Hundreds of people protest against LGBTQ+ rights in Senegal

Hundreds of people protest against LGBTQ+ rights in Senegal

To date, identifying oneself as being homosexual is legally permissible despite the fact that Senegal is a predominantly Muslim nation. Yet, that may be about to change as hundreds of protesters rallied on 23 May in Dakar, demanding that any being of the LGBTQ+ community must be criminalized throughout the country. Various religious leaders along with the protesters chanted that Senegal is a country build on faith and values and thus, justifies the demand of including the criminalization in the country’s legal regime. Senegalese President Macky Sall answered the demand by emphasizing that the LGBTQ+ community is not shunned from the country and that the criminalization of homosexual activities merely reflects the country’s cultural norms. Although its government persistently refuses the legalization of homosexuality, it remains to be seen whether it becomes an offense under its criminal code.

 

For more information, please see https://www.africanews.com/2021/05/24/senegalese-rally-against-lgbtq-rights/