Gabon has become the latest African country to consider criminalising homosexuality.
What is also strange about this news is that Gabon had previously decriminalised homosexuality in 2020: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/gabon-votes-to-decriminalizes-homosexuality/
The explanation is that in 2023, the government of Gabon was overthrown in a coup, like many other governments in the Sahel. These laws are being proposed by the new military government.
This shows something critical. We must understand the status of LGBT rights in Africa (and elsewhere) as a political topic – one which politicians and political actors fight over – rather than as a referendum on how "modern" or "Western" a population is, which is how it is often framed when it comes to Africa. It is about who holds power at a point in time – democratically or otherwise – and not how enlightened a people are. It's about who is winning at any point in time.
This situation is obviously heartbreaking for the people who came out in the wake of decriminalization, who can now more easily be targeted by the regime.
Posted by Top_Lime1820