Ivory Coast jails two men for having sex for the first time ever

The Ivory Coast has seen its first ever sentencing of two men for having gay sex, despite same-sex sexual relations being legal in the West African nation.

Two men aged 31 and 19 received a three-month prison sentence in Sassandra, a town around 155 miles west of the country’s largest city of Abidjan, News 24 reports.

The Ivory Coast doesn’t criminalise same-sex sexual acts in private, but the men were sentenced under ‘public indecency’ laws after a relative of one of the two men witnessed them engaging in sexual activity and reported them to the police. It is believed to be the first time the law has been used to persecute LGBT people.

Despite previously exhibiting a relative tolerance of LGBTI people compared to other countries in the region, the Ivory Coast doesn’t offer any legal protection to sexual minorities, who remain subject to widespread abuse and discrimination.

Last June, six gay men leaving their homes in Abidjan after the US embassy posted a photo showing them signing a condolences book for the victims of the Orlando Pulse shooting.

Words: Cristian Angeloni

In This Article: