LGBT Rights in Sierra Leone - Living Conditions

Living Conditions

Beyond the criminal prohibitions, social attitudes and mores tend to be hostile to homosexuality and cross-dressing on religious grounds, with most citizens affiliating with a Christian or Muslim sect that subscribes to traditional gender roles and abstaining from sexual activity outside of a traditional marriage.

According to a report filed by the U.S. embassy in Sierra Leone in 2011,

Many Sierra Leoneans believe that homosexuality is practiced exclusively by, or through inducements from, foreigners -- it is assumed that homosexuals are either copying Western practices, or motivated by economics. A number of Sierra Leoneans, even those with considerable exposure to Western culture, said that homosexuality does not exist locally, and any cases were due directly to Western influence. ... The few Sierra Leoneans who admitted knowing someone they believed to be homosexual said that in no case would anyone openly admit it, and if they did, they would be shunned by their families and friends and possibly threatened by community members. ... While societal stigmas keep homosexuality in the closet, there are no "witch hunts" demanding tougher legislation or enforcement of the 1861 law, either, and this in a country where communities do have actual witch hunts.

Politicians, political parties, and other political organizations in Sierra Leone avoid making public statements on LGBT rights or come out in opposition to them on religious grounds. Members of the LGBT community in Sierra Leone began to campaign for LGBT rights in 2002, with the creation of the Dignity Association. While the government tolerated its existence, the organization and its members were frequent targets of harassment, even murder.

In 2004, Fanny Ann Eddy was murdered. She was the founder of the first LGBT rights organization in Sierra Leone, the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association. According to initial reports, several men brutally raped and murdered her at her office. Many human rights activists believed that she was targeted for being gay and because of her work on behalf of women and the LGBT community. The criminal investigation division of the Sierra Leone police force, however, said in 2005 that there was no evidence of sexual violence and that the murder could not be blamed on homophobia. The person charged with the murder was a "disgruntled janitorial worker whom Ms. Eddy had fired weeks prior to the murder" and who was reported to have "threatened to take revenge" on her.

In 2011, the government, through the National AIDS/HIV Control Program (NACP), conducted its first ever study of men who have sex with other men (MSM). The study found that although society may be very quick to label these men as "gay", many of them do not connect their sexual practices with being "gay", instead insisting on a heterosexual identity. The study also found that having multiple male sexual partners and bisexuality are very common among MSM. The HIV infection rate among MSM was 7.5 percent, more than five times the national HIV prevelance, "which means that MSM communities are important drivers of HIV epidemic in the country. MSM are mostly found to have concurrent sexual relationships with the opposite sex. This enables a cycle of HIV transmission in the most likely occurrence of multiple sexual partnering. This is a great threat to public health in general and has become a priority concern of ... and NACP. High HIV prevalence amongst MSM cannot be blamed on their sexual practices per se."

British Prime Minister David Cameron said in October 2011 that the United Kingdom may withhold aid from countries that do not recognise LGBT rights. In response, Deputy Information Minister Sheka Tarawallie told the news media in November 2011 that "it is not possible that we will legalise same sex marriages as they run counter to our culture". The president of the Methodist Church in Sierra Leone, Bishop Arnold Temple, said, "The church in Sierra Leone will do everything possible to protect democracy but our values will not accept the call from ... Mr Cameron for countries in the Commonwealth ... to accept the practice of lesbianism and gayism. We call on the government ... to inform the British leader that such practices are unacceptable and we condemn it totally. Africa should not be seen as a continent in need to be influenced by the demonic threat as our values are totally different."

The U.S. Department of State's 2011 Human Rights Report found:

A law from 1861 prohibits male homosexual acts ("buggery" and "crimes against nature").... However, the law was not enforced in practice. ... Despite the lack of enforcement ... police continued to harass, detain, and beat persons perceived to be of the gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender (LGBT) community. For example, on July 9, a group called police to complain that neighbors were throwing stones and shouting homophobic epithets at them, but the police arrested eight victims instead because they were perceived to be gay. They were held overnight and released without charge. Men dressed as women were singled out for detention, harassment, and public humiliation but were not formally charged with any crime or misdemeanor. A few organizations, including DignitySL and the local chapter of Why Cant We Get Married.com, worked to support LGBT persons, but they maintained very low profiles. Gay pride parades and other public displays of solidarity could not safely take place. Social discrimination based on sexual orientation occurred in nearly every facet of life for known gays and lesbians, and many chose to have heterosexual relationships and family units to shield them. In the areas of employment and education, sexual orientation was the basis for abusive treatment, which led individuals to leave their jobs or courses of study. It was difficult for gay men and lesbians to receive the health services due to fear that their confidentiality rights would be ignored if they were honest about their ailments; many chose not to be tested or treated for sexually transmitted infections. Secure housing was also a problem for LGBT persons. Their families frequently shunned gay children, leading some to turn to prostitution to survive. Adults could lose their leases if their sexual orientation became public. Lesbian girls and women were also victims of "planned rapes" that were initiated by family members in an effort to change their sexual orientation.