On foot, on roller skates, on motorbikes or riding on some 100 spectacularly colorful floats, participants moved slowly on a hot, sunny day along the 3-kilometer parade route from historic Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, over to Fifth Avenue, then up to 29th Street. “It’s very unfortunate.NEW YORK, USA – Tens of thousands of people waving rainbow flags and hoisting political banners marched and danced on the streets of New York on Sunday, June 24, in the latest festive edition of the Gay Pride parade that began in Central Park in 1970.
If Senegal continues down this path, he said, sexual minorities could face genocide. “But that won’t stop us from raising our voices to say that what’s happening in Senegal falls within the framework of terrorism – not, in fact, within the framework of a major religion." It’s just a matter of time for people like me,” he said. “I risk being assassinated, I maybe risk being assassinated in Europe. The problem is that the youth are being radicalized by terrorist organizations whose influence has spread rapidly throughout the Sahel, he said. But he still receives messages from people who threaten his infant daughter who is still in Senegal.
He says he survived two assassination attempts, which led him seek refuge in France. Diouf identifies as bisexual and uses a fake name to protect his identity.
In addition to physical persecution, sexual minorities in Senegal also face difficulties finding employment, said Souleyman Diouf, the president and founder of the LGBTQ rights group Free Senegal. In the weeks that followed, LBGTQ activists reported a rise in assaults. Last May, And Samm Jikko Yi, the Muslim collective, held a demonstration similar to Sunday’s rally that also drew thousands of protesters. State Department criticized Senegal for “violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex persons” and the “existence or use of laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults.” In its 2020 global human rights report, the U.S. Sall later told journalists that “we’re comfortable with our laws.” When visiting Senegal, some Western leaders have urged local lawmakers to ease restrictions on sexual minorities.ĭuring a 2020 visit with Senegal’s president Macky Sall, for example, Canada’s Justin Trudeau made headlines when he raised the issue of the criminalization of homosexuality. So if they show themselves, all of Senegal will kill them.”Ĭisse said he hadn’t yet killed any gays, but was prepared to do so in the event he found one. “I’m not alone – all of Senegal is against this. “Westerners need to understand that this is Africa, this is Senegal, and they should keep their problems to themselves. He held a sign in Wolof that translates to: “If you catch a homosexual, kill them.” But now the African youth, we’re awake, we know what we want and it’s now our turn to make our own decisions,” said Ibrahima Cisse, a construction worker who attended Sunday’s rally. “The Europeans, they mistreated our grandparents with slavery. (Annika Hammerschlag/VOA)įast forward to today and the Senegalese see homosexuality as a Western import. Protesters burn a rainbow flag at an anti-gay rally in Dakar, Senegal, Feb. Some anti-gay activists want even harsher penalties against sexual minorities, up to 10 years in prison. Offenders can be punished with up to five years in prison and a fine of between 100,000 to 1,500,000 CFA – about $2,500. Senegal is a 95% Muslim country that already prohibits any “indecent or unnatural acts between individuals of the same sex,” as is written in the penal code. Claims that same-sex attraction and transgender identity are Western are false." panel in 2018 flatly rejected the notion that homosexuality is a Western phenomenon, writing: "Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people exist everywhere, in all countries, among all ethnic groups. LGBTQ people and numerous medical associations contend that sexual orientation and gender identity are innate and cannot be "imposed" or changed. The event was organized by ultra-conservative Muslim groups who say homosexuality is being imposed on them by the West and threatens their traditional values. They were among the thousands that flocked to Place de l’Obélisque to call for harsher penalties for sexual minorities, often referred to as LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or queer) people.
A group of men gathered around a burning gay flag in Dakar Sunday and chanted: “Senegal will never accept homosexuality.” Others held signs that read: “Senegal says no to homosexuality” and “We demand an end to the LGBT agenda.”