Gay Couple In Ivory Coast Imprisoned For Having Sex
A court in Ivory Coast has sentenced two men to prison for engaging in sexual acts together.
The LGBT group Espace Confiance claims the men were sentenced to three months in prison in Sassandra, about 155 miles from Abidjan, on charges of public indecency.
Ivory Coast is regarded as relatively tolerant toward LGBT people compared to countries like Uganda and Nigeria. And, in fact, homosexual acts between consenting adults are not against the law.
That doesn't mean the picture is a rosy one: In 2011, the State Department reported that while it found no official discrimination in housing, health care or employment, stigma against the LGBT community was widespread, with gay men particularly subject to beatings, imprisonment, abuse extortion by police and members of the armed forces.
In June, several gay men were attacked by a mob after signing a condolence card for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando.
Complaints are usually not filed because of fear of reprisals.