all turn up, but try to stage a rally or a meeting to discuss serious issues and there will be no more than a handful." Activists working in the field of HIV/Aids in Botswana admit that accessing MSMs (men who have sex with men) is a big problem. "The government do not include same sex behaviour in their information. But how can they when homosexuality is outlawed - it is a catch 22 situation. They know there is a problem but there is no-one to deal with, not the government nor the LGBT community." One of the reasons sited for the lack of an effective LGBT lobby is insidiously personal according to another activist in Gaborone. "The gay scene is young, young as in not long established, but also young as in, populated by mostly young people - there is a lot of gossip, bitchiness and in fighting, usually caused by the fact that many of them have been in relationships with each other. It is a very small community."

Botswana: Homosexuality under Fire. - Botswana Debates The Relaxation of Anti-Gay Laws (Alternate Link). -  The well-being of gays, lesbians and bisexuals in Botswana (Journal of Advanced Nursing: 2001 35(6): 848-56): "Results indicated that varying degrees of distress were experienced by 64% of the GLBs in this study. The GLBs identified a need for human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) education and had concerns about their general health, discrimination against them and vulnerability to violence including sexual assaults." - Botswana human rights centre gets gay award.

Ministers in Botswana Plead for Gay Tolerance. - Botswana president: 'Don't be judgmental on homosexuals. - Anti-Gay Laws Challenged in Botswana. -  Alleged Gay Challenges Homosexual Laws. - Botswana Wrestles with Implications of Gay Case. - The well-being of gays, lesbians and bisexuals in Botswana. - Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals of Botswana. - "Unnatural practises" law stands in Botswana.

Homosexuality is  forbidden, says Orebotse (Must Scroll): Since the laws of Botswana forbid homosexuality, no prisoners have been given condoms and they would not be given any as that would be tantamount to encouraging homosexuality, says Commissioner of Prisons Joseph Orebotse.

Dynamics of the HIV & AIDS epidemic in Botswana (Chapter 2, Part 6: PDF Download): "Although HIV is transmitted mainly through heterosexual intercourse in Botswana, men having sex with men is a reality and a factor, albeit an apparently minor one, in the spread of the virus. How minor a factor it is remains unknown, thanks to homophobic laws and sentiments, as well as a shortage of reliable research. A 1998 study elicited mixed responses from young men on the topic of male homosexuality. Some were appalled at the idea of a man having sex with another man, but others admitted that it does happen in Botswana society, hence the noun "matanyola". Tswana culture abhors matanyola as an act of sexual perversion." - To be legal or not to be legal: Illegality of homosexuality in Botswana and the spread of HIV in prisions and the general community. - Country Situation Analysis, Botswana, UNAIDS Global Report 2006 Data: In addition, the situation of marginalized groups like men who have sex with men and sex workers needs to be further addressed.

Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology: Index Page: Botswana: - Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Ambisexual Behaviors. - Gender Conflicted Persons. - HIV/AIDS.

International Encyclopedia of Sexuality: Botswana. See: Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Bisexual Behaviors & Gender Diversity and Transgender Issues.

Resources: - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Botswana Information/News. - theGully.com news & Articles: Africa. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Botswana. - DITSHWANELO, The Botswana Centre for Human Rights: Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals of Botswana.

Gay Botswana (Global Gayz) - News/Report. - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Botswana. - Sodomy Laws. 

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBT Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

Academic Searches: Search IngentaConnect: The most comprehensive collection of academic and professional publications. - Search Project Muse: Scholarly Journals Online. - Search JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Search The National Library of Medicine.
 

IVORY COAST -  Ivorian gay community fights for right to life and love: (Alternate Link) The tiny bar in Abidjan's Marcory neighbourhood... But for one young man, who prefers to be known only as Yann, this place serves as a kind of lifeline. 'I can feel completely at ease here,' he says. 'It is one of the only places.' ... Yann came to Abidjan from one of Ivory Coast's smaller cities 14 years ago to study at the university and live his sexuality more freely. 'In the village, there are pressures from family. Society is small. They say being homosexual is against religion, against nature,' he says. 'People are more educated here. In Abidjan, you can be anonymous.' Ivory Coast, unlike some of its more conservative neighbours, has no laws banning homosexuality. The country even boasts a gay and lesbian association, Arc-en-Ciel Plus, that has gained official recognition from the interior ministry. - L'homosexualite: Expression de la liberté, ou fléau social? (Translation)

Interview - Après le rejet de leur demande de récépissé par le ministre Dja Blé (Translation). Issouf Diomandé, porte- parole de l’Association des homosexuels de Côte d’Ivoire: « Nous avons le droit de nous associer comme tout citoyen ». Je viens au nom de l’Association ivoirienne des lesbiennes, gays, bisexuels et transexuels, ( AIL ), pour dénoncer le refus du ministre de l’Intérieur de nous autoriser à former une association, au motif que notre sexualité est contraire aux bonnes mœurs. Nous sommes des citoyens ivoiriens comme les autres, nous ne comprenons pas les raisons de ce refus, nous nous élevons contre cette forme d’exclusion. - Pour l'acceptation des différences sexuelles en côte d'ivoire (Translation).

Lino Versace : " Je Suis Homosexuel " - La Jet Set, Fally Ipupa, Douk Saga et Plus .... Si on dit que je suis un homosexuel. Moi, je suis fier d’être homosexuel. Pourquoi pas ? Aujourd’hui on est dans un monde où tout est possible. On est au XXe siècle où chacun vit sa vie. Je suis homosexuel. Je suis fier de l’être. Oui, je sors avec un garçon. Et puis quoi ? Ce n’est pas la fin du monde.

A l’occasion de la Gay Pride, la chaîne de toutes les cultures a prévu une soirée thématique, "Le Monde selon Gay", consacrée aux homos. Au programme, "Woobi Chérie" (Translation), le génial documentaire sur les gays ivoiriens réalisé par Christophe Brooks et Laurent Bocahut. - Woubi Chéri: the first film to give African homosexuals a chance to describe their world in their own words. Often funny, sometimes ribald, but always real, this documentary introduces us to gender pioneers demanding their right to construct a distinct African homosexuality...  The film introduces us to a cross-section of Abidjan's woubi community. Vincent, an immigrant from Burkina Faso, is a traditional griot and sage. Laurent defied his father's wishes that he become an auto mechanic to open a patisserie in Abidjan. Bibiche and Tatiana are cross-dressing prostitutes. Barbara, a glamorous more mature transvestite, is the leader of the tight-knit group and President of the Ivory Coast Transvestites Association. Laurent recalls this community was like a new family. "Your real family was the one you created. Nobody had to hide anything."... - Woubi Cheri: the first film to give African homosexuals a chance to describe their world in their own words. Often funny, sometimes ribald, but always real, this documentary introduces us to gender pioneers demanding their right to construct a distinct African homosexuality. One needs a new language to create a new world; therefore this film begins with a vocabulary lesson. The main characters explain for us that a woubi is a male who chooses to play the role of "wife" in a relationship with another man. A yossi, is a bisexual man, perhaps married, who accepts the role of a woubi's husband. A toussou bakari is a lesbian. Controus are homophobes who oppose the woubia lifestyle...

Shadows and eye shadow: Abidjan, Ivory Coast...  am about to give up, when I notice two figures in skirts sitting on a concrete block a few yards away. I am not certain they are what I am looking for, but one of them has made an encouraging noise and I reckon that no respectable Ivoirienne would sit in semi-darkness and call to strangers. I walk over. “Bon soir, les filles,” I say, respecting the wigs and stuffed bosoms and ignoring the masculine arms and faces...As we talk, they are pulling on and adjusting clothes, wigs, make-up. A transformation is taking place in these shadows that I can barely see. What clients do they get, I ask. Both Ivoiriens and foreigners, some white, mostly African. And do the girls protect themselves? Of course, they always use a capote. The worst customers are Nigerians, although whether this is because they are most demanding, refuse to use condoms or are poor payers is not clear. As everywhere else in the world, the price of the service depends on how much the customer is willing to pay. Tina always asks for at least 10,000; sometimes she asks that amount and is rewarded with 20,000 or 30,000...

Intervention by Martine Ago, Ivory Coast: The United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS:  am Martine Ago, representative of sex professionals, from the Ivory Coast... I am a peer educator and president of a group of HIV-positive sex workers, called Blety. We work with Clinique de Confiance, which is dedicated solely to male, female and transgender sex workers, and which offers prevention services, testing for sexually transmitted infections and HIV, as well as ARV treatment...

Libéralisme et vécus sexuels a Abidjan (Translation), par Marc LE PAPE et Claudine Vidal, Cahiers internationaux de Sociologie, vol. LXXVI, 1984.

Resources: - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Ivory Coast Information/News. - theGully.com news & Articles: Africa.

Gay Ivory Coast (Global Gayz) - News/Report. - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden.

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBt Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

Academic Searches: Search IngentaConnect: The most comprehensive collection of academic and professional publications. - Search Project Muse: Scholarly Journals Online. - Search JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Search The National Library of Medicine.
 

SENEGAL -  Dossier homosexualite au Senegal et en Afrique (Translation): - Regroupement des homosexuels : Le refus de la marginalisation (Translation). - Témoignage d’Eléonore : «Je suis bien dans ma peau» (Translation). - Dispositions juridiques au Sénégal: Parlez plutôt d’acte impudique ou contre nature! (Translation) - El Hadj Abdoulaye Niang, sociologue : «L’homosexualité se définit avant l’adolescence» (Translation). - La plaidoirie d’Amnesty international (Translation). - Islam et Homosexualité : A l’origine, était Sodome (Translation). - Etre homosexuel en Afrique: Behind the Mask, l’adresse des gays et lesbiennes du continent (Translation) (Alternate Link) (Translation). - Le mal de vivre des lesbiennes noires (Translation) (Alternate Link) (Translation) (Alternate Link) (Translation). - Confidences d’un homosexuel de Saly Portudal: « Mon copain que je partage avec sa femme » (Translation). - En prison, on devient facilement un homosexuel: La face cachée de la prison de Rebeuss (Translation).

De retour du Sénégal, un internaute nous a alerté (Translation): « Que faire pour alerter les gens au sujet de ce qui se passe au Sénégal ? » c'est la phrase qui est revenue constamment au cours de l'appel que nous avons reçu d'un internaute, profondément choqué par la situation de ce pays. Plus que jamais, le mal-être d'un gay ou séropositif au Sénégal est intolérable, tant le climat d'Homophobie et donc d'insécurité y est grand... Pire : Pour des raisons légales ou religieuses, de nombreux médecins refusent de soigner ces malades. En outre l'implication dans la lutte contre le Sida constitue une sérieuse prise de risques : Serigne, un homosexuel de 27 ans, qui tient à son anonymat, a fait ainsi l'objet de plusieurs attaques en pleine rue. «Ils ont commencé à me battre, ils m'ont jeté au sol et m'ont donné des coups de pied. Ils m'ont blessé au bras et au visage et m'ont averti que si je n'arrêtais pas de défendre la cause gay, ils finiraient par me tuer» a-t-il raconté en larmes. - Hidden Homosexuality in Senegal Presents Challenge to HIV Prevention: Across Africa, HIV infection is significantly higher in some groups. In Senegal, homosexual men are 10 times more likely to be HIV positive than the rest of the population.

Circumcision message could confuse gay community: (Alternate Link) The HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Senegal is an estimated 21.5 percent, according to the French Institute for Applied Medicine and Epidemiology (IMEA), compared to a national average of 0.7 percent. AIDS campaigners worry that the preliminary data on male circumcision could lead to reckless sex and an even higher HIV prevalence. Circumcision is almost universal among Senegalese men... - La communauté gay réservée sur la circoncision (Translation). (Alternate Link) (Translation) - Homo hysteria: Senegalese media in an uproar over a heterosexual delegate to the Outgames conference: Two weeks ago, Cheikh Doudou Mbaye began experiencing the unfortunate repercussions of his recent visit to Montreal. The Senegalese man, who participated in the Outgames’ International Conference on LGBT Human Rights at the end of July, where he led a workshop about discrimination against homosexuals in the Senegalese workplace, is an HIV-specialist social worker assisting the Senegalese gay community. After the conference, Mbaye headed back to Dakar, Senegal’s capital, and an unforeseen media circus...

Senegal's gay community confronts social taboos. - Gay community plays it quietly in face of social taboos. (Alternate Link). - Senegalese Debate S. Africa's Same-Sex Marriage Bill: In Senegal, almost everyone identifies with a faith that forbids same sex relationships. It is no surprise, then, that public Senegalese response to South Africa's same sex marriage bill is almost uniformly negative. But a number of private conversations reveal a more nuanced reaction... In Senegal, it was only six years ago when a local university conducted the first large scale study of male homosexuals. Gary Engelberg, co-director of ACI Consultants, an American NGO based in Dakar, participated in the study's working group. "Senegal woke up to the fact that there is, in fact, a gay community operating in Senegal on a mostly hidden and clandestine basis because of fear of reprisal in a basically homophobic, very religious society," he noted.

Transnational Senegalese cinema between natioalism andglobalisation: the case of Karmen: The main female role was played by a Senegalese actress, Djeïnaba Diop Gaï, and her female lover Angelique was interpreted by the Canadian Stephanie Biddle. The film was shot in Dakar ... However, these were not the reasons to demand censorship for the film. It was even more serious to present the poem of the national and religious hero Ahmadou Bamba in the context of a lesbian relationship. As a consequence of the protest, the film’s screening was restrained, and banned temporarily in the whole country for the sake of "public order". The ban turned out to be permanent, and Karmen has not been publicly screened in Senegal since September 2001. Domestic films have often been targeted by Senegalese film censorship, but Karmen was the first film banned due to the demands of a religious pressure group and not because of the authorities’ decision. This turned the film into front-page news and raised a public debate regarding respect for religion and freedom of expression in Senegal.

Meeting the Sexual Health Needs of Men Who Have Sex with Men in Senegal (Research Summary / Download Page): "MSM have distinct identities and social roles that go beyond sexual practices. Broadly defined, Ibbis are more likely to adopt feminine mannerisms and be less dominant in sexual interactions. While society may formally reject homosexuality, this does not prevent Ibbis from occupying positions of high regard in certain circles. For example, Ibbis often have close relationships with women who have political or economic power for whom they carry out important social ceremonies and functions. In several neighborhoods, Ibbis enjoy the protection of the entire community. Yoos are generally the insertive partner during sex and do not consider themselves to be homosexuals. Beyond these broad categories, there are additional subcategories based on age, status, and type of relationship. However, identification with a particular group is not a good predictor of an individual’s sexual practices. The first sexual experience often occurs with an adult during adolescence... The lives of many MSM are characterized by violence and rejection. Forty-three percent of MSM had been raped at least once outside the family home, and 37 percent said they had been forced to have sex in the last 12 months. Thirteen percent reported being raped by a policeman. Nearly half of the 250 men surveyed had experienced verbal abuse (including insults and threats) from their family (Table 1). Many also reported physical abuse.. The vast majority of MSM have had sex with women..." - Résumé de la recherche: Satisfaire les besoins de santé des hommes qui ont des rapports sexuels avec d’autres hommes au Sénégal (Translation). - Final Report:: PDF Download. Download Page.

Surprising Senegal: France meets Africa in this land of music and mysticism: (Alternate Link) Senegal is one of the most tolerant Muslim societies on earth, with wide religious freedoms, a taste for sexy fashions, and even legal prostitution. But when Senegal's first gay organization, Groupe Andligeey (the latter word translates as "walking together"), tried to arrange a meeting of some of its 400 members in 2001 at a Dakar hotel, the nation's Interior Ministry immediately moved to thwart the gathering "so that such a demonstration is not organized on national territory," the ministry said in a statement. When I talked to the soft-spoken president of Andligeey (who didn't want his name published), he told me about a law that makes homosexuality illegal in Senegal, even though gay sex is very common for married men. "As long as Andligeey sticks to AIDS education, we stay out of trouble." ... Although it may not seem like a gay mecca today, Dakar has quite the homo history. In the 1930s French anthropologists observed among the Wolof tribe "men-women" called gor-digen, who "do their best to deserve the epithet by their mannerisms, their dress and their makeup; some even dress their hair like women. They do not suffer in any way socially, though the Mohammedans refuse them religious burial." (The word gor-digen is still widely used today to mean gay men in Senegal.) ...

Activités homosexuelles Un Français de 70 ans s’accouplait avec deux jeunes Sénégalais dont un mineur (Translation): La consternation et l’étonnement étaient les sentiments les mieux partagés hier au tribunal des flagrants délits de Dakar. Un Français de 70 ans, Lucien Antoine Tauzin et deux jeunes hommes, dont un mineur, comparaissaient pour avoir entretenu entre eux des rapports homosexuels. Le Français qui est au centre de l’affaire, puisque c’est dans son domicile que les faits se sont déroulés, a été condamné à 2 ans ferme. Tandis que les deux autres ont écopé d’une peine plus clémente, 1 an pour le premier et 6 mois pour le mineur...

Les pratiques homosexuelles en afrique: Le scandale du déni (Translation): Ca aurait dû faire l'effet d'une bombe. En décembre 2005, une étude publiée dans la revue AIDS annonce que sur une cohorte sénégalaise de 453 hommes ayant des rapports sexuels avec des hommes (HSH), 21,5 % sont infectés par le VIH, pour une prévalence nationale de 1,5 %. Il aura fallu 25 ans de sida pour obtenir cette donnée épidémiologique dramatique sur la vulnérabilité des HSH au VIH/sida dans un pays d'Afrique subsaharienne ! Cette absence de statistiques reflète avant tout le rejet complet dont les HSH sont victimes... Selon l'enquête sénégalaise précitée, viols, agressions verbales et physiques sont le lot de beaucoup des HSH interrogés : 43 % d'entre eux ont été violés au moins une fois en dehors du foyer familial et 13 % l'ont été par des policiers. « La violence provient aussi de la famille – ajoute Thomas Lax. Les personnes qui sont soupçonnées d'avoir des pratiques homosexuelles sont battues et généralement rejetées. » ... « Du fait des violences familiales, beaucoup de jeunes sont rejetés. Et s'ils viennent de familles pauvres, ils ne sont souvent pas outillés pour trouver du travail légal, les discriminations au niveau professionnel étant elles aussi nombreuses », poursuit Thomas Lax à propos du Sénégal. Cette vulnérabilité économique oblige un certain nombre de HSH à pratiquer le commerce du sexe, tant au Sénégal qu'au Burkina Faso et en Gambie....

Pour une lecture revue et corrigée de l'homosexualité dans la pensée doxique africaine : Impacts, dérapages et risques (PDF Download): Résumé: Du point de vue de la théorie constructiviste qui sert ici de cadre de référence, le comportement sexuel est perçu comme étant nécessairement labile et fluide, au gré de l’histoire de chaque individu et des cultures (Dorais, 1994). Dans cette perspective elle s’inscrit en faux contre la vision essentialiste et déterministe d’inspiration biomédicale qui ne perçoit le comportement homosexuel que pour « normaliser » et couvrir d’un vernis de supériorité morale l’hétérosexualité. Tout se passe dans le discours homophobique Africain comme si l’enfer c’est les homosexuels et que le seul fait d’être hétérosexuel est une garantie de probité morale. Dans cette logique doxique généralisée au Cameroun, l’on postule très vite, un peu trop vite que les compétences et les incompétences des individus sont essentiellement fonction de leur comportement sexuel et partant, que si tout va mal dans la société cela est imputable à l’invasion homosexuelle. De tels discours entretenus, quand on sait ce que parler veut dire, ne peuvent qu’être à l’origine de nombreux dérapages symboliques et physiques sur le plan humain et social. Le constructivisme se refuse de participer à la marginalisation et à la stigmatisation de l’homosexualité et questionnera l’homophobie pour que l’homosexualité dans les représentations s’inscrivent pour ce qu’elle est : une orientation sexuelle parmi tant d’autres dans le champ des sexualités humaines, et non plus seulement ce que l’on s’imagine qu’elle serait. 

L'homosexualité dans les représentations sociales camerounaises: esquisse d'une anthropologie à partir des Beti.(PDF Download. Download Page): Résumé: Cet article tente de réfléchir sur la productivité des comportements « anti-homosexuels » en prenant appui sur les représentations et imaginaires de la sexualité entre personnes de même sexe au Cameroun. A partir de la perspective des Béti du Cameroun (un des principaux groupe ethnique du pays), il s’agit d’esquisser une anthropologie de l’homosexualité dans cet espace particulier. Cela, en prenant soin de déconstruire toute la stigmatisation qui entoure cette pratique sociosexuelle. Le recours au mythe, au fantasmagorique fait émerger toutes les représentations qui entourent cette réalité ainsi que la genèse de la culture de prohibition qui la travaille au quotidien. Cette lecture est importante. Elle nous permet de répondre à quelques questions pertinentes : qu’est-ce que l’homosexualité dans les représentations sociales au Cameroun ? Quelle est la matrice de ces imaginaires ? Comment ces derniers se reconstruisent-ils en temps de crise ? -

Gays in Senegal Fight To Be Included in Anti-AIDS Campaigns. - Senegal's gays fight for AIDS campaign funds. - Hidden Homosexuality in Senegal Presents Challenge to HIV Prevention. - Evidence for increasing of HIV infection in a prisoners population, Senegal. - Lutte contre le sida : les homosexuels, des malades comme les autres. - Senegal gays seek HIV prevention grant. - Gays in Senegal Fight To Be Included in Anti-AIDS Campaigns. - HIV infection and sexually transmitted infections among men who have sex with men in Senegal. - Antigay Taboos Threaten Senegal's Successful AIDS-Prevention Campaign. - HIV-positive gays face double stigma.

Same-Sex Sexuality in Africa: A Case Study from Senegal: Furthermore, this flexibility indicates a greater variety of sexual behaviors than the extensive prior work on heterosexual transmission of HIV suggests. Secrecy is a key to understanding the variation; much diversity is not obvious because it is kept from public scrutiny. Long-term ethnographic investigations of sexual identities and behavior are invaluable to discovering and interpreting this diversity in African societies. - Gay Community Plays It Quietly in Face of Social Taboos. - Senegal's gay community confronts social taboos. - Surprising Senegal.

Male to Male sex in Senegal: Issues and Priorities (PDF Download): Conference presentation.

Sexologie au Sénégal. (Translation). 

Resources: - ILGA Report. - Sodomy Laws. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Senegal Information/News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Senegal. - Gay Senegal News & Reports. 

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBT Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

Academic Searches: Search IngentaConnect: The most comprehensive collection of academic and professional publications. - Search Project Muse: Scholarly Journals Online. - Search JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Search The National Library of Medicine.
 

UN panel rebukes Egypt's anti-gay trials. - Jailed homosexuals have little sympathy in Egypt. - Egyptian "gays" found not guilty. - 4 Egyptians Suspected as Gay are Acquitted - Arrests Continue. - Egyptian rights group 'cannot protect gays'. - Egypt Uses Web to Bust Gays. - Explaining Egypt's Targeting of Gays. - Torture of Egyptian gays turns systematic. - Egyptian Gays Go Deeper Underground. - Homosexual Prosecutions Overturned: Internet Arrests, Harassments Continue. - Acquittal of eleven men is not enough. 

Egypt cracks down on homosexuals: "Homosexuality itself is not technically illegal in Egypt but it is a serious taboo - culturally, socially and now politically. Gay men are vilified by the press and the public... Until last year, the government denied that homosexuality even existed. No one knows why it changed policy and decided to begin its crackdown... The chief government spokesman, Nabil Osman, is not willing to explain or apologise. "What we did was not a breach of human rights," he says. "But actually an interpretation of the norms of our society, the family values of our society. And no one should judge us by their own values. And some of these values in the West are actually in decay." - The Hunt Against Homosexuals Continues. - Egypt Uses Web to Bust Gays. - A Gay activist in Egypt describes the nightmare of the government's crackdown on homosexuality. - The Perils of Postmodernism. - Egyptian Intellectuals: Vicious Killers of Same-Sex Love.

Report: Egypt entraps, tortures gay men: Rights group says hundreds have been affected (2004): "Egyptian authorities have entrapped, arrested and tortured hundreds of men thought to be gay, a New York-based human rights group said in a report Monday. - A new report accuses the Egyptian authorities of systematically entrapping, arresting and torturing homosexual men. - Not just the Queen Boat: HRW is asking the Egyptian government to stop persecuting homosexuals and commit to reform. - 2004 Report (Full Text): In a Time of Torture: The Assault on Justice In Egypt’s Crackdown on Homosexual Conduct.

Hiding themselves in the crowd (1999): "Many girls at Alexandria University have fallen for the charms of 22-year-old Michael, an Egyptian art student with delicate features and green almond-shaped eyes. But he has lost count of the number of times he has refused to go out on dates - and not because he likes playing hard to get. He is just more interested in spending time with his French boyfriend. "I tell the girls straight away that it's not personal and that I am gay," he explains with a shy smile. "They are shocked in the beginning, but then we become friends." Michael started having homosexual intercourse when he was 12 but his first steady relationship happened when he was 16. After it was over, he got depressed and had to be medicated for a year - which was when he told his family about his sexual orientation. "Homosexuality is becoming more apparent in the Egyptian society," says Dr.Josette Abdalla, assistant professor of Psychology at the AmericanUniversity in Cairo (AUC). "This is in part the result of more exposure tomass media, western influences and more access to papers, satellite dishesand TV."..."

Women Who Love Women Who Love Men (1998): Some Egyptian "lesbians" say they're just practising for the real thing... In North America we like our sex the way we like our clothes ­ with labels. Perhaps reducing sexuality to categories makes us feel safe. Maybe we hope that by naming something we can understand it. But can we? What if the picture blurs? Those are the kind of questions which interest education professor Didi Khayatt. She is conducting a six-year study of how "lesbian" desire is expressed in Egypt. "In the West, we've come to believe in the existence of discrete sexual categories, and use them to describe our identities as if they were immutable, and understood and accepted by everyone," says Khayatt. Curiously, Arabic has no words for homosexuality or heterosexuality, although there are words in the language for acts considered to be perversions (such as sodomy or bestiality). "Arabic recognizes same-gender sex for men, but there is no equivalent recognition for women...

Gay cultures in Cairo, Egypt. - Gay Egypt - A guide to Egypt's gay scene. - Egypt Gay Lifestyle and Gay Way. - In search of gay Egypt. - Newspaper Report on "Gay Undeground" in Egypt in 1990s. - Activist Fights for Gay Rights in Egypt. - Gay Oppresion in Egypt. - Fear and loathing keep Egypt's gays in the closet. - Officially, homosexuality does not exist in Egypt. - Egypte et homosexualité (Translation). - European Parliament Calls on Egypt to Stop Persecutions.

Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology: Index Page: Egypt: - Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Ambisexual Behaviors. - Gender Conflicted Persons. - HIV/AIDS.

International Encyclopedia of Sexuality: Egypt. See: Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Bisexual Behaviors & Gender Diversity and Transgender Issues.

History: - The Tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khanumhotep. - Same Sex Desire, Conjugal Constructs and the Tomb of Ni-ankh-khnum and Khnum-hotep. - History of Sex: Ancient Egypt. - Third Genders in Egypt. - Gay History Articles. - Queer Chronology. - "Born Eunuchs": Homosexual Identity in the Ancient World. - Homosexuality in Ancient Egypt. - A Mystery, Locked in Timeless Embrace. 

The Ultimate "Planet Out" Guide to Queer Movies (Country: Egypt). - Unlocking the Arab Celluloid Closet Homosexuality in Egyptian Film. - Egypt Eases Restrictions on on-Screen Sex.

Pratt N (2007). The Queen Boat case in Egypt: sexuality, national security and state sovereignty. Review of International Studies, 33: 129–144.  PDF Download. "The government’s targeting of homosexuality in May 2001, following years of ‘turning a blind eye’ to Cairo’s gay scene, is studied here in terms of the links between the sphere of interpersonal relations and notions of national security within international relations. The persecution of men for alleged same-sex relations not only filled newspaper columns and created a spectacle to divert people’s attention away from the government’s failings. More importantly, the event represented an opportunity for government officials, the media and other civil society activists – both within Egypt and abroad – to ‘perform’ a discourse of national security through which national sovereignty was (re)produced and political order was maintained. However, this national security threat was not only posed by the external threat of Western governments, international NGOs and other transnational actors concerned with respect for human rights within Egypt. More importantly, this threat was constructed as originating with those people failing to conform to the ‘norm’ of heterosexual relationships..."

El Menyawi H (2006). Activism from the closet: gay rights strategising in Egypt. Melbourne Journal of International Law, 7.  PDF Download. Abstract: "Recently the Egyptian Government has been systematically attacking gays by putting them on trial, detaining and torturing them. The author suspects that there are two reasons behind the Government’s attacks of gay men: firstly, as a strategy to divert attention from its failure to address the declining economic situation in Egypt, and secondly, to increase the perception that it takes the Islamic faith seriously. The latter is particularly important to the Egyptian Government as it owes its increasing popularity largely to the Muslim Brotherhood. By attacking gays, the Egyptian State successfully distracted the public’s attention from its woes, while also shoring up the State’s Islamic credentials. The author also considers mistakes made when engaging in gay rights activism before his ultimate exile from Egypt. The author, who used the language of gay identity and of ‘coming out of the closet’ as part of his activism, examines the problems associated with such language. In particular, the author points out that by deploying the language of gay identity, he played into the hands of the Egyptian State, which then successfully appropriated the same language to distract the Egyptian public from its own problems. The author considers the problems with his activism to be his engaging in a ‘Stonewall’ model of gay rights in which one openly comes out of the closet and declares one is gay. The author concludes by considering a new form of activism that is not open, but hidden, which he calls ‘activism from the closet’. The hope behind the article is to allow LBGTQ groups to express their sexuality, as well as engage in activism, while reducing potential threats directed at them..."

Resources: - GayEgypt.com - Behind the Mask: Egypt. - Queer History Links. - Google.

Gay Egypt-1 - Gay Egypt-2 (Global Gayz): - News/Reports 2001 to Present - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - Sodomy Laws: Egypt. - GME: Egypt. - Africa by Country News: Egypt News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Egypt. - DIVA: Egypt. - LGBT rights in Egypt. - Don Pato's Gay Egypt. - Egyptian Gay Life. 

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBT Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

MAGREB (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia): -

Un Maghreb très gay (Translation) (Alternate Link) (Translation): Le site Filou Mektoub est dédié aux homosexuels arabes et principalement maghrébins. Mais pas seulement. Le créateur du site, une sorte de gentil petit malin, a en effet le sens de la communion. - Militantisme homosexuel au Maghreb: Quelles formes et avec quels moyens? (Translation) - Destins de l'homosexualité masculine maghrébine: entre unions 'imposées', prostitution et mort sociale? (Translation) - Compte rendu des Université d'été homo à Marseille sur l'état des gays au Maghreb (Translation). - Homosexualité dans le monde Arabe (Translation): L’homosexualité est illégale dans 26 pays islamiques.

Cités: le malheur d'être homo (Translation): (Alternate Link)  Humiliations, insultes, passages à tabac, viols... Dans certains quartiers, les homosexuels vivent un calvaire. Surtout les jeunes d'origine maghrébine. - Blacks, blanc, beurs (Translation). - L'association Kelma (la parole, en arabe) est née en1996. Son objectif (et la tache est loin d'être facile) est de " fèdèrer autour d'activités culturelles et conviviales des homosexuels franco-maghrebins et du Maghreb"(Translation). - Maux d'homos .

Amour au Masculin et Culture Arabe Francophile: Bibliographie (Translation).  - Gay beur culture et maghreb. . - Harrod Hayes. Queer Nations: Marginal Sexualities in the Maghreb. - Documents gays Maghreb (Translation). - Livres Gays et Gays Arabes en français (Translation). 

Africans on the Internet: Maghreb most sex obsessed: Even homosexuality, which is illegal in most Muslim and African countries, spurs much interest in Muslim Africa. While the search word "gay" is dominated by Latin Americans, it is mainly Filipinos and Saudi Arabians looking for "gay sex". The African "gay sex" list is topped by Kenyans, Tanzanians, Namibians, Zimbabweans and South Africans. In the francophone world, however, Algerians and Moroccans by far top the world's search for "la homosexualité". Algerians also by distance top the search for the "sexe gay", with the French and the Moroccans being somewhat more timid on the issue.

Bloggers in the Maghreb debated homosexuality and its place in society and online, and discussed the state of the upcoming elections in Algeria:  In a post about intolerance, Hou-Hou blog wrote, "what I found paradoxical and sad is that the communities that suffer the most from intolerance, discrimination, racism, marginalisation, incomprehension, xenophobia… are themselves the most intolerant, racist and ignorant when it comes to differences. When an Arab is categorised as a terrorist, when he is discriminated against or stigmatised by others (which happens a lot), he thunders indignantly against injustice, intolerance and racism. However the same people are the first to proudly declare themselves homophobes and scream loud and strong: 'death to gays'." ...

Queer Nations: Marginal Sexualities in the Maghreb - 2000 - by Jarrod Hayes (Review).
 

ALGERIA / ALGERIE - Les gays quittent le pays (Translation). - Être gai en Algérie (Translation): M'hamed, 15-17 ans: L’homosexualité est un tabou majeur en Algérie. Entre amis(e) on en parle très librement mais ça ne suffit toujours pas. Il y a des amis à qui j'ai confié mon secret et ils ont très bien pris la nouvelle. Ils m'ont soutenus et ont été avec moi dans tous les moments, mais... - Filou Mektoub: Algérie (Translation). - L’homosexualité des femmes en Algérie (Translation). (Alternate Link) (Translation). - La tragica situazione dei gay in Algeria. - Gays en algérie (Translation): l'homophobie retournée contre soi! Je suis un jeune algérien qui a presque tout dans sa vie pour être complètement épanoui et totalement heureux, sauf que mon homosexualité tout en vivant en Algérie, ne me le permet pas. Car il y a une partie de ma personnalité qui ne s'exprime pas librement et qui doit être toujours cachée de peur que la société me juge et me répudie à jamais. Comme je vis dans cette société et je communique avec elle, je dois la suivre et jouer devant tout le monde le parfait hétéro. Malheureusement une majorité des gays algériens (et maghrébins) vivent le même calvaire...

Etre gay en algérie (Translation): Bonjour , moi c'est pinou ,je suis algerien ,j'ai 26 ans mon probleme est que je suis gay et j'en souffre beaucoup car je vis dans une societé qui ne tolére pas l'homosexualité,la séxualité est un tabou dans les société musulmane alors imaginer etre homosexuele dans ses société... Aujourd'hui j'ai décidé d'en parler et de me confie mon secret pour la premier foie de ma vie car j'en peut plus et je pense beaucoup au suicide pour en finir et s'est aussi un autre péché dans notre religion l'islam mais j'en ai pas d'autre choix car l'enfer je le connais déja,mais j'aime trop ma famille pour le leurs faire du mal et leurs causer du chagrin ,mais croyez moi top au tard je passerais a l'acte...

Nadir d’Algérie (Translation): toute ma vie: c’était vers l’age de 17 ans alors j’ai réalisé, même si c’était tardif, que j’était gay, franchement j’y croyais pas, j’ai admis sans vraiment l’admettre, moi qui 3ans auparavant avais regardé sur une chaîne française, une émission traitant l’homosexualité et m’étais dit « c’est quoi cette folie là, mais c’est inconcevable », mais je tiens à dire qu’à cette époque, donc avant mes 15ans, c’était ambigu et mélangé dans ma tête pour ce qui est de la sexualité, je veux dire avec les filles, je ne me sentais pas bien à l’aise, enfin j’ai oublié un peu ce qui se passait dans ma tête, c’est pas ça l’important. Je vais à présent m’étaler sur mon après 17ans, l’ère homosexuelle, mais de cette ère homosexuelle y’avait que le nom, puisque en ne m’assumant guère, je me refusais catégoriquement tout coming-out ou passage à l’acte ou presque, puisque, de l’age de 17 à 20ans je n’ai eu qu’une petite relation d’une journée avec un jeune voisin, j’avais vécu l’enfer, la solitude, le trou noir, personne à qui avouer ma vraie identité, mille et un fantasmes se succédaient, la peur de passer à l’acte et l’absence de tout mouvement associatif de soutien...

En Algérie, l'homosexualité a toujours été un mot interdit.(Translation) Comme d'ailleurs, parler de sexualité au grand jour est un sujet tabou. Les homos sont contraints depuis toujours a la clandestinité,au mépris,à se taire, à la honte de soi-même. Les hétéros baisent des homos car ils ne peuvent aller avec les femmes conformément aux règles religieuses et morales, les jeunes fiancés, par exemple. La société et la religion exigent que la jeune fille préserve sa virginité jusqu'au mariage. Alors, en attendant, ils se rabattent sur les homos. Pareil pour les types sans le sou. L'homosexuel joue gratuitement le role de " prostituée " du pauvre. Les homos n'ont que très rarement des relations homosexuelles entre eux. l'amour et le sexe forment deux planètes distinctes. - Ce que vous devez savoir si vous voulez voyager en Algérie. - Gay Algerian granted Asylum in France. - Gay Algerian Faces Death If Deported Group Says.

Le Soleil Assassine: Un Film de Abdelkrim Bahloul (Translation): " Dix ans après l'indépendance de l'Algérie, le poète pied-noir Jean Senac qui a choisi d'y demeurer, est surveillé par la police du régime. Ses prises de position en faveur des minorités, sa défense de la langue française et son homosexualité affichée irritent le nouveau régime.... Son homosexualité gênait aussi… Ce fut moins la cause que le prétexte de sa disgrâce, son talon d'Achille. Ses ennemis s'en sont servi contre lui pour tenter de le discréditer auprès de la masse de la population algérienne. A l'époque je pouvais lire des articles dans les journaux universitaires sur « Sénac, ce chantre de la pédale ». Tout cela devait être orchestré en sous-main par des politiques. Paradoxalement Le Soleil assassiné est un film optimiste..."

Seconde grande population de la prostitution masculine, les “Algériennes” ont fui un pays où elles risquent la mort (Translation).: "Elles sont travesties dans un pays qui condamne l'homosexualité de deux mois à deux ans de prison, transsexuelles dans un pays musulman. “En 1996, les groupes armés ont tué une copine à cause de ses seins. Elle était hormonée, beaucoup trop voyante elle est morte dans son quartier à Bab El Oued.”" - Les gays quittent le pays (Translation): "Pour moi, être homosexuel et musulman équivalait à un suicide psychologique." - Les gays algériens ont maintenant leur site web!  - Algerigay. - A la barbe de tous (Translation): L’homosexualité des femmes en Algérie : un phénomène mis sous le boisseau des tabous les plus sévères. Mais de par la séparation qui règne entre les sexes, la société algérienne le favorise singulièrement. Portrait d’une Maghrébine qui aime les femmes.

Témoignages nationaux - Algérie (Translation): "L'homosexualité en Algérie est quelque chose de tabou. C'est quelque chose dont on n'a pas le droit de parler. C'est quelque chose qu'il ne faut pas dire aux parents, à ses amis hétéros. C'est impossible de leur dire. L'homosexualité est un pêché de premier degré. Le dire, c'est risquer d'être exclu. C'est ce qui m'est arrivé avec des amis lorsqu'ils ont su que j'étais homosexuel..." - Un homosexuel algerien a paris.

Viva Laldjérie (Translation), le deuxième film de Nadir Moknèche, brise les nombreux tabous qui rongent encore l’Algérie. Il filme sans concessions le sexe, l’homosexualité et la vie quotidienne pas toujours rose de trois femmes d’Algérie et d’aujourd’hui. Un tournant dans le cinéma du pays.

The Eastgarden. - ILGA Report. - Africa by Country News: Algeria. - Algeria News. - LGBT rights in Algeria.
 

MOROCCO / MAROC - Être homo au Maroc (Translation): "Vivons heureux, vivons cachés". Tel pourrait être l'adage des homosexuels marocains. À la nuance près que se cacher n'est pas un choix mais une obligation et qu'ils sont loin d'être heureux. (Related Information) - L'association Kelma (Translation) (la parole, en arabe) est née en1996 (PDF Download): Son objectif (et la tache est loin d'être facile) est de " fèdèrer autour d'activités culturelles et conviviales des homosexuels franco-maghrebins et du Maghreb ". Cette jeune association veut aussi " porter la parole dans les pays d'origines, Algérie, Maroc, Tunisie, pour que les gays et les lesbiennes de l'autre coté de laMéditerranée puissent trouver un relais, une écoute et un échange fécond"... - Le Maroc dément l'existence de mariages homosexuels N/A. - Rencontre de la Communauté gay et lesbienne du Maroc (Translation). - Premier Marocain à Assumer Publiquement son Homosexualité (Translation).

Être homo au Maroc (Translation): L'homosexualité au Maroc est frappée d’un double H : Hchouma (honte) et Haram (péché)... Ce café, depuis quelques années déjà, est l’un rares endroits que les homosexuels ont investi pour en faire un lieu de rencontres et de drague, une sorte de quartier général où ils peuvent "se retrouver entre eux". Yassir explique : "Cela ne veut pas dire qu’il n’y a que des homosexuels ici. Mais seuls les homosexuels peuvent savoir qui l’est et qui ne l’est pas"... Minuit trente. Nous sommes dans une boîte de nuit de la ville. C’est la seule où, depuis plusieurs années, les homosexuels viennent faire la fête entre copains, draguer ou se prostituer... "Je n’ai absolument aucun problème à vivre ma sexualité normalement au Maroc et je n’ai jamais pensé à quitter le pays".,, "Imaginez un jeune garçon habitant une petite ville ou un village et qui découvre son homosexualité. Il ne peut en parler à personne, se renferme sur lui-même, se croit malade et seul au monde. C’est en cela qu’Internet a été une révolution... - Les homosexuels entre résignation et optimisme (Translation): A écouter: L'homosexualité au Maroc, un reportage de Bruno Daroux (30/06/2003).

Les homos débarquent (Translation): Le tout Tétouan en parle. Durant le mois d’août 2006, la ville devrait accueillir les homosexuels, provenant de Marrakech, Agadir, Casablanca, Rabat et Tanger, pour tenir un congrès national et créer leur première association. Dès que l’information a circulé dans la presse locale, précisément Assura Assahifia, journal arabophone, la rue s’inquiète. Et les discussions vont bon train. Dans un forum de Tétouan, la Colombe blanche, les avis divergent. Ceux qui sont contre sont plus nombreux que ceux qui sont pour... Là encore, le Maroc peut être fier de sa souplesse et de son ouverture par rapport aux autres pays arabes et musulmans, même s’ il est targué d’être un pays homophobe. En Iran ou en Arabie saoudite, les homosexuels sont décapités ou lapidés jusqu’à la mort. Contrairement à la Tunisie, le Maroc ne censure pas les sites gay...  Le congrès national des homosexuels n’aura sûrement pas lieu à Tétouan en août prochain, les autorités concernées ne peuvent l’autoriser. Car, si c’était le cas, elles reconnaîtraient d’une manière formelle l’existence de l’homosexualité au Maroc. Et cela reste impossible et inimaginable.

Between the Parc de la Ligue Arabe and Cybermen.com: Being Gay Offline and Online in Urban Morocco. - Babylone: Maroc Tunisie, Gays en danger (Translation). - Outreach prevention of HIV/AIDS infection among sex workers having sex with men. - Un avant-poste de la prévention au Maghreb (Translation): Premier pays du Maghreb à avoir réagi à l'épidémie du sida, le Maroc est aujourd'hui encore en tête des initiatives en matière de prévention. Menacé, comme les autres pays de la région, par une forte progression du sida, il commence, malgré les tabous persistants, à cibler dans ses campagnes les populations vulnérables, grâce à une mobilisation associative efficace qui pondère les carences du système de santé...

Homosexualité au Maroc: Et si on en parle! (Translation): Au Maroc le phénomène existe, mais reste encore un tabou, les homosexuels sont là, nous les croisons dans la rue, nous les évitons, nous les tolérons, nous les marginalisons, Mais rares sont les moments ou nous les affrontons pour mettre à nu leurs orientations sexuelles. Ici, on parle aussi de tourisme sexuel, que certains marocains et étrangers inscrivent dans le cadre de la fameuse habitude d'expression selon laquelle le mal vient toujours d'ailleurs...Alors si quelqu'un souhaite faire l'exception pour les homo en les acceptant, et donc en allant dans leur sens, il doit faire de même pour un fou, un malade contagieux, bref envers toutes les anomalies de la terre et ce non pas en essayant de guérir le mal mais en le vulgarisant ».  - Homosexualité au Maroc (Translation):  L'homosexualité ne se vit pas de la même manière partout... Il existe malheureusement encore des régions du monde où le coming-out "n'existe pas". Kal28, âgé de 29 ans en 2004, vit dans une petite ville du maghreb. Son coming-out n'est que virtuel, via le net, ne pouvant pas l'annoncer chez lui...Eh bien moi, je ne suis pas européen ! Je suis marocain ! Dans un pays arabomusulman ! Le coming-out pour moi, c'est comme se jeter dans les enfers ! Ni famille, ni amis, ni personne ici ne pourra comprendre ce que c'est d'être homo... ! Alors... ne trouvant aucune lueur d'espoir, en 1997, alors que j'avais 22 ans, et en plus du stress quotidien qui gonfle terriblement quand on est déjà mal dans sa peau, j'ai tenté de me suicider... et j'ai frôlé la mort...

Sexual Values in a Moroccan Town: In Zawiya, various forms of homoerotic play, including nude swimming and group masturbation, were reported as fairly common for boys in the early teen years. Older males sometimes engage in homosexual acts, sometimes including interfemoral and anal intercourse, but these young people do not think of themselves as homosexuals but rather as going through a phase. Homosexuality in adulthood seems to be rare and is still considered shameful by most Moroccans. Separate terms are used for the partner who plays the active and the passive role in intercourse, and the term for the passive participant (zamel) is an insult and a frequently seen graffito on walls near Moroccan schoolyards. In contrast to what we heard from young men, most young women in Zawiya seemed never to have considered the possibility of female homosexuality, and both sexes stated that lesbian relationships were very rare.

Under Morocco's sheltering sky: the timeless magnetism of the desert lures modern travelers into the mysticism of an ancient North African land: The king is rumored to be homosexual--but since it is a crime to speak ill of him in any way, don't expect to hear much above whispers... Marrakech has surpassed the sordid port of Tangier as the contemporary gay capital of Morocco, thanks mainly to the influx of Westerners who open up riads (guesthouses) in the city...

Homosexualité au Maroc: Religion, Famille. Société (Translation). (Ce texte, développé, accompagné d’un sondage sur l’homosexualité au Maroc et d’une nouvelle intitulé : "Joseph" va être publié en 2002.) - Gay Morocco: Myths and Realities. - Iran: Morocco 'gay association' irks hardliners: An Iranian news agency linked to the country's hardline Islamist establishment has assailed Morocco for what it says is the North African state's "promotion of homosexuality and paedophilia". In an editorial, Taghrib criticised what it said was the Moroccan government's failure to prevent a group of homosexuals from forming an association. "In Morocco, an Islami country, homsexuality has become an accepted reality to such an extent that it risks becoming a secular state without faith like Western nations". "Morocco risks becoming a new Sodom”, the Taghrib editorial said...

Rachid O. Jeune écrivain marocain parmi les plus prometteurs: Né en 1970, après des études à Marrakech, il séjourne à Paris. En 2000, il a été accueilli comme pensionnaire de la Villa Médicis gérée par la Fondation de France à Rome. Le Maroc qu’il raconte dans ses romans est celui de l’homosexualité décrite de la façon la plus candide. - New prison sentence for editor in Morocco: Mr Tadili has been convicted for reporting in a 9 April article headlined "Homosexuality and the political class in Morocco" that police surprised a government Minister in a homosexual act in a beach resort in the north of the country. He did not name the Minister, but it was clear he was alluding to the Economy Minister. The article was questioning the morality of the Minister. While homosexuality is widely practiced in Morocco - in particular in holiday resorts, where men-to-men encounters are openly displayed - it remains a social taboo and is generally considered bad moral... - L’éventuelle homosexualité d’un ministre déchaîne les passions au Maroc (Translation): Cet outing qualifié par le ministre concerné de diffamation rappelle deux choses: l’homosexualité fait l’objet d’un sérieux tabou au Maroc..

Témoignages nationaux - Maroc (Translation): "Car au Maroc, il n'existe pas d'association pour les homosexuels. Cependant, l’ALCS a toujours choisi d'intégrer dans ses programmes de prévention de s'adresser aux homosexuels et aux prostitués. Au Maroc, l'homosexualité, ou plus exactement le fait que les hommes aient des rapports sexuels entre eux n'a pas de droit de cité, au moins dans la culture dominante. Ceci constitue non seulement un délit du point de vue social, mais également au niveau pénal. C'est ainsi qu'une personne convaincue d'homosexualité risque une peine d'emprisonnement pouvant aller de 6 mois à 3 ans..."  - Briton Jailed for Gay Sex in Morocco.

Etre Lesbienne Aujourd'hui au Maroc (Translation): "Sur les plans politique et associatif, il n’y a aucune lueur d’espoir car on parle d’un féminisme féminin et non d’un féminisme féministe. Pour nous, pays arabes et musulmans, pas question qu’un lesbianisme soit un choix politique, pire encore, il n’y a aucun soutien de la part des lois aux femmes en dehors de son statut d’épouse et de mère. La condition de la femme en étant "vieille fille "ou divorcée pèse encore dans notre société, voire même mère-célibataire ou lesbienne. Même les féministes fuient cette responsabilité."

Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology: Index Page: Morocco: - Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Ambisexual Behaviors. - Gender Conflicted Persons. - HIV/AIDS.

Être homo au Maroc - Dossiers et récits - Za-gay - Le site des jeunes et ados gays (Translation).

Gay Morocco (Global Gayz): - News/Reports 2004 to Present. - The Eastgarden. - ILGA Report. - Sodomy Laws: Morocco.  - Africa by Country News: Morocco. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Morocco. - Morocco News. - LGBT rights in Morocco. - Droits de l'homme au Maroc.
 

TUNISIA / TUNISIE - Homosexuality in Tunisia: The independent French-language Tunisian weekly magazine Réalités dedicated a series of articles to homosexuality - an uncommon initiative in the Arab press. The articles include the personal stories of homosexuals and lesbians, information on their legal status in Tunisia, and a medical assessment by Dr. Kamel Abdelhak, a psychologist specializing in sexual matters. In addition, renowned anthropologist Malek Chebel [2] is quoted as asserting that homosexuality is tolerated in Arab culture. Poems on bisexual love by 10th-century Persian-born Muslim poet Abu Nawas are cited as an example. The following is a review of the series: ... In an article describing the lives and feelings of gays in Tunisia, Réalités journalist Nadia Ayadi reports, "The education system, the traditions, and the religious and cultural myths present homosexuality as a perverted and abnormal attitude." She says it is "a painful problem," adding that "everybody remembers the collective lawsuits of homosexuals in Egypt, or the stoning of homosexuals in Iran." Regarding the policies of Arab and Muslim countries toward homosexuals, she says that Tunisia is more lenient than many other Arab countries, and tolerates homosexuality as long as it is not openly displayed... - Etre Homo en Tunisie... - Babylone: Maroc Tunisie, Gays en danger.

Gays in Tunisia: In Tunisia the subject is taboo ! I mean publically , i have never heard about a Tunisian gay movement, event or structure ? "Miboun" ( gay in tunisian) is perceived as an offending bad word. Im really curious to know about the gay situation in Tunisia? I tried to do some research on the subject asking the few( self proclaimed) gays that i know or have met. The majority is facing discrimination and rejection mainly from their families. It's also interesting to see that people in Tunisia make big difference between the active and the passive ones--passives are more subject to discrimination or rejection. I also know few places where Tunisian gays meet ( such as some cafés on the Bourguiba avenue or medina hammams or the existence of a Tunisian gay yahoogroup. In the touristic cities you can also see some gay prostitution ( young tunisian with older european men). I also discovered that many gays have wives and children and that they are having a secret life in parallel. In my opinion being homosexual is a sexual orientation and nothing else... in order to satisfy this orientation gays may follow a different lifestyle but they should not be subject to any discrimination or stigma... - Tunisie : un Français raconte son incarcération pour homosexualité (Translation).

Tunisie: mirage d' un pays ouvert...: (Translation) "La communaute gay maghrebine rencontre les mêmes types de difficultés que les défenseurs des droits de l'Homme dans les pays du Maghreb. Peut-être plus encore, ils se heurtent au tabou de la sexualité et de la discussion politique libre, mais ils ont trouvé dans Internet une échappatoire à la censure, mais cela ne leur est d'aucun secours face à la répression, qui est le fait aussi bien des autorités civiles que d'une partie non négligeable de la population...." - Etre homosexuel en Tunisie (Translation). - Être lesbienne en Tunisie (Translation). - Homophobie et SIDA (Translation). - Maux d'homo (Translation).

Papier thématique, Maghreb (Algérie, Egypte, Libye, Maroc, Tunisie): Homosexualité et prostitution. Office fédéral des réfugiés, Suisse. PDF Download. Tunisie: Située à mi-chemin entre une application libérale et répressive des dispositions légales à l’égard des homosexuels, la société tunisienne tolère l’acte homosexuel, pour autant qu’il demeure secret. Dans les milieux ruraux, la révélation d’un tel comportement peut toutefois conduire à la honte, au rejet, voire à des drames humains lorsque la famille se sent déshonorée.

La sexualité des hommes tunisiens (Translation): Il ressort de notre étude que le poids des traditions reste lourd avec 83,7 % des hommes qui pensent qu’une femme doit préserver sa virginité jusqu’au mariage et 77,3 % qui pensent que l’homosexualité est la pratique sexuelle la plus mal acceptée par la société. 85,6 % des hommes se sont masturbés et un homme sur trois reconnaît avoir eu une relation homosexuelle et avoir pratiqué les rapports anaux avec leur partenaire. L’âge du premier rapport était de 28,1 an et la durée moyenne du coït était de 1min et 13 sec. En conclusion nous dirons qu’il existe en Tunisie deux sexualités à deux vitesses : La première, accablée par les tabous et les traditions, se retrouve surtout chez les hommes mariés, âgés, d’origine rurale, alors que la deuxième, un peu plus libérée, se retrouve surtout chez les jeunes, célibataires, résidant dans le milieu urbain.

ANGOLA - Angola: AIDS stigma pervasive: "For many Angolans, AIDS is a problem of others, of marginalised groups, of sex workers, of soldiers and truck drivers, of Congolese traders, of Zimbabwean UN peacekeepers, of gay European aid workers, of anyone but themselves..." - Angola: HIV/AIDS training for journalists: "Topics included confronting journalists' own fears and prejudice about the disease; gender awareness of how men and women are vulnerable in different ways; lifting the silence on male homosexuality; identifying the main problems in HIV/AIDS coverage and finding solutions..."

Migrating from Africa due to Sexuality, Partnership and Poverty: Damiyano talks about his views of his life and how he’s very much prepared to leave his country, to africanveil. I’m 25 years and gay not that I don’t like my country no, I’m about to leave my country for couple of reasons and looking at poverty and sexuality for me these are the main issues... a lot of people are suffering in Luanda and that includes me and other gay people here. Being gay here is even worse so as looking at the whole Africa excluding south Africa... I have a partner from the west and we have been together for 2 years, and within these 2 years I have travelled to the west a couple times and now we are getting married which now allows me to live there, but my main point here is there are a lot of reasons why as gay young Africans will go to extremes just to migrate all because of Poverty, Sexuality and Partnership...

Kurt Falk, a German anthropologist wrote about the same sex life among "some Negro tribes of Angola", in 1923.

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Angola. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Angola News.  - African Veil: Countries Covered: Angola.
 

BENIN -  Making the Best of it in Benin. - Homosexuality. Why all the fuss? Benin, West Africa. The year is 1976. Two women get chatting on a bus. One is a local woman, the other a European. Towards the end of their journey the African invites the other to stay with her large family. That night they sleep together in one bed. They talk for a while, then, responding to each other's gestures, they make love. The next morning the European woman asks her new friend whether she often has such experiences with other women, and how she feels about being a lesbian. Astonished, the African woman answers that it is quite usual for her to let a friend comfort her in this way...

L’homosexualité à Parakou (Translation): Un phénomène qui se crée: A Parakou chaque jour du week-end, en début d’après midi, des centaines de personnes (hommes et femmes), habillés à l’occidentale, s’allongent inlassablement sur les côtes pour se distraire. Zénabou est l’une d’elles. Assise dans un coin, elle sirote tranquillement une sucrerie, tout en causant avec une femme blanche assez forte. Ces deux femmes ne font que s’adresser des compliments. Pendant ce temps, la blanche touche les cheveux et palpe les doigts de sa compagne. Ses mains se baladent même sur les cuisses de Zénabou qui éprouve assez de plaisir. Comme Zénabou ; nombreuses sont ceux qui s’adonnent à l’homosexualité. Il n’est pas rare de voir de jeunes filles et de jeunes garçons, même de grandes personnes, attirés par des personnes du même sexe et de tenter certaines pratiques sexuelles...

Is There Gay Life in Benin? Keeping in mind that homosexuality is illegal in Benin and that any involvement with such issues could endanger my place as a volunteer, I set out to find a sign of its existence. Over the course of my first six months at post, I deftly posed non incriminating questions to my colleagues and to the people I met… ‘What is the urban view of homosexuality?’ ‘How does it differ from that of the village view?’ ‘Does HIV/AIDS prevention material address homosexuality?’ ‘What’s the word for homosexuality in Fon?’ ‘Do you know any homosexuals?’ The majority of responses were rather vapid and noncommittal, quick shrugs. For them, homosexuality was such a non-entity in Benin—something that exists in Europe and America but had not ‘infected’ Africa. Some responses indicated beliefs that homosexuality was a gene only found in white people. Although men walked hand in hand down the street, this union was entirely nonsexual; locals were quick to identify this as completely normal, entirely replete of any homosexual undertones. I was not quite so sure... Then, when I least expected it, I found it. Or rather, I found a trace of it, with promises that there were more. While at a housewarming party for a fellow American, I met a Beninese guy and his, ‘shhh’ boyfriend. I was elated.  Finally, a glimpse. Unfortunately, that was all that was to be provided to me. I learned that their secret was so hidden, that not even their closest friends knew...

Comportements sexuels, connaissances et attitudes des etudiants de l'universite du Benin face au sida  et aux maladies sexuellement transmissibles. (Abstract): Une étude a eu lieu auprès d’un échantillon de 954 étudiants (800 hommes et 154 femmes) représentatifs des 10 319 étudiants de l’Université du Bénin afin de déterminer les comportements sexuels... Il s’agit de relations sexuelles péno-anales (9 %) de l’homosexualité (1 %) et de l’usage intraveineux de drogues (6,1 %).

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Benin. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Benin Information/News. -

BURUNDI -  Après le rapatriement, alexandra se sent enclaver (Translation): Le climat hostile pousse Alex à retourner au Burundi où il lui reste quelques amis et famille.Mais Alex veut devenir une fille où il se sent bien dans sa peau et n'hésite pas à la montrer mais les Burundais lui jettent des pierres et il se réfugie en Ouganda où il fut jeter en prison de BASIMA. Alex fut successivement emprisonné à Zanzibar, à Dar es Salaam ou il fut  même violé. Ramené de force au Burundi il fut emprisonné... Alex décide d'aller vivre en Aventure au Kenya pour de bon. Très vite Alex découvre une vie nouvelle.Bien dans sa peaux de jeune fille il mène une vie très excitante car il rencontre des hommes qui l'aiment pour ce qu'il est, il dis: "J’avais plein d'amants, il étais impossible pour moi d'avoir un seul copain car beaucoup d'hommes me désiraient et pour moi le fait d'être désirée, aimée et cou risée était une chose très excitante et tellement nouveaux"... - 2 men flee muslim law enforcers.

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Burundi News.

CAMEROON/CAMEROUN -  Cameroon releases nine men jailed for being gay:  The freed men were part of a larger group of 17 men arrested in May 2005 at a Cameroonian nightclub believed to be popular with gays and lesbians. Eleven men remained detained held on suspicion of sodomy who were too impoverished to hire a lawyer or find a way to be released...  - Cameroon refuses to release acquitted homosexuals. - Cameroon High Court Orders Release of Man Jailed on Sodomy Charges. - Row over Cameroon 'gay' witchhunt. - 50 public figures named in gay witchhunt by Cameroon's papers. - Cameroun : trois journaux publient une liste d’homosexuels présumés. - Homophobic Witch Hunt At Cameroon Schools. - Appel en faveur de la dépénalisation de l’homosexualité au Cameroun (Translation). - Condamné pour homosexualité (Translation): Suite d’une remise de peine présidentielle, Patrick Yousse,  jeune camerounais de 24ans, vient d’être libéré de prison ou il a passé près d’un an pour homosexualité.

La question homosexuelle en Afrique: Le cas du Cameroun  (Translation) - 2006 - Charles Gueboguo (Author Interview) (Translation): Après les enquêtes qui ont duré près de deux ans, nous avons constaté que l’homosexualité telle que vécue dans les deux grandes villes du Cameroun se manifestait par une visibilité de plus en plus marquée, ce que nous avons appelé « visibilisation », pour indiquer un processus en cours et pas tout à fait établis. Des lieux de rencontre étaient mobilisés dans les bistrots, les boîtes de nuit, les restaurants ou cafés pour en faire ce que nous avons appelé des « small g » (g en miniature) à la suite de la romancière Patricia Highsmith, qui désigne des lieux fréquentés par des homosexuel-le-s mais pas de manière exclusive. Ensuite une sous-culture gaie est en construction avec des codes gestuels et langagiers de reconnaissance et d’auto-identification. Comme exemple, les homosexuels dans les deux grandes villes se désignent par le néologisme « Nkouandengué », néologisme que nous avons essayé de décrypter. Il y a également des regroupements plus ou moins formels à caractère associatif ou semi-associatif pour une certaine reconnaissance publique... - Charles Gueboguo (Translation): Quel est le quotidien d’un homosexuel en Afrique et plus particulièrement au Cameroun ? J’aurais tendance à dire que vivre son homosexualité est synonyme de suicide : insultes, passages à tabac, vols avec violences sont le lot quotidien des homos. Nombreux sont ceux qui optent pour la « stratégie du camouflage » : mariage et paternité. Leur vie reste très dure...

Suicide et homosexualité en Afrique: le cas du Cameroun (Translation): Si de manière générale il est établi que les homosexuels à travers le monde connaissent une certaine marginalisation, au Cameroun, ils le sont plus encore... Face à l’obstacle social qui empêche tout épanouissement des homosexuels au Cameroun, ceux-ci ont développé une stratégie de camouflage de leurs activités sexuelles réelles. C’est ainsi que, bien que s’identifiant et s’acceptant comme homosexuels, certains d’entre eux, pour faire bonne figure sociale, ont également choisi d’entretenir des rapports factices avec des partenaires de l’autre sexe. D’autres sont même allé jusqu’à établir des unions officielles avec ces partenaires de circonstance, tout en ayant une activité sexuelle intense avec leur partenaire habituel ou autres. C’est ainsi qu’au cours de notre première recherche dans les villes de Yaoundé et de Douala, notre échantillon était de 81 enquêtés, et parmi eux, 47 soit 58 % se sont reconnus comme homosexuels exclusifs. Mais, fait remarquant, parmi ces 47 homosexuels exclusifs, 20 ont en même temps affirmé avoir des partenaires de l’autre sexe, soit 42,6 % de l’effectif des 47 homosexuels exclusifs. 34 des 81 enquêtés ont dit être bisexuels, soit 43,2 %. Nous avons alors pu constater que ce qui semble être un paradoxe, n’est en réalité qu’un moyen, une astuce pour tromper la vigilance de l’entourage proche, et ça marche toujours. A Yaoundé, les homosexuels désignent ce type de partenaire de façade sous le terme de « nfinga ». C’est la désignation dans l’une des langues locales, de la couverture, et cette expression révèle bien qu’il s’agit d’une mascarade pour se couvrir et assurer ses arrières, pour ne pas sortir du « nkuta » comme ils disent... De tout ce qui précède, il ressort que l’attitude sociale réprobatrice vis-à-vis de l’homosexualité, peut être un facteur majeur, mais pas principal, de suicide chez les homosexuels. Cependant, le Cameroun a ceci de particulier que face à cette hostilité, les homosexuels ne pensent pas au suicide. A la place ils préfèrent jouer au jeu que la société aime observer...

La problématique de l’homosexualité en Afrique: l’expérience camerounaise (Translation): {This essay is the result of four years of sociological reseach in the midst of same sex lovers in the towns of Yaoundé and Douala (Cameroon). Research tools have joined both qualitative (story life, interview) and quantitive one (survey through questionnaire). The results show that homosexuality in the society is still discriminated although same sex lovers as subject invest public area to colonize them. Homosexuality in Cameroon despite the prohibiting law begin to grow as a subculture inside a community « en devenir. » Sociological explanatories factors of the public visibility of this reality have been discovered. There are crisis, media and african politics.] Au Cameroun, les lieux de rencontre se sont multipliés, surtout dans les grandes villes : il s’agit le plus souvent de bars, restaurants, de boîtes de nuit  dans les quartiers de Bastos, Essos, Akwa. Ces lieux de rencontre constituent des « Small g » qui sont des lieux fréquentés par les homosexuels et les lesbiennes, mais pas exclusivement par eux.  On est donc loin des espaces « hétérotopiques » (TAYLOR, 1997 : 3-19) foucaldiens qui désignent littéralement des places de différence. Ici, il s’agit des espaces où certains jours de la semaine et à certaines heures, les probabilités pour rencontrer un grand nombre de personnes homosexuelles sont élevées. Les rencontres à ce niveau vont jouer un rôle de socialisation au milieu homosexuel se constituant. L’homosexualité dans le milieu gay au Cameroun est appelée « nkouandengué », et « mvoy » chez les femmes. Ce sont des néologismes désignant à la fois le concept et l’activité... En somme, malgré quelques soubresauts, il ressort de l’observation du paysage social camerounais, que l’homosexualité est toujours socialement mal appréhendée et stigmatisée, autant par les institutions traditionnelles, publiques que religieuses.

Twelve female students expelled from school on suspicion of being lesbians. - Douze étudiantes renvoyées car « présumées lesbiennes » (Translation). - Alice Nkom, l'avocate des neuf Camerounais acquittés d'homosexualité, parle à «Têtu» (Translation): (Alternate Link) (Translation) Ce n'est pas fini : quatre lesbiennes présumées, trois élèves du collège Eyengue Nkongo, qui ont d'ailleurs été expulsées pour lesbianisme, et une joueuse de l'équipe nationale de football, ont été arrêtées et suivent le même chemin que mes clients. Elles sont placées sous mandat de dépôt depuis le 30 mars. L'une d'elles m'a expliqué avoir été battue à son école et qu'elle a avoué des choses pour qu'on la laisse tranquille. Elle a cité les noms de jeunes filles, qui ont ensuite été arrêtées et battues comme elle par la police judiciaire, pour qu'elles fassent des aveux. Je travaille activement à leur libération et la procureure m'a dit qu'elle ferait tout ce qu'il faut pour régler cette affaire au plus vite. Je ne peux pas m'occuper des autres filles expulsées pour le moment, mais je compte défendre un homme incarcéré pour homosexualité depuis 2004 et qui reste complètement oublié... Douala : Une trentaine d’élèves exclus pour homosexualité (Translation): "Je sais depuis de nombreuses années que je n’ai plus enfants". Au bord des larmes, ce parent d’élèves vient d’apprendre que sa fille a été renvoyée du collège privé Eyengue Nkongo pour pratique d’homosexualité. Il tient entre les mains les aveux écrits de cette dernière et pousse un long soupir avant de prendre congé de ses interlocuteurs. Elève en classe d’industrie d’habillement, inscrite dans cet établissement depuis le début de l’année scolaire 2005-2006, E P est une fille ordinaire comme on en rencontre souvent dans les allées de nos lycées et collèges. Comme la plupart de ses dix autres camarades exclues pour homosexualité, elle est issue d’une famille dont les parents ont divorcé...

Report of fact-finding mission to Cameroon: PDF Download. - Cameroon: "Homosexuality is not widely accepted in central African society and some sexual acts between members of the same sex are illegal." - Moeurs: Prostitution, Homosexualité... (Translation) - Homosexualité en Afrique : l’expérience camerounaise (Translation). - African Veil: Countries Covered: Cameroon.

My Gay Brother Was Condemned to Three Years of Imprisonment. - Cameroon and male circumcision. - Stop the Deportation of Ebana Dieudonne.

Gay Camaroon (Global Gayz): - News/Reports.- ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Cameroon. - Droits des personnes LGBT au Cameroun. - Sodomy Laws. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Cameroon News.

CAPE VERDE -  A hard bargain: A good dancer automatically commands respect. In my village the best dancer was a gay man. Although gay men in Cape Verde are traditionally shunned, this man's dancing prowess made him incredibly popular, especially with women. He was invited to every party. - As of 2004, homosexuality is legal in Cape Verde.

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Cape Verde. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Cape Verde News.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - There is no law against homosexuality: Homosexual behaviour is not mentioned as a criminal offence in the penal code. The age of consent is equalized.

Comportement sexuel des étudiants de l'Université de Bangui (PDF Download): Aucun étudiant et aucune étudiante n’avait signalé des pratiques d’homosexualité.

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in the Central African Republic. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Central African Republic News.

CHAD -  There is no sodomy law in Chad: Homosexual acts are legal in Chad according to the Penal Code of 1967. Article 272 sets the age of consent for homosexual acts of both sexes to 21 years.

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Chad. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Chad News.

COMOROS - Homosexual sex is not illegal in Comoros.  - Témoignages : homos et musulmans (Translation): Mohammed, 20 ans... e n'ai encore rien dit à ma famille. A cause du poids de la religion et de la tradition, je sais qu'ils le prendront mal, alors j'attends de ne plus vivre avec eux avant de faire mon coming-out. Ce n'est pas toujours facile, car ils me parlent souvent de me trouver une femme. Mais je sais que j'ai la chance de vivre en France, et pas aux Comores, et que je pourrai vivre comme je le veux.

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Comoros. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Comoros News.

CONGO/CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE (The Republic of the Congo) -  There is no law against homosexuality: Homosexual behaviour is not mentioned as a criminal offence in the penal code. The age of consent is equal. - Homosexuality now debated all over Africa (Responses to the South African decision to legalise same-sex marriages): In Congo Brazzaville, authorities were caught by surprise when recently asked about the liberalisation process in South Africa. The Brazzaville government could not come up with another answer than saying "homosexuality does not exist in Congo." The press has so far not tried to prove government wrong.

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden.  - LGBT rights in the Republic of the Congo. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Congo News.

CONGO (The Democratic Republic of the Congo) -  There are no specific laws against gays in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Homosexual behaviour is not mentioned as a criminal offence in the penal code, thus gay sexual activity is de facto legal. However, articles 168-170 and 172 of the Penal Code punish "crimes against family life". These articles are used to punish homosexuals. A prison sentence for those punished under these articles can be from 5 to 20 years. - Congolese Anglican Church condemns homosexuality:  The Bishops of the Anglican Province of Congo Kinshasa (DRC) have issued a statement, strongly condemning homosexuality and warning Congolese Church members from supporting gay and pro-gay networks.

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden.  - LGBT rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Congo News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Congo DRC.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Equatorial Guinea News.

ERITREA -  Legal but not accepted: ... the Minster of Justice said, "There is no homosexual person in my country, that's why homosexuality is legal. That means, still we have a responsibility to defend our people from this kind of cultural aggression from Europe." BtM: What is the problem facing individual gays, governmental homophobic behaviour, as well as discrimination? M: Some of them who I meet are HIV positive, they don't have any awareness as gays that they should use a condom, they think condoms are only for heterosexuals. Most of them are in confusion, they don't have interest to accept who they are. One of my close friends goes to church to get cured. Another one killed himself a year ago. But, no one, not even his family knew on what grounds he committed suicide. Only me and other friends of mine knew... Soon I will do my effort to establish an Eritrea gay group on the site. It will be a good opportunity to exchange our experiences and to share our common problems. - 6 men arrested in Asmara. - Eritrea Expels Three Hotel Employees for "Immorality": An unnamed source close to the three employees said "one of them at least was homosexual and did not try to hide it." A diplomat in Asmara, who asked not to be named, said: "It is the first time such a reason is put forward, homosexuality is not forbidden by the law, but it is not accepted by tradition."

Doing things together: “I love everyone,” Peter tells us for the fourth time. “Especially Jerry. I love him most of all. I want to marry Jerry.” The laughter increases, some genuine, some embarrassed. A couple of his friends frown and try to calm him down. For a while, he does so, but he continues muttering how much he loves everyone, especially Jerry. Curious, I leave Ed, promising to return. Peter smiles at me "Enjoying yourself?" He nods. “Why do you like Jeff?” I ask. “Because we do things together,” he tells me. I'm tempted to ask more, but we're in public and it's easier to put two and two together without further evidence. “We do things together!” he repeats loudly enough for others to hear and turn. Among them Jerry, now arm in arm with another young man. Again Jerry's only response is a quiet smile... The next morning, Peter appears at the near-empty hotel where I am staying. We sit in the bare hall and exchange pleasantries. I assume he has come to apologise for the previous evening. Some form of apology is indeed lurking in the back of his mind, but foremost is the belief that I still have the key of his car. I describe the friend I gave it to. His face falls; the man concerned will not be free until the afternoon... As we walk, I begin my spiel of the importance of condom use, not specifying the sex of the partner. He confirms that he has a partner and uses a condom. Another question elicits the pronoun she. Further gentle questioning reveals that all his partners have been women. A whole hypothesis begins to falter. It crumbles when Peter asks if I am married. I repeat what I had said earlier, about living with a man and add “I prefer men.”  He is nonplussed, does not at first believe me. Then the conversation dies. Where was the faultline? I wonder. How did this misunderstanding begin? Did I imagine too much, is he telling me too little, surely Jerry is gay, what is the meaning of Peter's "love", do the embracing arms only embrace? I want to ask all these questions but remain silent...

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Eritrea. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Eritrea News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Eritrea. - Gay Eritrea (Global Gayz) - News/Report.

ETHIOPIA - GayEthiopians.com: created for Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual and Trans-gendered Ethiopians by a group of Ethiopians who feel our community needs a proper venue to express itself. We hope that this site will bring about change and in the process open up a dialogue of acceptance and respect. GayEthiopians.com also aims to bring together fellow GLBT Ethiopians from all over the world to create a safe-haven where we can find information on various issues that concern us. The site is dedicated to the advancement and awareness of Gay Ethiopians in Ethiopia and the Diaspora... - Our Stories. - Links. - Addis Gay Cafe: Ethiopian GLBT blog.

Holding Hands:  It was an easy mistake to make. If you see two men holding hands in the UK or the US, it is a reasonable assumption to make that they are gay. Here, of course, it means no such thing... It is ironic that this acceptance of public displays of male affection does not actually go along with an acceptance of homosexuality. People I've spoken to about it in Addis tend to have two attitudes on the subject... If any Ethiopians were gay, she said, it was a condition they had "caught" from visiting foreigners. The other attitude I have come across it straight-out hostility. [Many commentaries on homosexuality]. - Beware of gays. - A tale from Addis.

Behind the mask: Who would have thought it? Ethiopia's most radical new publication is a fashion magazine. Myfashion is, as far as I know, the country's only home-grown glossy. Issue 2 has everything you would expect - a photo spread on Osman Mohamed Osman's new 'Ras Africa' leather line, an introduction to interior decoration for the Addis elite and an interview with the country's latest supermodel. And then from pages 38-40 there is a society feature on 'Gay Ethiopians behind the mask'.

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Ethiopia. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Ethiopia. Ethiopia News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Ethiopia. - Gay Ethiopia (Global Gayz) - News/Report.

GABON - Une publicité soupçonnée d'homosexualité (Translation): Une publicité pour un pack de deux téléphones mobiles, mettant en scène deux jeunes filles et baptisée « premier amour », a suscité ces dernières semaines une polémique au Gabon, pays qui tolère une homosexualité discrète. Ces affiches, qui font partie d'une série dont les autres mettent en scène des couples plus classiques et ont fleuri à Libreville depuis une campagne lancée à l'occasion de la Saint Valentin, ont fait réagir la presse gouvernementale. - There are no sodomy laws in Gabon, homosexuality is legal in Gabon since 2000 and the age of consent is equal at 18 for all.

Homosexualité et publicité (Translation): Une petite polémique autour de l'homosexualité discrète au Gabon... L'homosexualité au Gabon, comme dans beaucoup de pays d'Afrique, est une pratique taboue mais elle ne relève pas du code pénal, contrairement à ce qui se passe au Sénégal, au Kenya, en Ouganda, ou même au Nigeria où elle est passible de la peine de mort. Selon un journaliste librevillois, l'homosexualité est ici souvent considérée comme une maladie. Il cite le cas d'un jeune Gabonais "efféminé", envoyé par sa famille à Lambaréné (230 km au sud de Libreville) suivre des rites initiatiques "pour affermir sa virilité". Lui-même, qui dit avoir des amis gays et "tolérer l'homosexualité", s'avoue choqué "qu'on en fasse la promotion". "C'est encore un tabou, c'est une grosse hypocrisie", estime Olivier. La plupart des homosexuels au Gabon sont mariés, ont des enfants, de peur de vivre ouvertement leur sexualité, affirme-t-il. L'homosexualité est tolérée quand elle n'est pas outrancière, explique-t-il. "On est agressé que si on est aguicheur, si on a des comportements qui choquent, si on fait la +grande folle+". De son côté, Servais, la quarantaine, également gay, estime que les mentalités ont beaucoup changé. "On s'exprime davantage qu'avant", juge-t-il. Lui-même assure vivre son homosexualité à découvert: tous ses proches sont au courant. "Je ne m'en cache pas. Je me sens libre ici", dit-il. A Libreville, il n'existe pas d'association gay et seuls quelques rares endroits sont fréquentés exclusivement par des homosexuels.

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Gabon. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Gabon News.

GAMBIA - Md. man fights deportation to Gambia: It is no simple feat to obtain a student visa and an airline flight in one month’s time. But at the point Yorro Kuyateh fled his native Gambia for the United States, the impossible seemed easier to face than what he said is the inevitable: a lifetime of periodic imprisonment and vicious beatings for his political beliefs and his homosexuality. - Men who have sex with men in Burkina Faso, Senegal, and The Gambia: The multi-country HIV/AIDS program approach. - Imam calls for fight against homosexuality. - Believing AIDS is Real.

Gay Gambia (Global Gayz): - News/Reports. - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in the Gambia. - Sodomy Laws. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Gambia News.

GHANA -  Media leads anti-gay witch-hunt (Alternate Link). - Homosexuals and Lesbians in the Ghanaian Society: There is no denying the fact that the practice in many mixed or even single-sex boarding schools where senior students sleep with junior students they call their sons and daughters or even where students at the same level frequently make intimate passes at one another. The problem with the Ghanaian system is that terminologies such as “gay, “homosexual,” or “lesbian,” had not caught on with the Ghanaian system, thus, in the mental dictionary, discussions bordering on recent developments have not been given the treatments they have been. If we will be honest with ourselves, such practices have gone on since Adam and because in the past there were not many media activities going on in some areas of the country, such practices were not reported and even when people were seen or caught in such acts, society quickly swept it under the carpet. With increasing level of education due to easy access to information in newspapers, and the internet, these terminologies have been common to the Ghanaian so when a Ghanaian sees two people in any intimate relationship, they know they are homosexuals or gay... - Ghana's secret gay community: (Alternate Link) In deeply religious Ghana, homosexuality is seen as an imported foreign lifestyle choice and a moral aberration. Last year, a proposed gay and lesbian conference was banned. "Ghanaians are unique people whose culture, morality and heritage totally abhor homosexual and lesbian practices and indeed any other form of unnatural sexual acts," Information Minister Kwamena Bartels said in a statement banning the conference... There are gay bars in Accra and some organisations do work with the gay community, raising awareness about HIV/Aids, but mostly their work is underground...- Ghana’s gays condemn anniversary celebrations. - No to gay lesbian conference in Ghana. - Coming out in Africa - or staying in: In Ghana, a culture of silence exists around same-sex love, and Europeans and Americans are sometimes accused of enticing the locals to break their contradictory taboos..

MSM Research in Ghana: Revealing the Pandora Box or Playing the Ostrich? A Situational Appraisal of Men Having Sex With Men in The Accra Metropolitan Area and its Environs.  Key Findings: MSM is real in Ghana with Ghanaians fully involved.  It is not a recent phenomenon being visited on Ghana and Ghanaians by ‘whites’ or foreigners. The youth is actively being drawn into it and most of them at a very young age by their peers and older colleagues and relatives. MSM in Ghana cuts across all social classes, religions, ethnicity and married men are involved. It is practically happening everywhere, particularly where people gather for celebrations and merry making in urban areas and in places most people will least suspect. There are many prevailing factors that make MSM attractive particularly to the youth including adventure seeking, poverty, ignorance, lure of older gays looking for partners and the belief that anal sex is safer than vaginal sex. Public’s reaction to gays and homosexuality, has driven it underground creating a safe haven for people to practise and making it difficult for services to be rendered to them. - Related article: Fighting HIV in Ghana requires addressing homosexuality.  - Gay and Lesbian Health Initiative Launches in Africa: Bold new program aims to help those who not only have few resources, but are also turned away from health providers... Recognizing that sexual minorities in developing countries often face a double setback from lack of resources and discrimination in accessing healthcare, the Health Equity Project (HEP), a New York based nonprofit group, has launched a new initiative to assist gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (GLBT) and commercial sex worker populations in the West African country of Ghana. HEP plans to expand the program to other African countries...

MSM and HIV in Ghana (Overview/Contents):  1. Background. - 2. Literature Review. -  3. Findings: 3.1 Background of Respondents. - 3.2 Areas of Operation / Known MSM Sites. - 3.3 Factors Influencing MSM in Ghana. - 3.4 STI/HIV/AIDS and MSM. - 3.5 Health Problems Associated with MSM. - 3.6 Bridging from Bisexual Men to Women. - 4. Conclusions and Recommendations. - 5. Appendix: Terms, Survey, References. - 6. Acknowledgements. - 7. Abbreviations and Acronyms. ...MSM and HIV in Ghana: Influencing Factors: For love and money: Respondents engage in MSM for a number of reasons. Some of these include: Pleasure Versus Economic Reasons. The role played by money in MSM cannot be over-emphasised. A total of 137 respondents or 91.3% engage in MSM for pleasure while 80 or 53.3% do it for economic reasons, even though only 2 or 1.3% regard themselves as commercial sex workers. Almost half of the respondents (71 or 47.3%) do it both for pleasure and for economic reasons... Some 56 respondents or 37.3% do it for pleasure only, 6 or 4.0% do it for economic reasons only and a small number 4 or 2.7% find themselves in it neither for money nor fun. 

Gay in Ghana: From gay-bashings to AIDS. - Gay Rights Dawn in Ghana: Faced with prison or blackmail, queers begin to organize. - Ghana's gays organise to fight British criminal law. - Ghanaian Rule: Gays Be Silent. - Is Ghana Ready for Gay Rights? - Ghana: Gay 'Rights' is an Affront to Public Interest. - Gay in Ghana? - Media Leads Anti-Gay Witch-Hunt.

DOSSIER, Homosexuality in Ghana (Access to Articles): - Gays persecuted by criminal legislation in Ghana. - Gay Prostitutes Invade Accra. - Lesbian In Ghana To Lobby. - Gays address Kufuor in UK. - Ghanaian gays to meet Kufuor. - ‘Fa wo to begye sika’ syndrome rises. - 62% of Ghanaian Gays indulge in heterosexual activities. - Lesbians Meet In Accra. - Gays Target Kufuor's UK visit. - Gays Demostrate Against Ghana. - Stiff Opposition for Gays, Lesbians in Ta'di. - Gay leader asks: What is Ghanaian culture? - Gay Laws in Ghana And Around the World. - Thank You, Mr President. - Apostle Appiah's Take On The Lesbian-Gay Syndrome. - E/R Residents Rage Over Gays, Lesbians Issue. - The conference that never was! - Ordination of gay Anglican Bishops.  - 'Ghana cannot comment'- Gay Conference At Legon? = Ghana To Endorse Gay & Lesbian Practices? - Homosexuality in Ghana: The Great 'Coming out'- Presbyterian Church condemns homosexuality. - Why Should Kufuor Peep Into Our Bedrooms. - Ghanaian gay leader attacks media. - Charismatic churches support ban on homo conference. - Chief Imam supports homo conference ban. - Homosexuality: The Last Ghanaian Taboo? - Christian Council calls for aluta. - Muslims hail decision to stop homo conference. - Is it illegal to use a 'sex toy' in Ghana? - Research Showed Homosexuality Is Real In Ghana. - Gays Meet Opposition In Ghana. - Govt bans International Homo Conference. - Proposed gay conference still sketchy. - Is Homosexuality Really New In Ghana? - Ghana's gays battle AIDS underground. - Ghana Gay and Lesbian group concerned. - Gay, lesbianism against God's purpose for marriage - Bishop. - Students dismissed for homosexuality. - Ghana's gays organise to fight British criminal law. - CHRAJ Won't Advocate Gay Rights - Short. - Anglican Church Opposed to Any Form of Unnatural Carnal Behaviour. - Study Shows Homosexuality Hits High in Tema, Eastern Regions.

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Web Pages: - Has Cher Come Out with Anything New? - Friends of Dorothy: A letter from Ghana. - Come for Two Years, Stay for Four. - She's Finally Gone Over the Edge.

A Post: - Let me not skirt around the issue here: Guys, when you travel to Africa, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not treat the men like they are sex machines that are only there for your gang-banging jungle-fever fantasy. These are real human beings with feelings and a desire to be treated with respect and humanity. I have heard stories from my friends in Africa about the disgusting chats and vulgar requests and demeaning treatment inflicted by crass unthinking gays from the West. This only reinforces the poor image of gays throughout Africa. When people live in such crushing poverty, yes, they will do just about anything for money. It is offensive and morally wrong to exploit people because of this. If the words you type are not words you would say to a person's face, then they are not good words. When having sex chat with a guy in Ghana, the offer for group sex may be made relatively quickly. This is a learned behavior due to all the requests from Western gays. One of my friends there once stated to me very matter-of-factly that all Westerners like group sex because this is all they ask for online. While I have enjoyed group things too, please act in a culturally sensitive manner when chatting with people from other cultures. Sometimes I am embarassed to be a gay knowing how some guys are online... - Sex tourism as potential contributor to transmission of HIV/AIDS; case study of boys who have sex with men in Ghana.

Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology: Index Page: Ghana: - Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Ambisexual Behaviors. - Gender Conflicted Persons. - HIV/AIDS.

Gays and Lesbian Association of Ghana (GALAG). - MSM: West Africa Aids Foundation(Ghana).

GUINEA - First African Movie about Homosexuality. - Coming out in Africa: Teenagers break the secret of their relationship in Guinea: In the film, however, the relationship is never consummated. For Camara this is a deliberate choice: "I'm not gay myself," says the 39-year-old director, who is married with two children. "I just felt it was important for Africans to speak about homosexuality. Maybe it'll help open the minds of the continent". But, after Dakan was first shown at Cannes, in May 1997, Camara faced an onslaught from African journalists. At home, in Guinea, he was cursed by a local imam after his appearance in a television debate on homosexuality. "I wasn't surprised," he says. "homosexuality is a dead-end in the African tradition, a taboo. Especially coming from a Muslim upbringing, like I do." - 1998 Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival: Dakan, the first West African feature film to deal with homosexuality... Dakan (which translates to destiny) is the story of two men who, by coming out, disappear and become invisible to their families and society, because their society has no language which recognizes their love. Filmed clandestinely in Guinea, Dakan both challenges the idea that there is a universal gay culture and debunks the notion that homosexuality is non-existent or foreign to African societies. In director Mohamed Camara's words: I made this film to pay tribute to those who express their love in whatever way they feel it, despite society's efforts to repress it. Dakan (Destiny).

Legal Status of Homosexuality in Africa: As for the legal status, the majority of West and East African nations that have law provisions on homosexuality have forbidden it, with some notable exceptions. In Guinea (Conakry), for example, where the law text outlawing homosexuality is not available, its illegality is known to the gay society. One source told Queer afrol; "Gay Guineans often told me that one could go to jail if ever caught having sex with another man." - Behavioral risk factors of HIV infection among patients at the psychiatric clinic: implications for AIDS prevention: In 1991 a total of 116 consecutive newly registered patients (83% male), average 30 years, were recruited from the only psychiatric clinic of the university hospital Donka of Conakry. After informed consent a standardized questionnaire was administered by the same physician. Demographic characteristic, drug use, and sexual behavior were noted. Also blood was collected and sera tested for HIV1/2 antibodies by EIA; reactive sera were confirmed by W.B. Patient response included 116 heterosexual both male and female with multiple partners and 15 male patients with at least one antecedent of homosexuality...

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Guinea. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Guinea News.

GUINEA BISSAU - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Guinea Bissau.

LESOTHO -  Sodomy spreading Aids in prison. - Male-Male Sexuality in Lesotho: Two Conversations. - "Mummies and babies" and friends and lovers in Lesotho.

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Lesotho News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Lesotho.

LIBERIA -  No nation for gays: Today is National Day in Liberia. The war torn West African country is engaged in a process of reconstruction and resettlement but same-sex issues are not yet on the agenda and perhaps need to be. There is conflicting information available on the Internet when it comes to homosexuality in Liberia. Some sources claim that homosexuality is legal - others that it is not. Our best information suggests that homosexuality is illegal and that Liberian society, as with many societies in Africa sees homosexuality as a social taboo.  - Bank executive accused of sexual harassment by his junior employees: Two of the employees informed this paper that they have previously worked with this homosexual bank executive at a certain popular banking institution in Monrovia, where he is believed to have lured some young men with his homosexual activities. They disclosed that the bank executive is usually in the habit of hiring unqualified young men or giving promotion to those whom he has sodomized.

Liberia still backwards in gay rights. Just walk a mile in the shoes of a gay Liberian. It's bad enough that Liberians must hide their political orientations for fear of torture and beatings. It's worse still that some Liberians must also hide their sexual orientations for fear of ostracism, ridicule and possibly imprisonment. Yet even with the looming threat of punishment there is an underground gay society in the country's cities. Bravely, the hidden denizens of this underground community satisfy the sexual desires that could land them in jail... - Homosexuality and the Episcopal Church. - A guide to Liberian cultural and social norms (PDF Download): Homosexuality is both illegal and considered ‘non-existent’ in Liberia. A person involved in a homosexual relationship may be shunned for bringing shame to their family and community.

The Liberal Voice, The Anglican Church in Southern Africa: They were of one mind in their desire to dialogue and facilitate such dialogue and listening among all their members. The bishops were particularly determined to ensure that members of both homosexual and heterosexual orientation (and practice) were included in such dialogue. They were of one mind in their belief that this is how Jesus would want them to handle this divisive, emotive, and as yet unresolved issue. - A Global Church Does Not Accept Homosexuality, Kulah Says: Numerous challenges have bombarded the church over the years, but the issue of homosexuality is one of the “threatening challenges” facing the denomination today, said Liberian Bishop Arthur Kulah (left), preaching to the 2000 General Conference on May 3. Threatening challenges surface when the authority given to the church by Christ is abused, he said...  If the United Methodist Church is to be global church, it must continue its stance, he said. Both the Old and New Testaments condemn the practice of homosexuality, he said. "In fact, it was one of the consequences for the destruction of Sodom. May we not suffer the wrath of God because of the quest to satisfy unpleasant desires that contrive the loving purpose of God for his church." "It is against the background of such biblical imperatives that we, the global United Methodist Church, do not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider it incompatible with Christian teaching." He asked the denomination to adhere to its rule that self-avowed practicing homosexuals not be accepted as candidates for ministry nor appointed to serve in the United Methodist Church. "For to do so is to contravene the very faith we proclaim. For we cannot afford to ruin the hearts and lives of the church and hence the world by engaging in practices not even easily mentioned among believers,” he said... - Un évêque anglican contre le mariage homosexuel au Libéria.

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - Sodomy Laws. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Liberia News.

LIBYA - Liberal Lybia: Moammar Gadhafi, the president of Libya, has made some anti-gay remarks in the past but may be pleased to know that his gay citizens regard Libya as liberal by comparison to neighbouring Egypt.

Gay Libya (Global Gayz) - News/Report. - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Libya. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Libya News.

MADAGASCAR -  Vulnerable groups in Madagascar need specific and open services, says report: Alliance-led research in Madagascar has identified characteristics, attitudes and behaviours of vulnerable groups such as sex workers, men who have sex with men and injecting drug users that impact on HIV prevention priorities and feed into Madagascar’s national strategic plan. - USAID/ Madagascar- Success Stories: Research demonstrates that peer education is a powerful method for behavior change. John Snow International has trained more than 400 peer educators in Sexually Transmitted Infections prevention. Most are recruited from high-risk groups including commercial sex workers, homosexual men, men in uniform, and transport workers. Several groups include very high-risk sub-populations such as homosexual commercial sex workers. MOH data shows that condom sales in public clinics increased where the peer educators work. - The future at stake: The island nation of Madagascar, off the coast of Southern Africa, has so far been spared an HIV/AIDS epidemic, unlike its continental neighbours, but health officials have warned that the country cannot afford to be complacent... - The Mysterious Fiancée Halfway across the World.

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Madagascar. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Madagascar.

MALAWI - CEDEP unravels homosexuality in Malawi: For the first time in Malawi, a human rights organisation was invited to present about gay issues at the national HIV and AIDS Research and Best Practices Conference organised by the Malawi National AIDS conference on 27-29 June 2007 at Malawi Institute of Management in Lilongwe... The study also showed that there is a lack of platform for men who have sex with men (MSM) to discuss HIV and AIDS related issues in relation to homosexuality and that MSM are highly vulnerable to stigma, discrimination and violence. - NGO advocates for homosexuality. - Homosexuality exists in Mw prisons. - Legalize homosexuality says human rights body. - Petra against homosexuality: Opposition Peoples’ Transformation Party (Petra) says it is against legalising homosexuality and has urged Malawians to reject any external pressure to embrace the practice.  - Malawi Officials to Challenge Appointment of Pro-Gay British High Commissioner: Say pro-gay history "dangerous" to Malawi, where homosexuality still considered felony.

Malawi rejects 'pro-gay' bishop: African Anglican bishops have blocked the appointment of a "pro-gay" bishop in Malawi. -Malawi in uproar over promotion of pro-gay churchman. - Churches condemn condoms in Malawi prisons. -  A recent report emanating from the University of Pretoria reveals that the Malawi's National Policy on HIV/Aids (2002) holds much promise for LGBT legal reforms in relation to combating HIV/Aids. - - Back to the Warm Heart of Africa. - Is She a Girl or is She a Woman? - Questioning Malawi:  In fact, here in Malawi a teacher at an international school was recently convicted under the sodomy statues. In truth, the man was taking street children, tempting them with nice things like good food, clothes, and money, and then molesting them. It was really a case of a pedophile, but it was portrayed in the media as being mostly about homosexuality...  I was a little surprised by this exchange. There’s no recognizable gay community among Malawians, only a loose network of volunteers and aid workers. I have never heard homosexuality openly acknowledged among the people I regularly interact with. Yet homosexual activity definitely happens, even if it’s not labeled as “sex” even by those taking part. One of my expatriate friends acquaintances has more than a few stories of dalliances with Malawians from all over the country, and he reports it isn’t just mzungus (foreigners) with local men, but that the local people are enjoying each other, so to speak, as well. There are also instances of “beach boys” offering sex for money at certain beach resorts on Lake Malawi. 

Perceptions about Men Having Sex with Men in Southern African Country: Case Study of Print Media in Malawi (PDF Download): The debate on homosexuality that in 2005 ensued in the Malawian print media mostly suggested that homosexuality was not an acceptable practice to the majority of those that contributed to the debate. Although homosexuality is classified as a crime in Malawi, general public is not aroused if it is done in privacy, among two consenting adults... However, the issue has at least been moved out from the closet to the public arena. How much change will be possible within the traditional society of Malawi remains to be seen...

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Malawi News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Malawi.

MALI -  L'homosexualite au mali: Le "mal" de trop ? (Translation) Au Mali, l'homosexualité prend de l'ampleur. Avant, phénomène marginal, il est devenu un statut que certains ne se cachent plus pour revendiquer, au grand dam de leurs proches, qui sentent là tout le déshonneur. Les cas d'agression contre les « homo » sont nombreux, et à ce jour, la société malienne n'est guerre prête à l'accepter ni à s'ac­commoder du fait que l'on dit venant d'Occident. Quoi qu'il en soit, les homosex­uels sont là, et il faut faire avec. A la société de trouver une réponse, une parade. Les accepter ? « Les soigner », juste les tolérer ? dans tous les cas, on ne saurait continuer à jouer à l'autruche.

Famous singer Salif Keita has overtly announced that gays were instrumental in his success: He says he couldn’t become anything as he was discriminated against as an albino. But he concedes that his problems seemed to come to an end when “I met homosexuals in Bamako (Capital of Mali), who helped me, gave me clothes and shoes and then sent me to sing in the bars”, vaunts Keita. - Au Mali, un homosexuel a été battu par sa famille. Mali: Mali is a Moslem country, where women are expected to dress modestly. Homosexuality is legal in Mali, but not widely accepted. Mali (Travel): That evening me and the boy’s got into a conversation with Omar about Homosexuality. Omar was convinced that it certainly didn’t exist in Mali and was fairly aghast when we explained that we knew lots of gays. He was even more confused at the thought of lesbianism, which I thought was rather refreshing since most men just find it exciting. He also explained that ‘the only gay in the village’ would certainly be chased out of town and battered to death.

Men who have sex with men and AIDS prevention in Bamako (Mali): As in most west african countries, men who have sex with men exist in Mali. But contrary to other capitals in that region, there are no public venues where men who have sex with men can encounter, except a few bars. Only a part of men who have sex with men in Bamako frequent these venues, also frequented by exclusive heterosexuals, some of wich are homophobes. Most generally, homosexuality is clandestine, and only a few men who have sex with men consider and publicly present themselves as homosexuals. Most men who have sex with men also have sexual intercourses with women, and a lot have a regular and official feminine partner. Even some of the exclusive homosexuals plan to marry and to have children, as prescribed by social norms in Mali.

Homosexualité (Translation):  Toujours dans le cadre de la réflexion sur les tabous de notre société, ce mois-ci Musow donne la parole, sur le thème de l’homosexualité, à Madame Kanté, une enseignante de 40 ans... Que pensez-vous de l’homosexualité ? Madame KANTE : C’est une perversion. Moi je suis musulmane et je suis convaincue que Dieu a créé le monde, l’univers en donnant à chaque créature le rôle qu’il doit jouer. Ce n’est pas pour rien que Dieu a créé l’homme et la femme ; c’est pour que les deux s’aiment, donnent naissance aux enfants qui vont perpétuer l’espèce en adorant le Créateur. C’est pourquoi moi, je n’accepterai jamais que deux personnes de même sexe puisse s’aimer physiquement. Ce serait la fin du monde. L’homosexualité existe-t-elle au Mali ? Bon, il y a au Mali ceux qu’on appelle des " Gordjiguènes " ; ce sont des hommes qui s’habillent en femme ou qui se comportent en femme. Ils fréquentent les femmes lors des mariages, des baptêmes et font même la cuisine. Pour les femmes c’est très rare ; moi je n’en connais pas. Je pense que les rapports entre des personnes de même sexe est un comportement moderne. Je suis sûre que cela vient des pays des Blancs. Ceux-ci n’en ont pas honte. Au contraire. Il paraît même qu’ils peuvent se marier maintenant ; en tout cas ils défilent comme on a pu le voir à la télé. Ce sont des scènes de dépravation et c’est pour cela que je parle de perversion...

Couple:  le temps des lebiennes (Translation): Elles n'hésitent plus à arpenter les rues, fréquenter les bars et autres coins "chauds" de la capitale. Et même à s'embrasser en public... Et ne se gênent même plus à aborder leur homosexualité lorsqu'elles se retrouvent en "grin" . "Je suis lesbienne et j'en suis fière. Je ne vois pas de mal en cela. Je suis majeure et je suis consciente de ma responsabilité". Ainsi s'exprimait K. S. au cours d'un entretien qu'elle nous a accordé. Cette citadine bon teint de 22 ans mène sa vie comme elle l'entend. La beauté de K.S. ne peut laisser aucun homme indifférent. Malgré cet attrait qu'elle exerce sur la gent masculine, la coquette K. S a toujours eu peu de considération pour les hommes qui la fréquentent. Elle n'avait jamais caché son penchant pour les filles...  K. S a été attirée par l'allure masculine de sa copine. C'est d'ailleurs elle qui joue le rôle de l'homme au sein du couple... H. T. est elle aussi lesbienne et elle ne s'en cache pas. Elle se moque éperdument des quolibets de ses voisins du quartier. " J'ai choisi d'être lesbienne et peu importe ce que les gens peuvent penser de moi", dit elle. Elle reconnaît néanmoins que ses parents ont honte de ce qu'elle est...  Modibo Kéita pense que notre société ne peut pas tolérer "cette pratique impudique qui prend malheureusement de l'ampleur dans le pays". Il impute la responsabilité surtout aux parents des lesbiennes qui n'ont pas su bien éduquer leurs progénitures. Astan est plus catégorique. Elle pense que le lesbianisme doit être puni. "Ces filles n'ont aucune pudeur et méritent une bonne correction" s'offusque-t-elle. Quant à Hamidou Koné, il ne veut même pas entendre parler des lesbiennes.

MAURITIUS -  Mauritius sees first gay rights march. - First gay pride: Activists on the tiny island nation of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Africa staged the nation's first Gay Pride parade over the weekend in the town of Rose Hill. - Hundreds of gays and lesbians in Mauritius stage the first gay rights march. - Primo Gay Pride a Mauritius: intervista con l’organizzatore. - Mauritian gays in rally against bias.

Battle over sexual offences bill in Mauritius: The Sexual Offences Bill recently tabled at the Mauritian Parliament brought much heated debate from both sides of the house, as well as protests from religious leaders and professionals. The bill could also decriminalise consensual anal sex... It is also seen as unfortunate that the voices of those most concerned: victims, survivors, youth, sex workers, gays and lesbians, were largely absent from the debates.

Trauma for young lesbians in Mauritius: (Alternate Link) in Mauritius, parents send their daughter to a mental hospital for loving another woman. Human-rights organizations demand better treatment for lesbians and gay men: The story of two young women takes place in Mauritius, the island that prides itself on having one of the most mature democracies in the region and advertises itself as the island of "sun, sea and sand." That freedom turned to trauma for two young women whose only crime is their passionate love affair... Gemma's sexual orientation goes against the norms and values imposed by society. In the eyes of her parents and society, she must be either depraved or mad. In both cases, her place is in a mental hospital. They could do it because not all voices are heard in Mauritius. When there is a choice between the words of an adult and that of a daughter, even if the daughter is a young adult of 20, it is a win-lose situation. The parent wins on all fronts and even more so if he is a male...

Gay Mauritius (Global Gayz) - News/Report. - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Mauritius News.

MOZAMBIQUE - First National Seminar On Gay Rights: The chairperson of the Mozambican Human Rights League (LDH), Alice Mabota, on Thursday urged the country's gay and lesbian citizen to organise and fight for their rights. She was speaking at the first ever seminar on gay rights in the country, organised by the LDH, with the sponsorship of the Dutch NGO Hivos. - Movement for Gay Rights to Be Announced Soon in Mozambique: At the end, on Friday night, of the first ever Mozambican seminar on gay rights, organised by the Human Rights League (LDH), gay activist Danilo de Sousa told AIM that the movement will probably be launched within the next couple of weeks. But as yet it has no name. - Pour la première fois, un quotidien appelle au respect des homosexuels (Translation). - Manas: getting them talking: There has been a buzz word in Maputo for the last few weeks - "Manas". It means sisters, but implies an especially close, special bond. It is the name of an exhibition of photographs by Ditte Haarlov-Johnson, which is on at a gallery on Av. Julius Nyerere, an exhibition of photographs of some of Maputo's gay men - they are the Manas. The gallery is prominently placed in the centre of town with an open glass front and the entrance is free, throughout the day and into the evening a constant stream of people file through seeing the photographs and reading about this formerly hidden facet of society.

Pequeno orgulho em Moçambique (Translation): Depois de algumas tentativas de buscar informações sobre a existência de um movimento gay em Moçambique, muitos e-mails, poucas respostas e muito silêncio, resolvemos pegar a estrada para Maputo e tentar entender como a homossexualidade é vista naquele pais... Outro dado importante é o tabu em relação ao tema homossexualidade. Não é socialmente aceito que se fale neste assunto, mas é sabido que relações sexuais entre pessoas do mesmo sexo acontecem com naturalidade. O maior problema parece ser a abordagem do assunto. Sabemos que temos que respeitar as regras sociais de cada lugar. Mas não seria o momento de se colocar em duvida a proteção destas regras ? Principalmente em um pais pobre do continente africano, onde a epidemia da AIDS esta matando milhares de pessoas por dia ? Onde a unica forma de se lutar contra este problema é a prevenção e educação de maneira clara e simples? Desta maneira a homossexualide não é aceita, mas é praticada. Mascarada e escondida no que alguns moçambicanos dizem « aqui, todos somos meio bissexuais ». Seria realmente bissexualidade ? Sera que esta bissexualidade não tem origem na prostituição ? Num pais pobre com tantos problemas socias a prostituição é uma alternativa de sobrevivência, não importando o sexo, ou a orientação sexual de quem a pratique.

Homosexuality now debated all over Africa (Responses to the South African decision to legalise same-sex marriages): In Mozambique, homosexuality got a very positive debut in the national press, as the state-owned news agency AIM last month interviewed the country's principal human rights group on its new campaign to stop discrimination against gays and lesbians. The dominant independent weekly 'Savana' went further by interviewing several gay men from a newly started organisation, talking about their experiences of discrimination and presenting their lifestyle in a non-scandalising manner. The principal national media of Mozambique seemed promoting an improved rights situation for the country's sexual minorities, and government representatives promised to look at the situation. Influence from neighbouring South Africa surely had made a rapid impact on the social dialogue in Mozambique, where the issue of homosexuality has been a no-go debate until last month.  - The Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique in Maputo reported recently on the homophobic ranting of an Islamic cleric that formed part of a debate on Aids. Clearly disapproving of the cleric's views, the report also takes a side swipe at some Christian leaders too.

Gangisa: The practice of bukhontxana, or mine marriages, seems to have emerged amongst Mozambican workers in the early twentieth century... In Southern Mozambique, young adolescents often played together 'like husband and wife', a form of gender socialisation that sometimes included the practice of external coitus, or penetration between the thighs (inter-crural sex). Boys and girls lived in special huts at the entrance to the homestead, and it was easy for them to meet at night; the only proviso to gangisa was that it should conform to local rules of exogamy and that the young couple should not stay together until morning: full and uninhibited sexual relations were tied to marriage.  Thus sexuality bound boys and girls into gender roles that were distintly masculine and feminine and marked the passage from childhood to adulthood. Gangisa formed part of the primary sexual imagery of young men arriving on the mines. As they came from a society that placed great value on children, and discouraged sexual practices that did not lead to pregnancy, the only acceptable form of sexual release to which they could turn, within their cultural code, were variations of the intercrural sex practised during gangisa. - Randy on the Rand: Portuguese African Labor and the Discourse on "Unnatural Vice" in the Transvaal in the Early Twentieth Century.

Gay Mozambique (Global Gayz) - News/Report. - ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Mozambique News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Mozambique.

NIGER - It's Survival of Cutest for Africa's Wodabe Men. - Sexuality and Gender Roles in Niger. - Muslem organisations block campaign to fight aids. - First national epidemiological survey of HIV infection among target groups in Niger in 2002.

Peace Corps Online:  I served in the Peace Corps in Niger also... The greatest medical problem when I was there in the 1980's among peace corps members was STD's. Sexually transmitted diseases. I came home clean because I was totally celibate during my time in Niger. Homosexual relations between incountry staff and new arrivals was obvious and not covered up. - Rainbow fund seeks relief for Niger. 

ILGA Report. - The Eastgarden. - LGBT rights in Niger. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Niger News. - Gay Niger (Global Gayz) - News/Report.

REUNION - Homosexuality is a western disease: One of the annoyances was the attitude towards homosexuality. Reunion Island is a French territory and is thus under French law. Homosexuality is legal. There are male/male personals in the Island paper. There are even occasionally gay nights at clubs. I was acquaintances with one gay couple (one French, the other Creole) and briefly met another couple. Yet, in spite of these facts, the general attitude of the Reunionnais towards homosexuality is very hostile. If a Reunionnais acknowledges homosexuality at all, they regard it as an export from mainland France. Again, it is the Westerner's disease and no genuine Creole could possibly catch it. Thus, though there is indeed a small existent gay life, to come out would cut one out of Reunionnais life. You would bring incessant perplexity to people, and in return would receive a good dose of ill-regard. For such a small island, to come out to one person means coming out to everyone.

ILGA Report. Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Reunion News.

RWANDA - New Law Criminalizing Same-Sex Conduct Proposed in Rwanda: Rwanda is moving to abolish the death penalty, mainly so that it may take custody of the overflow of Genocide-detainees whom the ICTR will be unable to prosecute before the expiration of its mandate. This is a positive and progressive move. Unfortunately, the opportunity is being used to introduce some new, equally oppressive legislation—particularly the criminalization for consensual same-sex acts, which had never been a crime in Rwanda, and heightened penalties for abortion... Rwanda has offered a strong response to AIDS and has been successful at stabilizing HIV transmission rates in the country. Criminalizing homosexuality will only hamper its efforts to fight HIV, by driving same-sex practicing Rwandese underground and making them even more afraid to discuss their sexual behavior with medical personnel, counselors, their husbands, wives and non-marital partners. - New Law Criminalizing Same-Sex Conduct Proposed. - Nouvelle proposition de loi criminalisant les pratiques homosexuelles (Translation) (Alternate Link) (Translation).

Do Rwanda's peisons spread AIDS? (Must Scroll) Controversy surrounds the issue of HIV/AIDS in prison. While some prisoners are already infected before they are detained, others get it during their time in prison. The question is how? “Some times it is through sex with female prison guards. But usually it is through homosexuality. This happens a lot. Men are not afraid of sleeping with other men”, Uwitonda Charles an ex-prisoner disclosed. Medical personnel and some prison officials agree that homosexual acts are spreading HIV infection in Rwanda 's jails. But two problems make this even worse. First, they are not allowed to distribute free condoms, because that would be endorsing homosexual acts. Second, prisoners are often reluctant to discuss this issue openly...  “Some boys don't even get enough food to eat. So, often older prisoners use food, money or influence, to lure them into sex”, Uwitonda revealed.... According to Antoinette, there is no distribution of condoms in prisons. “No we can't do that because then we would be legalising the practice. All we can do is carry out daily sensitization sessions on HIV/AIDS, to try and change their behaviour”, Mukashema indicated... - HIV/AIDS prevention in Rwanda's prisons: Although sex is officially prohibited in the country’s prisons, most inmates are thought to engage in regular unprotected sex with other prisoners. Taboos surrounding homosexuality and men having sex with men are an enormous challenge – both in terms of policy and programme implementation... The project's main aim was to raise the inmates’ awareness of HIV transmission and how to prevent infection. A key objective was to see up to 50 per cent of inmates using condoms by the end of the project. - Guarding against HIV in prisons.

RWANDA will not be bullied into compromising its position on gay bishops and blessings, the Bishop of Shyira, John Rucyahana,told the state radio service last week... It is the Americans who have “abandoned the faith, the law and doctrine of the church. They also do not believe in the teachings of the Bible”, Bishop Rucyahana said on Aug 14 to a nationwide radio audience. The liberal western churches ‘do not conform to the religious conduct of the Anglican church’ because it is they who have “ordained homosexuals as bishops not Africans.” - African bishops ready to boycott conference in row over gay clergy. - Church of Rwanda boycotts lambasts conference: The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church of Rwanda says its members will not attend the Lambeth Conference next year in England, as divisions over the Bible and homosexuality threaten to split the world Anglican Communion.

Rwandan gay and lesbian people are short-changed due to a repressive environment: (Alternate Link) "In my country there are a lot of gay people, but they have to live in hiding and they can't come out to embrace their sexual orientation, because they are afraid of rejection by their families, friends and the society. Being queer in my country is not an easy life. People call you names and, until now, there is no NGO or organization that supports the rights of gays in Rwanda." Eric is very knowledgeable about the law. He said that the constitution doesn't say anything about whether it is illegal to be gay. "Many gays leave the country and go to Europe or America, where they will be far from their families and where they can feel free...

Sexual Activity Among Street Children in Kigali: "The incidence of rape was found to be high: 63 percent of the boys reported having forced a girl to have sex with them, while 93 percent of the girls reported having been forced by either a boy or man. All the sexually active girls and 91 percent of the sexually active boys reported knowing someone who had been raped... A total of 12.6 percent of the boys and 14.8 percent of the girls reported having engaged in homosexual relations..." - The tough life of being a transvestite in gay-hating Rwanda.

ILGA Report. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Rwanda News. - Gay Rwanda (Global Gayz) - News/Report. 

SAO TOME and PRINCIPE - ILGA Report. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Sao Tome and Principe News.

SEYCHELLES - ILGA Report. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: - Health in Seychelles: an overview (PDF Download): And whikle service statistics from the Communicable Diseases Control Unit suggest that 17% of those infected are men who have sex with men, there is still great reluctance to address the issue of homosexuality in health campaigns.

SIERRA LEONE -  SLLAGA addresses the united national human rights commission session in Geneva: Hudosn Tucker is in Geneva doing a course in human rights law and advocacy with, International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) in Geneva. He is the successor to Fanny Ann Eddy who was the coordinator of Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association (SLLAGA). Hudson took over Fanny Ann’s position after she was brutally murdered in the SLLAGA offices in Freetown, on 29 September 2004. Fanny Ann made a submission to the United Nation (UN) in March 2004 about the issues facing the LGBTI people in Sierra Leone. Hudson is now pushing the same mission that was left by Miss Eddy. Despite the efforts by some states to dismiss LGBTI issues in Sierra Leone the struggle continues. This is what Hudson had to say to the delegates in Geneva... - Sierra Leone gay activist killed. - Lesbian activist's killer escapes. Sierra Leone lesbian activist murder "not a hate crime": According to the conclusions of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Sierra Leone Police Force, FannyAnn Eddy was not the victim of a hate crime against sexual minorities, as originally feared. The police also deny earlier reports of alleged sexual violence committed against the gay rights activist. - Silence creates vulnerability. You, members of the Commission on Human Rights, can break the silence.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in a press release issued last Thursday stated that in a bid to attract competent and qualified staff, they operate a transparent recruitment policy, which even forbids discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Gay Sierra Leone (Global Gayz) - News/Report. - ILGA Report. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Sierra Leone News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Sierra Leone.

SOMALIA - Soul mates: The price of being gay in Somalia. - Somali lesbians sentenced to death. (Alternate Link) - Somali 'lesbian sentences' denied. - Death hangs over Somali queers (Alternate Link): Faro, is one of the leaders of Queer Somalia, a community based organisation based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He makes frequent visits to Somalia to make contact with small groups of queers there and on a recent visit he sent back startling information that shows that for gay and lesbian people in Somalia the issue of death looms large. Whether through suicide following pressure from families or via loosely applied Islamic law that is uncontrolled due to the lack of a central government, their greatest fear is death—a sentence that can be brought upon them just for being homosexual, or for being perceived to be homosexual. - Queer somalis talk to new president.

Human rights and security in central and southern Somalia (PDF Download): According to this information it is very clear that homosexuality is not acceptable in Somalia and that it is illegal...  if someone were found guilty of engaging in homosexual acts the consequences would be death. OXFAM/Novib explained that, according to the sources homosexuality is so unacceptable and so taboo, that the most likely scenario would be that any person who is a homosexual or even thought to be, would be killed... Furthermore OXFAM/Novib explained that the only known area in Somalia where there is limited acceptability of homosexuality is in Merka, where a minority clan, more linked to the Arab community, marginally accepts homosexuality within its community. This also presupposes that the information about the individual is kept within the community, because if the other clans in the area were to find out, the person would suffer the consequences.... Yassin confirmed that there was a more liberal attitude towards homosexuals in Merka and that there is a gay/lesbian community in the town. Merka is to be considered the most liberal community in Somalia... Abdulle confirmed that homosexuality is taboo in Somalia. However, homosexuality does exist among Somalis, but it can never be debated in or exposed to the public domain. Should a homosexual be disclosed or openly admit he or she is homosexual that person would be killed...

ILGA Report. - Sodomy Laws.  - LGBT rights in Somalia. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Somalia News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Somalia.

SUDAN - Sudan’s church condemns gay bishop.  - U.S. sides with Iran, Sudan to bar gay groups from UN. - A voice from Sudan: he told me that his brother saw him kissing another guy, he told me I think he is going to kill me as he is very anti homosexuality. So I was trying to calm him dawn & I told him don't be ridiculous no body is going to kill you just because of that & if at the time of the incident he did nothing I think he is not going to harm you, I told him to go back home and act as nothing was happened. I wish I said nothing. - Soudan: Un rapport de l'ONU condamne la peine de mort pour homosexualité.

blackgayarab Blog: Gay And Proud: Sudanese & Gay!:  Then, if it's matter of my sexual orientation, forgive me for saying this, it's non of anyone damn business. If you haven't heard or seen of any gays in Sudan then allow me to tell you "You Don't live In The Real World then". What's left then, oh yeah posting as Sudanese Gay. Well, I'm Sudanese and Proud Gay Also. As far as I know I have all the rights to post and post whatever I want to as long as I'm not hurting anyone.

Widespread Gang-Rape of Boy Slaves by Arab Masters. - The rape of slave boys in Sudan: 'They raped me', Majok cried. 'And when I tried to refuse, they beat me'.  After taking care of his master's cattle all day, Majok said he was often raped at night. He told me that his rapes were very painful and he would rarely get a full night's sleep. He also spoke about the other slave boys he saw who suffered the same fate...

ILGA Report. - Sodomy Laws. - LGBT rights in Sudan. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Sudan News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Sudan.

SWAZILAND -  Homosexuals left out in constitution. - Constitution may include gays. - Swazi constitution mum on gays, lesbians. - Pastor says AU is evil: In what may be viewed as unfortunate utterances, Chairman of the League of Swaziland Churches Bishop Samson Hlatjwako has appealed to His Majesty King Mswati III that Swaziland should not join the African Union organisation because it is evil. He made this remarks when pastors under the league came to bid the King farewell at Ngabezweni Royal Residents yesterday. He said the AU brought evil habits. He said they had witnessed in the other continents where gays and lesbians were allowed to marry other people of the same sex. “We do not want to see the same thing happening in Swaziland. Such things are evil and they are against God. We are right the way we are. Your Majesty, God chose you to lead, protect us,” he said... - Swaziland Government warns  homosexuals or sodomy are liable to imprisonment. - Memorandum to the Government of Swaziland on the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Bill: The inclusion of the provision in Section 4 of the SO Bill to criminalise "sexual acts" (as defined in the Preamble) between two consenting adults of the same sex and impose a minimum two-year jail sentence is contrary to Swaziland’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Gay teacher: I sodomised pupil: "After having sex with him, he told the authorities about the deed and the authorities reported the matter to the Ministry of Education," he said. When talking about what prompted his visit to our newsroom, he said, "I was inspired by the guys who were bold enough to come out." "I feel so bad now, for had I come out then about my sexuality, I would have had a partner a longtime ago and I would not have fallen into the mess I am in now," he said.

Swazi gays get first same-sex club in kingdom. How many gays are there in Swaziland? The attorney sees the club engendering "limitless" opportunities for blackmail, financial and political. He plans to visit the club when it opens and hand out his business cards to potential clients. "The British colonial law against sodomy is still on the books. It's inviolate. The traditional leaders who run the country despise homosexuality. They are Mugabesque in that way," he said... Speaking about the gay bar, Gama said: "This is done by evil people. This is something that not even the Bible allows and our culture does not allow. This is not acceptable even by nature." ... The announcement of a gay club in Mbabane was treated as an alien onslaught in the local press. "Gays invasion!" said one headline. - The formation of Swaziland's first gay group has causedan uproar. - Limping into the African Renaissance: "Stop what you are doing! In Swaziland we are afraid of this" Steven Cohen is told during his Queer Performance Art in Swaziland.

No condoms in prison: In Swaziland, the government acknowledged the fact that homosexuality in prisons enhances the spread of HIV/AIDS, but has not provided condoms to inmates, concentrating instead of efforts to curb prison sex. "Correctional service authorities will be encouraged to take all necessary measures, including adequate staffing, surveillance and appropriate disciplinary measures, to protect prison inmates from rape, sexual violence and coercion," the ministry of health says in its 'Policy Document on HIV/AIDS and STD Prevention and Control'. Recently, the Family Life Association of Swaziland, an NGO that leads a campaign for safe sex practices, offered to provide prisoners with free condoms. However, the prisons department said last week it would not allow it because "it is against the country's policy on the use of condoms". - HIV/AIDS in the Umbufto Swaziland Defence Force (PDF Download): What remains unrecorded, and therefore falling outside the body of major research initiatives, is the unspoken homosexual dimension of the problem among the population. Strong cultural inhibitions continue to make homosexuality a taboo discussion in Swaziland.

Amantanyula:  I was reading the Swaziland 'What's On' and there was a revue of the book called (Emajaha Ekuluseni) meaning, 'boys in the field looking after the cattle'. And the subject of sexuality came up. It was the "amantanyula" or, boy's doing each other while looking after the cattle that grabbed me the most. The question is, as amantanyula is an African word and sodomy a western one, are they different things? My understanding is that amantanyula means sodomy. I may be wrong but many Africans do not have a problem with amantanyula but would have a problem with sodomy... Talking about freedom of sexuality, we are not talking constitutionally, but culturally. Is it African to be gay or not? The book takes a very African point of view. Most of the young Swazi boys in the book grew up in the late 1980s and slept with other boys, and yet would still regard themselves as African. African boys who happen to take it up the ass as a boy. But we all grow up in a different way, in a different Africa. Isn't that so? In some African countries, culture includes same sex behaviour but not gay identity or a gay community as like in western culture. Back in 1986-1987, until late1990 in a small village in South Africa called KwaNgwane, which is very nearby to Swaziland, you could find the same amantanyula practise. And inside Swaziland boys who looked after the cattle in the forest would have sexual intercourse with each other. This was only for boys over the age of 16 to prove their "man-hood" before they slept with any woman. It was okay that both parents and the community would know about it and they would be happy that their boy is becoming a man. Though they never understood, what they were promoting was homosexuality, they respected it as traditional behaviour and they praised it and loved it - so much that some never stopped. "Some boys passed into manhood and got married but now and then they still need some man's wood to remain pure men," say's Mr Bhokondvo Nkosi, a Maths teacher of Emagogeni high school. "The difference before the western influence is that it was ok to practice this type's of sexuality and now most African parents are considering it as "homosexuality" as it is labelled and therefore it is regarded as a silly influence from the civilised countries and as a western disease." ...

ILGA Report. - LGBT rights in Swaziland. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Swaziland News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Swaziland.

TANZANIA -  Gay marriages a violation of Tanzanian laws: In Tanzania the Penal Code makes it an offence to either have carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature or to permit a male person to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature. - Zanzibar Outlaws Gay, Lesbian Sex. - A small survey of LGBT people in Dar es Salaam.

Homosexuality on the rise, say Muslim clerics: Youth homosexuality is on the rise along east Africa's Indian Ocean coast and must be stopped, a Muslims clerics' meeting in Tanzanian's semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar said on Thursday... On Zanzibar, lawmakers last April amended the penal code to specifically outlaw sexual acts between men and to impose lengthy jail terms for men convicted of seducing boys under the age of 18. They prescribed a maximum of 25 years in prison for male partners found having sex and seven years for lesbian sexual acts. Despite the harsh penalties, the clerics complained that homosexuality had resurfaced on Zanzibar and further afield, heaping much of the blame on foreign, mainly western, tourists who holiday there. And despite the laws, they lamented that it was difficult to successfully prosecute alleged homosexuals in court, suggesting that alternate methods of preventing the practise might have to be found.

Gay priest in dar es salaam court: The Kinondoni District court passed the sentence after finding John Paul (39) guilty of sodomising his "partner" for the period of eight months. In mitigation, the partner, a 16 years old boy, agreed that they have been having sex for that period and that he never really reported the incident to anyone... The prosecution lined up five witnesses who told the court that they knew of the above mentioned affair with the boy for a long time. Although the age of consent in Tanzania is 16, section 154 to 157 of the Penal Code describes homosexuality, or sexual acts between two men, as criminal with a maximum penalty of up to 14 years' imprisonment. - A group of four men accused of killing a gay man in Zanzibar charged with murder.

Tanzanian gays and lesbians are  mobilising. - Tanzania Deported for being gay and Homosexuality in Tanzania. - Deported for being gay. - LGBT group opens office in Dar es Salaam. - Anti-Gay Protest Targets Gay Tourists. - Hundreds protest cancelled visit of gay tourists (Alternate Link). 

'Nasty' cardinal prompts gay wedding: Earlier this year, the archbishop of Dar es Salaam, Cardinal Polycarp Pengo, hit out at homosexuality, saying it was one of the most heinous sins on earth. "God said people should bear children to fill the world. How can a sexual relationship between two men, or two women for that matter, fill the world? ... - The gay Muslim marriage in Tanzania. - As South Africa Approves Homosexual 'Marriage' , Tanzania Reaffirms Stand for Traditional Marriage. - Gay question is ‘not central to faith’ says Tanzanian bishop.

Homosexuality in Tanzania: In Swahili there is traditionally no word for "male homosexual". (If one has been coined recently, it is not generally known.) There is a term for "lesbian": msagaji, literally, one who grinds. The verb for lesbian lovemaking, sagana, means "grind together". In Tanzania lesbians are even less visible than gay men. I was told that certain women were lesbians, but I never met anybody who said she was. As in other African countries, the idea exists of one man playing the woman’s role in sexual intercourse. This man (the msenge) is usually expected to be younger. It is thought that he consents to be used by another man for money or because he is impotent. The other man (the basha) is assumed to sleep with women as well as men. He will probably be older than the msenge and give him money. In other words, these roles are not unlike the dated "butch" and "femme" stereotypes of Western gay circles... The small town that I lived in, Bagamoyo, had very few young men who were "known" to be a msenge. (All of the ones that I knew of eventually moved to larger towns, such as Dar es Salaam.) By contrast, many men would in certain circumstances have sex with a msenge. The prevalent hostility to gays was therefore somewhat hypocritical. However, there were many people who treated homosexuality sympathetically, as just another human quirk. These were not necessarily the more educated people...

International Encyclopedia of Sexuality: Tanzania. See: Homoerotic, Homosexual, and Bisexual Behaviors & Gender Diversity and Transgender Issues.

ILGA Report. - Sodomy Laws. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Tanzania News. - Gay Tanzania (Global Gayz) - News/Report. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Tanzania.

TOGO - ILGA Report. - Behind the Mask - A Web Site on Gay and Lesbian Affairs in Africa. - Africa by Country News: Togo News. - African Veil: Countries Covered: Togo.

ZANZIBAR - Zanzibar outlaws homosexual acts. - Zanzibar's gay community fears tough new law will force it into twilight. (Alternate Link) - Gay men liable to jail for life in Zanzibar. (Alternate Link) - Secrecy, Stones and Insults: The Gay Life on Zanzibar.

Freddie Mercury event quashed after Muslim protests: A 60th birthday gala for the late gay rock star Freddie Mercury was canceled Thursday on the east African island of Zanzibar, where Mercury was born, after outraged Muslims threatened to disrupt it, Agence France Presse reported. - Islamic Clerics: Ban Freddie Mercury Birthday: He may be Zanzibar's most famous son but religious leaders on the mostly Islamic island are demanding the government block an international party to mark what would have been Freddie Mercury's 60th birthday. The mullahs say that the openly gay Queen frontman who died of complications from AIDS