Terror sweeps Senegal’s gay muny after a seri of asslts

salut , donc voila je viens d’avoir 18ans et je voudrais aller viser le senegal mais le problème c’t que je suis gay et que laba il paré que c’t un crime mais ce que il ny a pas li ou l gays peve se ren… * senegal gay *

After chroniclg some of the real-life cints, the novel adds, a sad wk to the rear, a fict ncln to the sndals by reuntg the publitn of a “pro-gay” novel whose thor ms suici.

Some rears will see through the didactic tone of passag, which juxtapose opposg pots of view on homosexualy via dialogu between characters. The crique of the excs of Senegale llective paranoia never go so far as to mand crimalizatn of gay sex, let alone a pri para or marriage equaly on Ain soil.

While a few rearchers and NGOs have published specialized studi of homosexualy Senegal, is a rare artist who is willg to shock the wir public’s mor wh such force. They were among the thoands that flocked to Place l’Obélisque to ll for harsher penalti for sexual mori, often referred to as LGBTQ (lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, qutng or queer) people. The event was anized by ultra-nservative Mlim groups who say homosexualy is beg imposed on them by the Wt and threatens their tradnal valu.

LIX POUR L GAY SENEGAL

* senegal gay *

Panel 2018 flatly rejected the notn that homosexualy is a Wtern phenomenon, wrg: "Lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people exist everywhere, all untri, among all ethnic groups.... A proposed bill that would have creased the prison sentence for homosexual acts to between five and ten years was rejected by lawmakers January.

“We simply want the ernment to crimalize homosexualy jt like they crimalized rape, like they crimalized ttle theft, ” said Ngoné Dia, a universy stunt. Durg a 2020 vis wh Senegal’s print Macky Sall, for example, Canada’s Jt T ma headl when he raised the issue of the crimalizatn of homosexualy. State Department cricized Senegal for “vlence agast lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr or tersex persons” and the “existence or e of laws crimalizg nsensual same-sex sexual nduct between adults.

Gay sex is already punishable by up to five years prison Senegal, where arrts and prosecutns have risen sharply, acrdg to a 2020 global review by the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (ILGA). McCoy for The New York TimHis Sexualy Don’t Defe Him, but It Can Set Him ApartEric Bach is an openly gay broadster for the Frericksburg Natnals. Three years earlier, while he was studyg journalism at Michigan State Universy, he had publicly e out as gay an say he wrote for the time of the say, he braced for a backlash, but nothg materialized.

LIVG SHADOWS: LIFE AS A GAY DAKAR

He worked his way up om ternships to full-time broadstg jobs, and while anyone wh an ter nnectn uld learn he was gay, nobody asked, and he did not say so aga publicly. It was paful at the time — the worst thg that had happened to him as a gay man, he said — but has reced far enough to his memory that did not e to md an hourlong terview about his experienc as a gay broadster.

As far as Bach knows — and as far as many of his unterparts wh other teams are aware — there are no other openly gay broadsters the sport. McCoy for The New York TimBorn to BroadstLong before he knew he was gay, Bach knew he wanted to be a sports father was a ach, and a love of sports ran through the fay.

‘I DON’T GO OUT DURG THE DAY’: INSI SENEGAL’S LGBT CRACKDOWN‘DYING IN THE DESERT’REVILED, EXILED, JAILED, RAPED, BEATEN, PRIVED OF MEDIL RE—THE LIST OF AB GO ON. DPE AN AMERIN PH FOR PROGRS, AN ANTI-GAY BACKLASH HAS MA MATTERS WORSE.OSR LOPEZPUBLISHED FEB. 06, 2018 5:01AM EST SEYLLOU/AFP/GETTYDAKAR, SENEGAL—WATCHG AS DK FALLS ON THE DTY STREETS OF THIS CY, MARIE, A 27-YEAR-OLD TRANS WOMAN, EXPLAS THAT SHE ONLY LEAV HER HOE AFTER SUNSET. “I DON’T GO OUT DURG THE DAY,” SHE SAYS, FLICKG BACK HER LONG RED HAIR. “ONLY AT NIGHT. I DON’T EVEN WANT TO OPEN MY DOOR.” IT N BE LONELY, MARIE ADMS, BUT AFTER FACG ABE THROUGHOUT HER LIFE, LIVG ALONE THE DARK IS THE ONLY WAY SHE FEELS SAFE. ASKG THAT HER LAST NAME BE OMTED FOR SAFETY REASONS, MARIE EXPLAS THAT THE ABE BEGAN WHEN SHE WAS JT 8-YEARS-OLD. “I ED TO WAKE UP EARLY TO PUT ON MY SISTER’S CLOTH BEFORE SCHOOL,” SHE SAYS. “I DIDN’T WANT TO DISGUISE MYSELF AS A BOY ANYMORE.” BUT A UNTRY LIKE SENEGAL, WHERE GENR ROL ARE STRICTLY ENFORCED, REVEALG HER INTY LEFT HER VULNERABLE TO ATTACK: AFTER YEARS OF BULLYG, MARIE WAS FORCED TO LEAVE SCHOOL AT 13.IN AN EFFORT TO RRECT WHAT HER FAY VIEWED AS AN ABERRATN, MARIE’S FATHER PUT HER A STRICT QURANIC SCHOOL, WHERE THGS GOT EVEN WORSE. “THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I WAS RAPED,” SAYS MARIE. “THE TEACHERS ED TO E TO THE DORMS AT NIGHT AND TAKE ME BACK TO THEIR ROOM. ‘SCE YOU THK YOU’RE A WOMAN,’ THEY’D SAY, ‘WE’RE GOG TO SHOW YOU WHAT WE DO WH WOMEN.’” AFTERWARD, MARIE WOULD LIE AWAKE THE DARK, FILLED WH SHAME, HOPG ONLY TO BE LEFT ALONE. FIFTEEN YEARS LATER AND DARKNS IS STILL MARIE’S ONLY REFUGE OM A SOCIETY THAT REMAS EPLY AVERSE TO LGBT RIGHTS. AS IS THE SE 33 UNTRI ACROSS AI, GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL SENEGAL, AND ATTACKS AND ARRTS OF QUEER PEOPLE ARE MON (PDF). “LGBT PEOPLE OPERATE A VERY HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT,” SAYS FRANçOIS PATUEL, A REARCHER WH AMNTY INTERNATNAL DAKAR. “THERE’S A LOT OF PHYSIL VLENCE AGAST MEN, AND SEXUAL VLENCE TOWARDS WOMEN. THEY DON’T HAVE ANY ACCS TO JTICE.” ACRDG TO HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, VLENCE AGAST GAY MEN AND TRANS WOMEN HAS CREASED SCE 2008. FOLLOWG A PUBLIC SNDAL AROUND A SUPPOSED “GAY WEDDG,” GAY MEN “CREASGLY BEME TARGETS OF POPULAR VENGEANCE AND ARBRARY ARRTS.” WHEN ONE OF THE MEN PHOTOGRAPHED THE WEDDG, MADIEYE DIALLO, DIED OF AIDS 2009, AN ANGRY MOB DISTERRED HIS BODY AND DRAGGED THROUGH TOWN, DUMPG ONT OF HIS PARENTS’ HOME. “WE HAD TO BURY HIM THE BH,” SAYS DJA BANGOURA, A LOL LGBT ACTIVIST AND CLOSE IEND OF DIALLO. “THAT’S WHEN I SAW THE WEAKNS OF THE STATE. WE ARE NOT PROTECTED BY THE LAW, NOR THE JTICE SYSTEM, NOR THE POLICE. HOW DO PEOPLE IMAGE WE N NTUE TO LIVE LIKE THIS?”SADOU NDIAYE, 32, A GAY MAN LIVG DAKAR, REMEMBERS THE PERD AFTER 2008 WH UNEASE: “IT WAS TOO HARD FOR GAY PEOPLE,” HE SAYS. “YOU ULDN’T EVEN LEAVE THE HOE.” FEARG FOR HIS SAFETY, NDIAYE CID TO FLEE SENEGAL FOR NEIGHBORG MRANIA: THERE, THE PENALTY FOR BEG GAY IS ATH BY STONG. BUT NDIAYE SAYS THAT THE ANONYMY OF LIFE MRANIA WAS BETTER THAN THE NSTANT FEAR SENEGAL, WHERE GAY PEOPLE ARE OFTEN PUBLICLY TARGETED BY THE MEDIA. IN MRANIA “NOBODY KNOWS YOU, YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE SRED,” HE TOLD ME. “YOU N LIVE YOUR GAY DREAM.” NDIAYE IS NOT ALONE. ACRDG TO ACTIVIST BANGOURA, WHO VISED MRANIA RECENTLY, THERE ARE DOZENS OF GAY MEN THERE WHO HAVE FLED OPPRSN SENEGAL. STILL, MRANIA REMAS A HOSTILE PLACE FOR LGBT PEOPLE: “WHEN THE POLICE STOP YOU, YOU DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT TO EVEN EXPLA YOURSELF,” SAYS NDIAYE. BUT UNLIKE SENEGAL, NDIAYE EXPLAS THAT RAMPANT RPTN MRANIA MEANS YOU N MOSTLY JT BRIBE YOUR WAY OUT OF TROUBLE. “IF YOU PAY, THEY’LL LET YOU GO EE,” HE SAYS. “MONEY IS THE ONLY THG THAT MATTERS OVER THERE.”STILL, AFTER A YEAR OF EQUENT ARRTS, NDIAYE HAD ENOUGH. HE CID TO RETURN TO SENEGAL 2010. “THGS WERE A LOT QUIETER PARED TO 2008,” HE SAYS. BUT THE LM DIDN’T LAST. IN 2013, U.S. PRINT BARACK OBAMA VISED SENEGAL AND RAISED THE ISSUE OF LGBT RIGHTS WH PRINT MACKY SALL, WHO REFED TO BUDGE. NOT LONG AFTER THAT, A LBIAN WOMAN WE’LL LL ADJA, WHO NS A WOMEN’S RIGHTS GROUP DAKAR, SAYS SHE WAS THROWN JAIL AS PART OF A UNTRY-WI CRACKDOWN. THE FOLLOWG FEBARY, POLICE ARRTED FOUR MEN WHO WERE TRYG TO “CLEAN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD” BY HUNTG DOWN AND ATTACKG GAY MEN. “OBAMA ME TO SENEGAL AND MAND THE LAW BE CHANGED,” SAYS ADJA. “I WOULD’VE TOLD HIM, GREAT, BUT WHAT MEANS DO I HAVE TO CHANGE ?”SUCH ANTI-GAY BACKLASH HAVE BEE MON ACROSS SUB-SAHARAN AI. AS WTERN UNTRI HAVE MA CREASG PROGRS ON GAY RIGHTS, AND SOME S ACTIVELY PHED FOR SIAR ADVANC AI, UNTRI LIKE TANZANIA, UGANDA, AND NIGERIA HAVE MOVED THE OPPOSE DIRECTN, CRACKG DOWN ON GAY RIGHTS ACTIVISM AND PASSG EVER MORE DRANIAN LEGISLATN TO SUPPRS LGBT PEOPLE. BAMAR GUèYE IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF JAMRA, A NSERVATIVE RELIG ANIZATN SENEGAL THAT OFTEN SPEAKS OUT AGAST HOMOSEXUALY, SPE WORKG ON ISSU LIKE HIV/AIDS PREVENTN. FROM HIS DIMLY L DAKAR OFFICE, GUèYE SUGGTED WHY EFFORTS BY OBAMA AND OTHERS TO FLUENCE SENEGAL ON LGBT RIGHTS HAVE BACKFIRED. “GLOBAL SOCIETY IS BEG TURNED UPSI DOWN,” HE SAYS. “JT BEE HAPPENS THEIR UNTRI THEY WANT TO IMPOSE ON OTHER PLAC. BUT NO ONE HAS THE MONOPOLY TO DICTATE TO OTHERS. IT’S THE WDS OF EXCSIVE LIBERTY.”IN 2015, THE BACKLASH NTUED. NDIAYE, THE GAY MAN OM DAKAR, WAS ONE OF 11 MEN ARRTED AT A PARTY FOR ALLEGEDLY MTG “HOMOSEXUAL ACTS.” HE SPENT SIX MONTHS JAIL. EVENTUALLY, NDIAYE WAS RELEASED ON APPEAL, BUT THE EXPERIENCED HAS LEFT HIM SHAKEN, AND HE’S NSIRG GOG BACK TO MRANIA. ACRDG TO PATUEL, OM AMNTY INTERNATNAL, THOSE 2015 ARRTS “CREATED PANIC THE MUNY; PEOPLE DON’T THK THEY N STAY HERE.”BUT SPE THE RELATIVE LIBERTY AFFORD BY RPTN, LIFE MRANIA REMAS DANGERO, PARTICULARLY IF YOU’RE ONE OF THE 22 PERCENT OF SENEGALE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN LIVG WH HIV. MRANIA’S LIMED HEALTH RE SYSTEM AS WELL AS HEAVY STIGMA AROUND THE DISEASE N MAKE ACCSG MEDITN NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. “THEIR HEALTH IS GETTG WORSE EVERY DAY,” SAYS BANGOURA OF IENDS AND LLEAGU HE VISED ACROSS THE BORR. “THEY’RE DYG THE SERT.” IN SENEGAL, AT LEAST, THERE HAVE BEEN ERNMENT EFFORTS TO TACKLE HIV AMONG MEN WHO HAVE SEX WH MEN (MSM), WH SUPPORT OM TERNATNAL AID GROUPS. HOWEVER, SUCH IATIV N ONLY GO SO FAR WHILE THE ERNMENT KEEPS ARRTG PEOPLE FOR BEG GAY. ACRDG TO A 2011 STUDY OF HIV HEALTH RE SENEGAL, THERE WAS “PERVASIVE FEAR AND HIDG AMONG MSM AS A RULT OF THE DECEMBER 2008 ARRTS AND PUBLICY. SERVICE PROVIRS SPEND HIV PREVENTN WORK WH MSM OUT OF FEAR FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY.”FOR TRANS WOMEN, ACCSG HEALTH RE IS EVEN MORE GHT. AFTER NNG AWAY OM THE QURANIC SCHOOL, MARIE, THE TRANS WOMAN DAKAR, PED TO SAT-LOUIS, A CY NORTHERN SENEGAL. THERE, A TOOK HER , BUT FORCED HER TO SEX WORK SOON AFTER: “I NEVER HAD A CHOICE,” SAYS MARIE, WHO UNRSTOOD THE RISKS, BUT FELT HELPLS. “YOU DON’T KNOW THE PEOPLE, YOU DON’T KNOW IF THEY’LL FECT YOU.” SURE ENOUGH, NOT LONG AFTER LEAVG SAT-LOUIS, MARIE FOUND OUT SHE WAS HIV POSIVE. “I WASN’T SURPRISED,” SHE SAYS SADLY. BUT SCE GETTG HER DIAGNOSIS, MARIE SAYS SHE’S OFTEN FACED DISCRIMATN WHEN SEEKG TREATMENT BEE OF HER APPEARANCE. “EVERY TIME I GO GET MEDIC, EVEN IF I’M THE FIRST PERSON TO ARRIVE, THEY ALWAYS MAKE ME WA TILL LAST. BUT IF I DON’T GET MY MEDICE, I ULD DIE.” SCE RETURNG OM MRANIA, NDIAYE HAS BEEN HELPG PEOPLE LIKE MARIE TO ACCS HIV TREATMENT, ANIZG EE TTG EVENTS FOR THE LGBT MUNY. HE ALSO HAS A BOYIEND NOW: “I LOVE HIM,” HE SAYS. “HE IS TOO SWEET.” STILL, NDIAYE WANTS TO NVCE HIS PARTNER TO GO BACK WH HIM TO MRANIA. DANGERO AS MIGHT BE ACROSS THE BORR, LOVE SENEGAL IS LIVED DARKNS. “WE N ONLY SEE EACH OTHER THE EVENGS,” SAYS NDIAYE. “IT’S ALWAYS NIGHT.” BUT ADJA AND OTHER ACTIVISTS SEE NO CHOICE BUT TO STAY SENEGAL AND KEEP HOPG FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE. “I WON’T LEAVE,” SHE SAYS, AS DK FALLS ON DAKAR ONCE MORE. “IF WE ALL LEAVE THE UNTRY, WHO WILL NTUE THE FIGHT?” ADJA’S NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED AT HER REQUT TO PROTECT HER INTY. THE OTHER PEOPLE TERVIEWED HERE AGREED, SPE THE RISKS, TO BE QUOTED BY NAME.REPORTG FOR THIS STORY WAS SUPPORTED BY THE INTERNATNAL REPORTG PROJECT. OSR LOPEZ

’”By the start of his sophomore year at Michigan State, Bach was ready to tell his parents that he was gay, tchg his father off guard but nfirmg what his mother had prevly assumed.

He did each job to the bt of his abily, and his sexualy never me, he has found that there’s a difference between beg a gay man baseball and beg pletely fortable as one.

“I feel like that’s the burn a lot of gay people live wh — tryg to be perfect for straight people, ” he job requir equent teractn wh the players and the achg staff — addn to his duti as play-by-play announcer, Bach also is the ma public relatns ntact for the team — and he said he hadn’t fully relaxed any of them.

DO THEY HI THEIR FAC? SEARCHG FOR GAY LIFE WT AI.

Mrer/Frericksburg NatnalsThat feelg is somewhat “self-flicted, ” Bach said, but he believ the solutn is to brg more openly gay people to sports and create a safe environment for those who are already there but have felt necsary to hi their League Baseball has touted self as a place of clivy.

Billy Bean, an openly gay former player, was named the league’s first ambassador for cln 2014 and has sce been promoted to senr vice print and special assistant to Commissner Rob Maned. In Febary, Anrson Comás, a mor leaguer the Chigo Whe Sox anizatn, me out as gay wh a post on Instagram, and the announcement was met wh public support om his club and some people around the cints suggt there is more work to be done. The Boston Red Sox lled up a mor leaguer, Matt Dermody, who had posted an anti-gay msage on Twter 2021, and Anthony Bass, a reliever for the Toronto Blue Jays, reposted a vio on social media that lled for boytts of L.

“Those of that are this very small mory sports have to keep on havg the nversatns, keep on workg really ick’ hard to earn your spot this space, ” he aspir to be a gay person at home a big-league booth.

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Contents:

GAY SENEGAL - FROM GAY CAPAL TO COUNTRY OF HOMOPHOBIA

PODST | A LIFE THE SHADOWS: WHAT ’S LIKE TO BE A GAY MAN DAKAR

GAY LIFE SENEGAL

TRAVELLG AS A GAY MAN - SENEGAL FOM