via PLoS ONE, by Tonia Poteat, Daouda Diouf, Fatou Maria Drame, Marieme Ndaw, Cheikh Traore, Mandeep Dhaliwal, Chris Beyrer, Stefan Baral Abstract   Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at high risk for HIV in Senegal, with a prevalence of 21.5%. In December 2008, nine male HIV prevention workers were imprisoned for “acts against nature” Read More >>

“Advocating for the cause of minority groups in general is on my everyday to do list.” Amadou Moreau is an IRMA advocate from Dakar, Senegal. There he is also a sociologist and demographer and Vice President of Global Initiatives at the Global Research and Advocacy Group (GRAG) – and he loves his job. HIV related matters are Read More >>

via SDGLN.com, by SDGLN staff Madieye Diallo Last May, one such mob dug up the body of Madieye Diallo, who had died of HIV-related complications, and the incident was recorded on video by someone holding a cell phone. The video was sold in the town market in Thies, where Diallo had lived. The Associated Press reported that Read More >>

The global outcry against Uganda’s “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” could not be more deafening.  via Metro Weekly, by Cary Alan Johnson and Ryan Thoreson Excerpt: Take Senegal, for instance, where homosexuality has been illegal since 1965. The last two years have seen a dramatic escalation in homophobic persecution and violence, largely unnoticed by the international community and the world media. Read More >>

[Excerpt from Stephen Lewis’ speech at the IAS Conference, Cape Town, South Africa, July 19, 2009. Read the full speech.] When the Government of Senegal jails eight gay AIDS activists for no reason except homophobia, setting back the fight against AIDS, where are the scientific voices of condemnation? Right now, in the Caribbean, every country save the Read More >>

via RH Reality Check Two weeks ago, nine HIV activists were sentenced to eight years in prison in Dakar, Senegal for “indecent and unnatural acts” and “forming associations of criminals.” They were arrested in December, just after the 15th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), on suspicion of having engaged in homosexual acts. Such Read More >>

Eight-Year Sentences in Threatening Conditions for 9 Accused of ‘Indecent and Unnatural Acts’ The men were arrested only days after Senegal served as the host for the 15th International Conference on AIDS and STIs (sexually transmitted infections) in Africa (ICASA). Presentations at this conference pointed out the apparent contradiction in some countries, such as Senegal, which target Read More >>

by IRMA member Lourence “Larry” Misedah of Kenya (pictured above) It was a first in the history of the International Conference on AIDS and STI in Africa (ICASA). At the 15th ICASA held in Dakar, Senegal from 3-7th December 2008,there was high visibility and a wide presentation of LGBTI issues. The LGBT pre-conference brought different participants together Read More >>