Promising news from Liberia, which is emerging after two successive civil wars that left approximately 250,000 people dead. A small movement is organizing around men who have sex with men (MSM) and HIV/AIDS, stigma, discrimination and gay rights in the West African nation.
Kent Klindera at amfAR's MSM Initiative reports from Monrovia on Stop AIDS in Liberia (SAIL).
amfAR is SAIL’s only source of funding, and their executive team is made up of three young men who are students with little organizational experience but an abundance of passion. Most of SAIL’s membership supports [President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf] as they see the link between gender discrimination and homophobia, and recognize that having a female head of state helps this ability to fight for LGBT rights.
In fact, I helped conduct a mini-workshop and watched these brave young men come up with strategies to reduce homophobia, including coming out to friends and family, learning their own sodomy laws, and informing other MSM and LGBT individuals of their rights.
In addition to providing condoms to gay men and other MSM, SAIL has opened an office that also serves as a drop-in center. I spent one afternoon chatting off and on with about 25 young men, all seeking a space to be themselves, and at the same time gain knowledge about their health and well-being.
Although to date Liberia has not been a hotbed of visible homophobia (like some other West African countries), SAIL has been proactive in order to secure public support. They operate covertly, but are beginning to utilize public spaces where coming out is safe. Once again, the bravery of these activists is so inspiring!
Liberia's HIV epidemic is somewhat modest compared to neighboring nations. About 37,000 people are estimated to be HIV positive or about 1.5% of the adult population, according to AVERT.
Section 14.74 of Liberia's penal code enumerates sodomy and "deviate sexual intercourse" as a misdemeanor. The penalty is a fine, but prosecutions are rare. The U.S. Department of State's 2010 Human Rights Report on Liberia found that while "there were no reported instances of violence based on sexual orientation" but the culture is "strongly opposed to homosexuality".
Liberia will have a presidential run-off election on November 8 between President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Winston Tubman of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change. Sirleaf was recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Meanwhile: There was more promising news last week from the neighboring Côte d’Ivoire, also emerging from a bloody civil war: Gays are becoming "increasingly visible" in the capital Abidjan and are pressing for their rights. Same-sex relations are not illegal in the Côte d’Ivoire.
