This week read about a rally against LGBT rights held in Senegal, and a bill that would have allowed gay marriages failing to pass its first legislative hurdle in Lithuania.
Rally Held Against LGBT Rights In Senegal
Hundreds of demonstrators have gathered to demand that homosexuality be declared a criminal in Senegal.
According to Africanews, hundreds of ecstatic protestors gathered in a central area for a demonstration organized by And Samm Jikko Yi, a civil society collective that supports “proper values.” Religious leaders and civil society organizations addressed the crowd.
The government of Senegal has frequently said that homosexuality would not be legalized.
President Macky Sall of Senegal has previously stated that homosexual individuals are not persecuted in the 16-million-strong country, and that the restriction on same-sex conduct reflects cultural values.
Senegal, according to Ousmane Kouta, a spokesman of a student religious group, is a country of religion and values.
To cheers and screamed slogans, he remarked, “[Senegal] is homophobic and will stay such forever.”
Lithuanian Bill To Allow Same-Sex Marriage Fails At First Hurdle
Photo via PxHere.
A bill in Lithuania that would have allowed same-sex couples to form civil unions failed to pass its first legislative hurdle.
According to Euronews, the bill, which is also known as the Partnership Law, needed 65 votes to move forward, but it was narrowly defeated as 63 members of Parliament voted in favor, 58 voted against, and seven abstained.
“I am disappointed with yesterday’s decision. Nevertheless, [the] good news is that we have received the support of 63 MPs and we lacked only two votes to pass the Partnership Law at the first hearing,” Tomas Raskevičius, an openly gay MP who sponsored the bill, told Euronews.
The failure of the bill comes after demonstrations in Lithuania over the bill’s introduction.
Thousands of people marched in Vilnius in May to protest the law, which was nicknamed the “Great Family Defence March.”
