Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com March 2012 Introduction The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) is a partially recognised state that claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony. On Feb. 27, 1976, the Polisario Front formally proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and set up a government in exile, initiating a guerrilla war between the Polisario and Morocco, which continued until a 1991 cease-fire. As part of the peace accords, a referendum was to be held among indigenous people, giving them the option between independence or inclusion to Morocco. However, to date the referendum has not been held because of questions over who is eligible to vote. LGBT People in the SADR There is virtually nothing to be found on the internet about LGBT people of Western Sahara. But given the fact that Muslims make up nearly 100% of the population of the area  the

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com March 2012   Introduction Posted here are some stories and reports about LGBT life in Cape Verde. There is little internet insight into the actual lives of gay Verdean other than the one essay by Ivalindo, native of Cape Verde (see #4) some indirect references. Being Africa there is the usual homophobia in society, yet also being Portuguese and European there seems to be less intensity to discrimination.   (1) Country Description The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 ams off the coast of Northwestern Africa. The previously uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th Century, and became important in the Atlantic slave trade for their location. The islands’ prosperity often attracted privateers and pirates, including Sir Francis Drake, a corsair (privateer) under the authority

  Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction Not surprising there is virtually no recent insight about LGBT life on this small two island nation. There is one short story, posted below, about a gay man in 2003 whose experience and attitude were expressed thus:  “Several people here know I’m gay, and it has NO bearing on my daily life. The overall philosophy being ‘Live and let live’, no one seems to care. I was approached once by a local and that relationship lasted a while. People knew – or at least suspected – what was going on, and it affected no one’s life, in or outside the bedroom.” That was in 2003. Since then homophobia has spread across Africa like a plague and countless LGBT people have been killed or persecuted. On the mainland homophobic legislators are trying to outdo one another with proposed anti-gay statutes, especially since

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012   Introduction Male same-sex sexual acts are illegal in Lesotho—a sharp contrast to South Africa, which completely surrounds the country. Lesotho law does not address sexual orientation.  LGBT people face discrimination in employment, housing, access to health care, access to education, or other areas. Homosexual conduct is taboo in the society, and is not openly discussed. But that is now being challenged. Following here are five reports that offer some insight into LGBT life in Lesotho.   (1) First, some Good News About Gay Life in Lesotho: LGBTI Support Group Registered in Lesotho By Fiona Coyle, HIV & AIDS Officer, UNDP In what has been described by activists as a significant milestone for the Lesotho Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, transgender and Inter-gender (LGBTI) communities, November 2010 saw the registration of MATRIX support group as a Non-Profit Organisation by the Lesotho Law Office. Men who

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction Off to a bad start: “Very little information is available on same-sex couples in Swaziland and no gay organizations are involved in the government anti-HIV campaign. The Gays and Lesbians Association of Swaziland (GALESWA), formed in the 1990s, has only one known member. The constitution does not safeguard the rights of homosexuals, and sodomy laws dating from the early 20th century are still on the books. King Mswati has reportedly called same-sex relationships “satanic”, and Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini has called homosexuality “an abnormality and a sickness.” (Read full story at Behind the Mask) Corrupt Monarchy Swaziland is an absolute monarchy, and the morally corrupt King Mswati III (with 13 wives and numerous opulent palaces in his impoverished country) has ultimate authority over the cabinet, legislature, and judiciary. According to the 2007 census, the population was 1.02 million. There is a prime

Introduction Neither male or female same-sex sexual activity is specifically prohibited in Mali, but public laws may be used against LGBT persons. According to the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project, 98% of Mali residents said that homosexuality should be rejected by society, making it the highest rejection of homosexuality in the 44 countries surveyed.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Mali) US State Department Human Rights Report for Mali (2010) http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2010/af/154357.htm In Mali, there were no publicly visible lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) organizations in the country. The free association of LGBT organizations was impeded by a law prohibiting association “for an immoral purpose”; in 2005 the then governor of the District of Bamako cited this law to refuse official recognition to a gay rights association. Although there was no official discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, in practice, societal discrimination was widespread. Societal discrimination against persons with HIV/AIDS occurs. The government implemented campaigns

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction Not surprising, homophobia continues its march across sub-Saharan Africa unabated in 2012 as Liberia lawmakers take their turn in proposing hateful anti-gay discriminatory laws. Two lawmakers in Liberia have introduced bills that could make homosexuality more dangerous than it already is. In a cruel twist of fate the former Liberian first lady Jewel Haward Taylor, who was certainly complicit in the slaughter of thousands during her husband’s (Charles Taylor) reign of terror in Liberia, is now a senator; she has proposed to amend the country’s laws to specifically forbid same-sex marriage. Her proposed amendment to marriage laws reads, “No two persons of the same sex shall have sexual relations. A violation of this prohibition will be considered a first degree felony.” First degree punishment can range from 10 years to life imprisonment to the death sentence, on the discretion of the judge. Not

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction From: US State Department Human Rights Report Madagascar, with a population of more than 20 million, is ruled by an unelected and illegal civilian regime that assumed power in a March 2009 coup with military support. Andry Nirina Rajoelina adopted the title of president of the transition, at the head of a loose coalition of former opposition politicians, and intends to remain in this position until elections are held. Former president Marc Ravalomanana, democratically elected in 2006 is in exile, and the parliament has remained suspended since then. In defiance of a negotiated agreement with the African Union (AU) and local political leaders, the regime failed to establish a legitimate transitional administration that would oversee free and open elections for the restoration of a legal government. Military leaders continue to assert their autonomy from the current political leadership, despite their tacit support

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction The news from Eritrea is not good in general and worse for LGBT citizens. Homosexual acts are illegal in Eritrea. Same-sex sexual activity is prohibited in Section II of the penal code from 1960. Article 600 “unnatural carnal offences” can be punished for internment for between 10 days and 3 years. The U.S. Department of State‘s 2010 Human Rights Report found that, in 2010, LGBT individuals continue to be prosecuted under article 600 of the penal code. During the year there were unconfirmed reports that the government carried out periodic roundups of individuals considered gay and lesbian, and gays and lesbian faced severe societal discrimination. The government accused foreign governments of promoting the practice to undermine the government. There were uncorroborated reports that known gays and lesbians in the armed forces were subjected to severe abuse. There were no known lesbian, gay,

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction Ever since independence from England in 1961 (since 1808) the Sierra Leone government and society have preferred to deny the existence of lesbians and gay men.  But since the turn of the 21st century African homosexuality has become a flashpoint of conflict between old biblical/koranic colonial ideas and progressive human rights activism. Sierra Leone is no exception and today male same-sex sexual activity is illegal with possible life imprisonment as punishment. Social attitudes are hostile to homosexuality and cross-dressing because of religious beliefs. Most citizens subscribe to Christian or Muslim traditional gender roles and are expected to abstain from sexual activity outside of a traditional marriage. Nevertheless, in 2011, the first major study was conducted regarding homosexuality: (1) Breaking The Silence: First Government Study Of MSM In Sierra Leone From Behind The Mask July 15, 2011 by Akoro Joseph Sewedo, Arcus Correspondent

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction Same-sex sexual activity is technically legal, most likely only because it is not mentioned in the criminal statutes of Niger because most authorities do not think it exists in their country. Of course, there are no anti-discrimination laws for LGBT citizens and no ‘community’. The U.S. Department of State’s 2010 Human Rights Report found that “there were no known organizations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender persons and no reports of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. However, gay persons experienced societal discrimination.” (http://paei.state.gov/documents/organization/160137.pdf) (1) A Different Kind of LGBT Life in Niger From: www.rainbowfund.org In contrast to the usual stories of LGBT persecution and homophobia, here is a different sort of gay presence in Niger: a charity engaged in humanitarian efforts to relieve suffering. (photo: Niger women; credit galenfrysinger.com) Niger is an impoverished, landlocked country in

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction Chad is one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world; most inhabitants live in poverty as subsistence herders and farmers. Since 2003, crude oil has become the country’s primary source of export earnings, superseding the traditional cotton industry. Chad is considered a failed state by the Fund for Peace (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad) Unlike other African countries,Chad is seen to offer little to the outside world, with its poor transport infrastructure including 33,400km of roads of which just 267km are paved. Chad also is off putting to visitors because of its high cost of living. Child trafficking for sexual and other exploitation remains a major concern about Chad. Many children are taken for domestic servitude and other forms of labour both in Chad and to other neighboring nations, and there is also evidence of commercial sexual exploitation of children from Cameroon and

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction It is very difficult to find reliable information about gay life in this central African country. It is a poor and abused country where life is harsh for the vast majority while a tiny privileged few enjoy access to foreign aid and business profits, legally or otherwise. Included here are miscellaneous writings found from extensive internet searching for any insight and understanding of the LGBT sub-culture. Gays in Central African Republic Both male and female same-sex sexual activities are technically legal in the Central African Republic, but same-sex couples are not socially acceptable and are subject to homophobic reactions from neighbors and authorities. Any public display of affection puts the people at risk for accusations of indecency and ‘public outrage’ . (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_the_Central_African_Republic) Such homophobic attitudes are not surprising since there are many missionary groups operating in the country, including Lutherans, Baptists, Catholics,

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction The Democratic Republic of the Congo is located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area, after Algeria, and the eleventh largest in the world. Former names include Belgian Congo and Zaire, now often called DR Congo. (Not to be confused with Republic of the Congo) The Second Congo War, beginning in 1998, devastated the country and is sometimes referred to as the “African world war” because it involved nine African nations and some twenty armed groups. Despite the signing of peace accords in 2003, fighting continues in the east of the country where the prevalence of rape, murder, brutality and other sexual violence is described as the worst in the world. The war is the world’s deadliest conflict since World War II, killing 5.4 million people since 1998.The vast majority have died from conditions of malaria,

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in the Republic of the Congo, also called Congo Brazzaville.  (Not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of Congo) These acts never have been criminalized but there is no legal recognition of same-sex couples. Because of the social stigma associated with homosexuality there is no public gay or lesbian community or organization. The republic is a former French colony. Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. The People’s Republic of the Congo was a Marxist-Leninist single-party state from 1970 to 1991. Multiparty elections have been held since 1992, although a democratically elected government was ousted in the 1997 Republic of the Congo Civil War. Since then elections have been highly manipulated, violent, corrupt and not truly representative of the population. The current

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction The land that is now Guinea (sometimes called Guinea-Conakry) belonged to a series of African empires until France colonized it in the 1890s, and made it part of French West Africa. Guinea declared its independence from France on 2 October 1958. Islam is the majority religion for about 85% of the population; 8% are Christian, and 7% hold traditional animist beliefs. Guinean Muslims are generally Sunni and Sufi;there are relatively few Shi’a in Guinea. Not surprisingly, there are strong social, religious, and cultural taboos against homosexual conduct and there are no lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender organizations that are active. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are illegal in Guinea with a maximum penalty of three years imprisonment and a fine of up to one million Guinean francs. From independence until the presidential election of 2010, Guinea was governed by a

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction Benin has suffered the historic fate of being a major slave trade center in the 19th century as well as a victim of French imperialism from 1892 to 1960. After independence there was warfare between competing tribes for power which destabilized the country, becoming a Marxist country for 20 years, in the 1970s and 80s. More recently, with acceptable elections, the country seems stabilized. But there is much recovery to be made. The literacy rate in Benin is among the lowest in the world: in 2002 it was estimated to be 34.7%. Same-sex sexual acts are recently legal in Benin but this does not mean that they are approved by the general population. This story is in four parts.   (1) Some History of Homosexuality in Benin One of the most respected authorities on human sexuality is Prof. Stephen O. Murray, a

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction Any thoughtful study of African homosexuality should start with the well-researched book by Steven Murray and Will Roscoe titled  “Boy Wives and Female Husbands: A Studies of African Homosexualities” published in 1998. It is the first work of its kind on the subject of African sexuality offering perspectives from the fields of anthropology and history, along with extensive evidence from ethnographic and literary sources. Clearly it is an academic book with limited appeal to local gay rights activists battling the forces of religious and political homophobia, but significantly it dissolves the myth that LGBT life is an import from the imperial Europeans or brazen Americans. That said, there is an unusual amount of study and commentary about gay life in Togo–more than is found about much bigger countries such as Chad or Angola. Three examples: (1) From Behind the Mask website comes

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal in Equatorial Guinea but that is about the only slightly positive note about gay life in this impoverished and corrupt country. Equatorial Guinea is a textbook case of the resource curse: The country’s leaders have squandered its oil wealth while its people have languished. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, recently marked the 33rd anniversary of the coup that brought him to power n 1979. So much for democracy and fair play. Under the previous regime of Francisco Macías Nguema the country was nicknamed “the Dachau of Africa”. More than a third of Equatorial Guinea’s population fled to other countries to escape his brutal reign. He was known to order entire families and villages executed. The country’s instruments of repression (military, presidential bodyguard) were entirely controlled by Macías Nguema’s relatives and clan members. The

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction Sex between men occurs in most societies though its extent certainly varies from place to place, for cultural or other reasons. Its existence, however, is frequently denied by the authorities in many places because of religious teachings or cultural taboos, or because as individuals they feel uncomfortable with the subject. Gambia is no exception. This story is old but the truth and observations here are present day. Behind the Mask December 10, 2002 Author unknown Homosexuals and HIV/Aids The story of the ostrich is an interesting one. When in the presence of grave danger, it prefers to bury its head in the ground, believing erroneously that by doing so that is by pretending that the danger does not exist, the danger will quietly go away! Perhaps the ostrich is a believer of the concept that, ‘If I do not see you that

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction After gaining independence from France in 1960, the country underwent many governmental changes until arriving at its current form, a semi-presidential republic. Laws about homosexuality In Burkina Faso male/male and female/female sexual relations are not illegal as such. According to the Penal Code of 1996:  “Any person who causes a public nuisance shall be punished with a term of imprisonment of between two months and two years and a fine of between 50,000 and 600,000 francs. Any deliberate act that is contrary to good morals and is committed in public or in a private place visible to the public and may offend the sense of decency of third parties who involuntarily witness the act shall constitute a public nuisance. However, any such act, if it is committed in private in the presence of a minor, shall constitute the offense of the indecent

Introduction Libyan social attitudes about sexual orientation and gender identity are heavily influenced by Islamic mores and the dictatorial whim of leader Gaddafi (in the past).  Traditional Islam condemns homosexuality and cross-dressing as they do all expressions of sexuality outside of a traditional marriage. The government has used both religion and  fear of Gaddafi to suppress any open expression of same-sex issues. Even now after Gaddafi’s death to be gay means to live in secret and hiding so creating a “Gay Life in Libya” is a clandestine effort behind closet doors and perhaps by Internet.   Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012   Country Description Libya is the fourth largest country in Africa by area, and the 17th largest in the world. The largest city, Tripoli, is home to 1.7 million of Libya’s 6.4 million people. It has the 10th-largest proven oil reserves of any country. From 1969 to

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction It is difficult to find accurate information about LGBT  life n Mauritania. The country’s attitude toward homosexuality is negative. Discussing sexual matters is taboo. Sexual relations are confined to  marriage between a man and a woman  There is no social recognition of the existence of homosexuality and there is no visible public  support for gay rights. There are six ethnic groups with White Maure or Moors considered to be the socially dominant crass. In the Maure social order, Black Africańs are linked with the legend of their servile past and excluded from Maure hierarchy. Before Mauritanian independence in 1960, punishment for homosexual activity was limited to a maximum of three years in prison or a fine a  of one million francs. This old law was superceded by shari’a’ law which was established after 1980. ln Islamic countries governed by sharia, sodomy is

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction A rare glimpse into gay life in Angola where the social environment is toxic for LGBT  people. Because they are an invisible population, gays are ignored in government health planning, “there are not enough gays to worry about” said one official. To cover their truth, many Angolan gays use marriage as a way of avoiding harm, but once married, continue to have occasional sex with other men. In many cases, the casual sex does not involve the use of condoms. In Angola, a commonly-held assumption that only men with feminine mannerisms are homosexual means that many who have sex with other men do not self-identify as gay.   PlusNews http://www.plusnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78814 19 June 2008 Invisible and vulnerable Luanda – It was a wedding that pulled out all the stops, including a party at the Marine Club on the island of Luanda and a

Compiled by Richard Ammon GlobalGayz.com February 2012 Introduction Researching cultural matters on the Internet that pertain to Somalia and Somaliland is often confusing because both ‘territories’ are very similar and derive from the Somali tradition. Reading the following stories and reports it’s not always clear which territory is being referred to so it is easier (for outsiders) to consider the whole of the land as Somalia. In either location the state and fate of homosexuals is the same — confusing, risky, secretive and sometimes dangerous. Somaliland Independence? Somaliland is an unrecognized self-declared de facto sovereign state, rather it is internationally recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of Somaliland before uniting with the Trust Territory of Somalia (the former Italian Somaliland) later the