GAMBIA: The Forgotten African LGBT‘s

April 13, 2012 - PRLog -- The newest arrests in Gambia show defiantly its stance on Homosexuality and its desire to become the Iran of Africa, superseding anti-gay laws of its neighbouring African states, including Uganda and Liberia.

The plights of Gambian LGBT’s is becoming precarious, as these arrests are becoming more frequent, and Gambia is taking a similar stance on Homosexuality as other African states, and putting the safety and lives of African LGBT’s in danger.

Yet the western world and its governments stand by and do nothing in regards to the plight of African LGBT’s and the violation of their basic human rights.

And lest we forget, Gambia’s, President Yahya Jammeh, told a political rally that gay people had   to leave the country. Gay rights activists have also condemned Gambian President Yahya Jammeh's threat to behead homosexuals.

He promised "stricter laws than Iran" on homosexuality and said he would "cut off the head" of any gay person found in The Gambia. Yahya Jammeh said “The Gambia is a country of believers... sinful and immoral practices [such] as homosexuality will not be tolerated in this country”.  What president Jammeh fails to realise is that there are a significant population of Gambians who are gay, and he has no right to ask them to leave. He's fighting to maintain his control over the country; he finds the weakest group and lays all the problems at their door.

According to the British gay rights activist Peter Tatchel ,"Jammeh has a long history of homophobia,” l. If he tries to carry out these threats, international aid donors are likely to withdraw their support, and foreign tourists will stay away in droves, thereby damaging the Gambian economy.

The country is predominantly Muslim and President Jammeh cultivates an image of being a devout Muslim.  In 2007, he was condemned by campaigners when he claimed to have cured people of HIV and Aids. His "cure" was a mixture of herbs that patients ate and spread on their bodies.

Taking into consideration, Gambia’s denial that male-to-male sex occurs or that their occurrence is significant to be taken seriously, has also another aspect. Denial of the reality of male-to-male sex is an enormous obstacle to efforts at AIDS prevention .

Because HIV education emphasizes only heterosexual transmission, men may be ignorant of the risks of male-to male sex or consider that the risks don’t apply to them – and may therefore be less likely to protect themselves. Many homosexuals engage in casual, fleeting and anonymous sexual encounters, in a clandestine, underground environment.

They may also not think of themselves as having sex with men. The combination of these factors makes them difficult to reach for prevention work. Male sex workers can be particularly difficult to access especially where the work is clandestine and where the workers are not organised into establishment.

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