Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Senegal experience legal persecution. Senegal specifically outlaws same-sex sexual acts and, in the past, has prosecuted men accused of homosexuality. Members of the LGBTQ community face routine discrimination in Senegalese society. Negative attitudes towards homosexuality are widespread.
Laws on same-sex sexual activity Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Senegal. Article 319 in the Senegalese Penal Code states:
On 25 February 2026, Prime Minister of Senegal Ousmane Sonko presented a bill to lengthen prison sentences and increase fines for so-called "unnatural" acts. This bill, which was a campaign promise of the Prime Minister, was adopted on March 12. The new law includes a prison sentence of 5 to 10 years for "unnatural acts," fines of 100,000 to ten million CFA francs, compared to the 1.5 million of the previous law, as well as a ban on the "promotion, financing and support of homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality." It also includes a penalty for "abusive relationships conducted in bad faith".
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, the new law violates human rights. On 30 March 2026, the law was signed by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and published in the official gazette the following day. According to Le Monde, the press reported daily on the arrests of homosexuals in a context marked by a "wave of homophobia".
Policies Same-sex relationships
Same-sex couples have no legal recognition, whether in the form of marriage or civil unions. In June 2026, the National Assembly voted unanimously to amend the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
Adoption of children According to information published in July 2011 by the United States Department of State, a couple married for a minimum of five years or an unmarried person who is at least 35 years of age is eligible to adopt a Senegalese child if there is at least 15 years between the age of the child and the age of the adopting parent. Senegalese law does not specifically make LGBTQ persons ineligible to adopt.. Bureau of Consular Affairs. U.S. Department of State. July 2011.
Discrimination protections There are no laws that broadly protect LGBTQ people against discrimination. There are, however, limited legal protections that explicitly prohibit individuals or media organisations from revealing or implying the sexual orientation of any person, or depicting or discussing a person's sexual orientation in a manner that is discriminatory or stigmatising:
Political and community attitudes According to the 2013 Pew Global Attitudes Project, 97% of Senegal residents believe that homosexuality is a way of life that society should not accept, a figure unchanged from 2007.
In January 2009, Cary Alan Johnson at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission described "pretty consistent human rights violations ... in Senegal". Contrasting this with Dakar's hosting of a major conference on AIDS and sexually transmitted infections, where, he said, "the needs of men who have sex with men were prominently featured", he went on to characterise Senegal as "schizophrenic" in its attitudes: "There's both a movement towards progressive and inclusive culture but at the same time very, very strong movements towards oppression, specifically towards sexuality".
In 2016 Macky Sall, the President of Senegal, stated he will never legalize gay sex. He said: "Never, under my authority, will homosexuality be legalized in the Senegalese lands."
In March 2026, MP declared that "homosexuals will no longer breathe in this country." This statement was immediately supported by Prime Minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo, in response to international protests over the introduction of a new law with harsher penalties.
Living conditions Harassment and abuse In mid-2009 Muslim activists created the ('The Islamic Front for the Defense of Ethical Values'), advocated for homosexuals to face the death penalty. There were multiple reports around the same time of people digging up the bodies of deceased "goor-gigen" (a Senegalese term for "man-woman") in cemeteries. Local and international press reported in May 2009 that the corpse of a man reputed to have been homosexual was twice disinterred from a Muslim cemetery in Thies. The first time, the body was left near the grave. After his family reburied him, the body was disinterred a second time and dumped outside his family's home.
In December 2012, a gay male couple was viciously beaten near Dakar by one of the men's parents after the couple was caught having sex.
2023 On the 28th of October 2023, in Kaolack, a group of individuals exhumed the body of Cheikh Fall, a gay man, and subsequently set it on fire. Local law enforcement verified that, on the 30th of October 2023, four individuals believed to be "among the masterminds" were apprehended. Serigne Cheikh Tidiane Khalifa Niasse, leading a regional chapter of the influential Tidianes religious brotherhood, denounced the incidents in Kaolack. And Samm Jikko Yi, an advocacy group pushing for stricter penalties for gay sex, also expressed disapproval of the "mob justice". However, they attributed blame to the Senegalese state, asserting that its perceived over-protection of the LGBTQ community had triggered a backlash.
Arrests and prosecutions: selected cases 2008 In 2008, Dakar's Icone magazine reported on and published photographs of an alleged gay marriage that had taken place in a private home in Senegal. The editor of the magazine, Mansour Dieng, claimed that he subsequently received death threats. Five men in the photographs were arrested but were later released without charge. It is not clear if the arrests stemmed from Senegal's anti-homosexuality laws or the death threats.
2009 On 19 December 2008, nine men were arrested on charges of homosexuality in a private flat in Dakar, allegedly after police received an anonymous tip. One of the arrestees was Diadji Diouf, the owner of the flat and a well-known Senegalese activist who heads AIDES Senegal, which provides HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services to men who have sex with men. The men were repeatedly tortured while in police custody, even after they confessed to being gay."Senegal: Land of Impunity". Amnesty International. 2010. pp. 19–20.
On 6 January 2009, all these men were convicted of "indecent conduct and unnatural acts" (5 years' imprisonment) and for "being members of a criminal group" (3 years' imprisonment). Bangré, Habibou (9 January 2009). "Senegal's judicial doublespeak and homosexuality: Prison terms issued against nine suspects defy law albeit minister's promises". Afrik-News."Nine Men Convicted of Homosexual Acts in Senegal". The Advocate. 10 January 2009. Marone, Sadibou (8 January 2009). "Senegal: 9 Men Jailed For Homosexual Acts". Huffington Post. The judge said that AIDES Senegal was a "cover to recruit or organize meetings for homosexuals, under the pretext of providing HIV/AIDS prevention programmes".
The Court of Appeals overturned the convictions in April 2009 and ordered the immediate release of the men. While incarcerated, the nine were held in special quarters because of threats from other inmates. Shortly thereafter, Imam and Member of Parliament Mbaye Niang organized a march to protest both homosexuality in general and the government intervention that allowed for the release of the men.
2018 In September 2018 two men and two women were arrested in the capital, Dakar, for homosexuality. The four were arrested after people in their neighbourhood circulated videos of them allegedly engaged in sexual activity. Local LGBTQ activists considered the arrests to be part of a pre-2019 Senegalese presidential election crackdown: a political ploy to ensure politicians do not seem to be 'pro-homosexual'. The arrests came shortly after the conviction in early September of a local chief, Cheikh Abdel Kalifa Karaboué, for drugging and raping a male co-worker. He was sentenced to four years in prison for rape and sexual acts "against nature".
2026 In February 2026, 22 gay men were arrested within two weeks by Senegalese police for "acts against nature", their arrests sometimes being staged on social media. Among them was the TikToker Saliou Mbaye, known as Zale, arrested on February 20 at the Senegalese-Gambian border as he attempted to leave the country.
In August, Senegal arrested 99 men on charges related to same-sex activity. While 28 were released, 71 men could face up to 20 years in prison after lawmakers doubled the maximum sentence for “unnatural acts.”
International views and input U.S. Department of State The U.S. Department of State's 2011 Human Rights Report found that, In the recent past[,] gays, lesbians, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons often faced criminal prosecution and widespread discrimination, social intolerance, and acts of violence. The media failed to report acts of hatred or violence against LGBT persons. In November 2010[,] Human Rights Watch released a report entitled "Fear of Life: Violence against Gay Men and Men Perceived as Gay in Senegal". The report discussed cases of violence against gay men and the legal and cultural milieu that fostered such violence. While the cases cited in the report were from 2009 and earlier, non-governmental organization observers speculated that the drop in cases reported during the year was due to several factors. First, violence against gay men and lesbians might have caused many LGBT persons in the country to go underground. Second, increased international attention might have caused the government to curtail prosecutions and other official discrimination. A report by the Panos Institute West Africa released on 20 July found that local media contributed to negative societal attitudes toward LGBT persons. Finally, successful legal challenges to the law used to prosecute gays and lesbians for consensual sexual activity may have helped curtail its use by prosecutors.
The U.S. Department of State's 2012 Human Rights Report found that,Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (2013). "Section 6. Discrimination, Societal Abuses, and Trafficking in Persons: s6.7. Societal Abuses, Discrimination, and Acts of Violence Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity". 2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Senegal. (Report). U.S. Department of State. LGBT persons often faced arrest, widespread discrimination, social intolerance, and acts of violence [in 2012]. Senegalese ... [non-governmental organizations] worked actively on LGBT rights issues, but because of laws against homosexuality and social stigma, they maintained an exceedingly low profile. The media rarely reported acts of hatred or violence against LGBT persons. ... [L]ocal human rights groups reported that LGBT persons still faced frequent harassment by police, including arrest based only on second-hand reports and poor treatment in detention due to their sexual orientation. In January two women were arrested following the circulation of a cell phone video that showed them kissing. The incident was widely covered in local print and online media. The women were held in detention and released on bail several days later but were never formally charged with a crime. In October a court in Dakar sentenced Tasmir Jupiter Ndiaye to four years in prison and fined him 200,000 CFA francs ($400) for violating laws prohibiting "acts against nature" in addition to charges of illegal possession of arms and battery, after he purportedly refused to pay another man, Matar Diop, for sexual services. Diop was sentenced to three years in prison.
Obama 2013 visit