Homosexuality in the Gambia

Geographical location of the Gambia

Homosexuality in Gambia is largely taboo in society and homosexual acts are illegal.

illegality

Until 2014, homosexual acts were punishable by up to fourteen years in prison in the Gambia . In August 2014, the Gambian parliament tightened the penalties and in future there is a threat of life imprisonment for homosexual acts. There is no legal protection against discrimination based on sexual identity in the Gambia. Both same-sex marriages and registered partnerships are not allowed in The Gambia.

In 2015, Gambia's former President Yahya Jammeh described homosexuals as “vermin” that should be “killed like mosquitoes”. He also said that they were “more dangerous than tsunamis and earthquakes” and that he would “cut the necks of homosexuals with his own hands”.

Social situation

Due to the illegality, homosexual people in Gambia are pushed into the social underground. In the capital Banjul , homosexual people have to live their lives in hiding.

See also

• Laws on homosexuality

Web links

• British Foreign Office: Travel Advice to Gambia

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Queer.de: Gambia tightens law against homosexuals
2. ↑ Gay haters and AIDS healers - Gambia's President Jammeh in portrait. tagesschau.de. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
3. ↑ The Patriotic Vanguard: Gambia: President Jammeh condemns homosexuality , May 28, 2009