Modified Pexels image of a man gazing into the distance.
In February’s round-up of must-read LGBTQ+ news, Fatteh spotlights Ghanaian bishops, Angolan trans activists, South Africa’s ballroom scene and stories from Senegal, Uganda, Kenya and Cameroon.
በቤዛ ለዓለም
It has been a sobering month for LGBTQ+ people across Africa as crackdowns intensified in several countries. While there were a few tentative signs of progress in places like Kenya and Angola, February’s headlines were dominated by politicians pursuing harsher anti-homosexuality laws and stricter enforcement measures in Senegal, Ghana and Uganda.
The arrest of two Senegalese celebrities — TV presenter Pape Cheikh Diallo and musician Djiby Dramé — marked an escalation of earlier detentions involving a dozen men. Conservative religious groups, including And Samm Jikko Yi እና Jamra, sought to stoke public hostility by fuelling a moral panic in the media as they urged politicians to impose tougher penalties. The backlash spilled onto the streets of Dakar, where protesters demanded even stiffer punishments. The pressure soon prompted the prime minister to introduce a bill doubling prison terms for same-sex acts, which was swiftly passed by parliament. The United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk urged the president “not to sign this harmful law into effect,” but an atmosphere of terror already hangs over the community, say activists from local LGBTQ advocacy Free Sénégal.
On the other side of the continent, Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act continued to drive arrests and legal turmoil throughout the month. The law, which imposes the death penalty in “aggravated” cases, was recently tested in a prosecution that collapsed in a Kampala court. However, even without convictions, “people will keep suffering…as long as arrests continue,” warned human rights activist Edward Mwebaza. Meanwhile, in the city of Arua, a female musician and another woman were arrested and detained after allegedly kissing in public, an offence that carries a life sentence. Frank Mugisha of Sexual Minorities Uganda called the case deeply alarming.Beyond the jail cells and courtroom battles, the picture was more mixed elsewhere on the continent, with grassroots campaigns and cultural efforts delivering small wins. Taken together, the events of the month were a reminder that the struggle for LGBTQ rights continues on many fronts. Here’s our round-up of the February headlines.
Senegal parliament approves doubling prison term for homosexuality to 10 years
Ghana MPs reintroduce extreme anti-LGBTQ bill criminalising advocates
Ugandan police arrest two women for kissing in violation of homosexuality law
Kenya’s appeals court expected to review ban on same-sex intimacy in May
Local LGBTQ alliance designates official ‘Day of the Angolan Trans Woman’ Islamic groups and other anti‑LGBTQ protesters take to Senegal’s streets Uganda court drops first potential death penalty case under anti-gay law
Rightify Ghana & All Out launch global petition against Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ bill
LGBTQ ballroom event Legacy Ball hosts fourth edition in Cape Town Two Senegalese celebrities arrested as anti-gay crackdown escalates
Workshop in Cameroon equips LGBTQ community to respond to arbitrary arrests Activists at Johannesburg event analyse impact of US HIV funding cuts
Ban on holding LGBTQ advocacy workshops upheld by Ugandan court
Moroccan lesbian still in danger after being deported from the US to Cameroon Catholic bishops in Ghana lobby president for anti-LGBTQ legislation