Gay group in bongouanou, ivory coast

Without the right to be different, Africa is going nowhere. But the full picture is missing. Djikalou likes to activate change and is passionate about storytelling and inclusion. There is some queer hatred and homophobia but also safety.

In August, homophobic pastor Makosso Camille launched an anti-LGBTQ petition online and declared that he would organize an anti-LGBTQ march when it reached , names. He claimed that more than 56, people signed the petition, but it has been by Change. org, which declared that it violated community standards. The France 24 publication Les Observateurs reported on the situation in the following article, which is edited and translated from the original French.

The attack happened in a West African nation generally viewed as moderate and sometimes considered a safe haven for homosexuals fleeing persecution elsewhere. The Associated Press news agency said the raid, which followed many days of anti-gay protests, underscored the dangers facing gay-rights movements in Africa even in the few countries where homosexual acts are not illegal. Toure criticised what he described as a deliberately slow response by security forces, saying police did not arrive until the French ambassador contacted government officials. Ultimately, he said, about 10 officers came with a half dozen UN peacekeepers.

Since September, there have been more than 45 assaults on gay men and transgender people in its largest city, Abidjan. In one incident in Yopougon, a working-class neighbourhood in Abidjan, a mob targeted a beauty salon run by transgender women. A broader rise in homophobia was on display during this September's Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers when several groups of Ivory Coast fans unfurled banners bearing homophobic messages and slogans including "No to woubi ", a derogatory term for gay men. The spike in homophobia and homophobic violence has led Ivorian gay communities and human rights groups to express concerns that the hostility could endanger the country's reputation for comparative tolerance.