Senagal Teen to Be Tried for Being Gay

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and Inner Circle are outraged at reports that a 17 year-old Senegalese man will stand trial on August 24 for sexual acts "against nature" and that two other men were convicted on identical charges during the week of August 10, 2009. The three men, all from the town of Darou Mousty, in Louga, Senegal, were arrested and detained for alleged same-sex relations on June 19, 2009, together with a fourth man whose status is currently unknown. The first two men were sentenced to two and five years in prison respectively. Reports indicate that denunciations from neighbors were the only evidence against the men. These are the latest in a pattern of arbitrary arrests and detentions based on perceived sexual orientation in Senegal, a country in which same-sex relations are illegal, homophobia is widespread, and incitement toward violence against those perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is often encouraged by politicians and religious leaders. Full Story from AllAfrica.com

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