African Gays Now Seek Refuge In Abidjan
Uganda and other African countries, the perpetrators of the act are
now seeking refuge in countries where their laws are less stringent.
One of these nations is Cote d'Ivoire.
No kissing, no petting. As gay bars go, this one is pretty
well-behaved. But the crowd packing the Abidjan venue is relaxed and
happy to be part of this haven of tolerance on a hostile continent.
"In a gay club, we are much freer than in straight places,"
22-year-old student Jacques tells AFP, looking on as three men sway
their hips to Ivorian music on the dance floor.
"We get no strange looks. Here we can unwind, feel at ease and let
ourselves go."
One man gently strokes his companion's neck but displays of affection
stop there. The strict social codes prevailing in Ivory Coast apply
here too.
The patrons include several transvestites, one a 20-year-old teacher
who goes by the name Malika, and who has been living as a woman by
night and a man by day for the past three years.
"I live with a friend. Out of respect for his other friends and his
job, I live as a man under his roof," said Malika, wearing discreet
makeup with a short wig and clad in an elegant patterned dress.
"But when I go about my own business, I am the way I want to be."
With bars catering for lesbians, gays and transsexuals, the west
African country stands out for its tolerance on a continent where
homophobia is not just common but widely enshrined into law.
The parliaments of Nigeria and Uganda recently passed laws to punish
gays with long prison terms -- although Uganda's President Yoweri
Museveni blocked the harsh legislation.
In Mauritania, homosexuality is punishable by death.
"It's no paradise here, but it's a lot better than in other
countries," Malika said.
The picture is far from rosy, though: one of her transsexual friends
found it difficult to get hospital treatment after she was stabbed in
the chest.
And late last month dozens of homophobic protesters attacked the
Abidjan offices of gay rights group Alternative Cote d'Ivoire, bashing
in the doors and looting equipment.Moussa, who manages one of the
three gay bars in Ivory Coast's economic capital, told of insults from
passers-by and threats from the owner of the premises to withdraw the
lease.
No 'homophobic acts by lawmakers'
And yet, in Abidjan, it remains possible to be gay -- making it
something of an El Dorado for gays from elsewhere in Africa, in
Malika's words.
That was certainly the case for Marinette, a bisexual woman who felt
"threatened" in her hometown in Cameroon after several lesbian
relationships, and came to Abidjan to sample the freedom of the city.
"This is nothing like my country, where one of my friends was
threatened with r*pe because she had never slept with a guy," said the
young woman in her 30s, in a body-hugging red dress.
What makes Ivory Coast so much more tolerant than neighbouring
countries, where homosexuality is often perceived as deviant and
shameful?
"Because we have not yet been subjected to homophobic legislation,"
argued Fabrice, 26, who handles judicial affairs for Alternative Cote
d'Ivoire.
A government official suggested that Ivory Coast, which is recovering
from a bloody political and military crisis that ended in 2011, had
more pressing matters to address than its citizens' s*xual
orientation.
"There is considerable unemployment, and organised crime on a large
scale. At the end of the day, homosexuality is a minor issue," agreed
Fabrice.
Even in country villages, where tradition reigns strong, homosexuality
is "stigmatised without going too far", he said.
"There can be criticism, and verbal abuse, but it's hardly sharia law."
Yet for all that gays, lesbians and transsexuals lay claim to a degree
of freedom in Ivory Coast, many still choose to keep their se*uality
under wraps.
"Tonight, everybody is gay," said Armand, a 32-year-old waiter at the
bar. "But tomorrow morning, we'll pretend we don't know one another.
Everyone hides who they are."
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