Senegal rejects bid to toughen strict anti-LGBT law
Gay sex is punishable by up to five years in prison in Senegal, where arrests and prosecutions have risen sharply, according to a 2020 global review by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).
But in December, a group of lawmakers drafted a new bill to lengthen prison terms to up to 10 years and criminalise LGBT+ activities specifically. The current law targets anyone who commits an "act against nature" with persons of the same gender.
Lawmakers in the bureau of the national assembly, who decide which draft laws will be put to parliament's vote, have rejected the proposed bill, the bureau said in a statement.
The existing legislation is sufficiently clear and the resultant penalties are severe, it said.
Nearby Ghana is also considering an anti-LGBT+ law that would lengthen jail terms and force some to undergo "conversion therapy" intended to change a person's sexual orientation.
Source: Reuters
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world's largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day.
Go to: https://www.reuters.com/Related
Women Ministry condemns brutal murder of gay activist Imam 17 Feb 2025 Uganda enacts harsh anti-LGBTQ law including death penalty 30 May 2023 Namibia's top court recognises same-sex marriages formed elsewhere 17 May 2023 Uganda parliament passes harsh anti-LGBTQ bill mostly unchanged 2 May 2023 Uganda's president asks for changes to LGBT bill so identity is not criminalised 28 Apr 2023 For LGBTQ Kenyans, court win prompts backlash as threats escalate 18 Apr 2023 Uganda passes a law making it a crime to identify as LGBTQ 22 Mar 2023
