NGO: Gays weren't welcome
2008-12-12 11:25
Dakar - Gays had no business taking part in a major conference on Aids in Africa that took place in Dakar last week, the head of a Senegalese Islamic non-governmental organisation said on Thursday.
Their presence at the 15th International Conference on Aids and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA), which ended on Sunday, was "inappropriate", said Imam Massamba Diop, executive president of Jamra.
In a statement carried by Senegal's official APS news agency, Diop said the five-day conference - which for the first time opened its doors to African sexual minorities - was "insidiously exploited by obscure homosexual lobbies".
"Their presence, inappropriate, at this scientific gathering was no more than a pretext for an umpteenth attempt to promote conduct that runs against nature," he added.
Senegal, a nation of 12 million that is 95% Muslim, outlaws same-sex relationships, which are subject to up to five years in prison.
Homophobic sentiments surged early this year when a celebrity magazine ran pictures of an apparent "gay marriage" near Dakar.
Feeling threatened, several gays fled the country.