Senegal

In Senegal, same-sex intimacy is criminalized, and social stigma against sexual and gender minorities is widespread. Article 319 of the Penal Code punishes “acts against nature” between persons of the same sex with one to five years of imprisonment and fines. 

In recent years, homophobic sentiment has been stoked by influential religious leaders and politicians, resulting in a push to increase punitive measures against LGBTQ people. Prime Minister Ousmane Sonke, who leads the cabinet under newly elected President Bassirou Diyomaye Faye, warned foreign governments and multilateral organizations in 2024 against defending sexual minorities. He pilloried the "external attempts to impose... lifestyles and ways of thinking contrary to our values.” He also claimed that "the question of gender regularly appears on the agendas of the majority of international institutions and in bilateral reports, often even as a conditionality for various financial partnerships" and warned that these issues fuel anti-Western sentiments and tension in countries like Senegal. The increasing stoking of anti-LGBTQ sentiments has resulted in hate crimes, including a shocking incident in 2023, where the body of a man who was believed to be gay was exhumed and burned in public. This hostile and restrictive environment forces LGBTIQ activism underground and renders it effectively illegal, impeding movement-building.

*Outright research indicates that the bodily autonomy of intersex people is not respected and protected in this country.