From Advocate

Gambian president Yahya Jammeh led an antigay demonstration through the streets of the nation’s capital, Banjul on Tuesday, allegedly attended by thousands rallying in support of recently signed legislation that imposes lifetime prison sentences on many LGBT people, reports Pink News.

There were no reports that the president spoke at the event. However, the signs, speeches, and quotes reported by local media appeared tailored to support Jammeh’s recent enactment of a draconian “Anti-Homosexuality Act,” which is nearly identical to legislation passed — then overturned on a technicality — in Uganda earlier this year. 

Gambia’s new law requires lifelong prison sentences for the so-called crime of “aggravated homosexuality,” defined as acts committed by “serial offenders” and people living with HIV or AIDS, as well as someone who has sex with a minor or a disabled person, or someone under the influence of drugs. The law also equates pedophilia with homosexuality, ordering life in prison for parents or guardians who have sex with same-sex dependents.

Placards displayed at Tuesday’s protests bore slogans such as “Homosexuality is Inhuman; Even cows don’t do it!” and “Homosexuality is forbidden in Islam.”

Read more at Advocate