Gay somalis
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Last updated: 17 December 2024
Types of criminalisation
- Criminalises LGBT people
- Criminalises sexual activity between males
- Criminalises sexual activity between females
- Imposes the death penalty
Summary
Same-sex sexual exercise is prohibited under the Penal Code 1962, which criminalises acts of ‘carnal knowledge’ and ‘an act of lust’ with a person of the similar sex. This provision carries a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment. Both men and women are criminalised under this law. Additionally, same-sex sexual task can be penalised through the operation of Sharia regulation, under which the maximum penalty is death.
The provision under the 1962 Penal Code was inherited from the British during the colonial period, in which the English criminal law was imposed upon the area of Somalia under British control (Somaliland). The unified express of Somalia retained the provision upon independence and continues to criminalise gay sexual activity today. Furthermore, Article 2 of the Provisional Constitution of Somalia designa
“When we were kids, we all mind we were the only Somali person in the nature who felt the way we felt and believed the way we believed,” said Mushtaq Abdullahi, a young Somali lesbian woman living in Philadelphia, and one of four administrators of the online group LGBTQ Somalis.
Public LGBTQ+ Somali representation is virtually nonexistent, she explained, which is why she and her friend Yunis Karone had conversations about starting a team specifically for LGBTQ Somalis around 2017. But it wasn’t until April 3 of this year, that Abdullahi officially launched the community, with Karone, Jonas Mali and Abdimaroodi as co-founders.
While Abdullahi is a Philly local, Abdimaroodi resides in Chicago, Mali lives in Columbus, Ohio and Karone currently lives in Helsinki, Finland, though he has also called Nairobi and London home also.
Their impetus for starting the group was fueled by “that desire to not let another Somali kid go through that, where they feel like they’re literally the only person in their family or group that’s attracted to the same gender, or that they do not [identify with] the gender that they were assigned to,” Abdullahi said. “
Gay Somali refugees face death threats
Nairobi, Kenya – Gay, lesbian and HIV-infected refugees from Somalia are facing persecution – and even the threat of death – should they return home.
Refugees have been under pressure to leave accommodations in Kenya, where many also encounter racist discrimination, after claims the country is now significantly safer than when Al-Shabaab had manage of Mogadishu.
But many gay Somalis say returning is not an option for them.
“Warlords have made Somalia a death chamber for gays and lesbians,” said Jamal, a Somali journalist. “It is against international law to pressure such groups back to Somalia, given the risks.”
‘It will be a massacre’
Top UN officials, among them Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, include claimed, however, that the region is safe and requires its citizens to help with the reconstruction process.
| Witness: Sisters of Somalia |
But for some refugees, the existence of going back home – whether by force or voluntarily – rests somewhere between a rock and hard place.
“I possess no doubt all gays, lesbians, HIV/AIDS positive people and other minorities will be killed. It will be a massacre,” claimed Said Elmi, a 25-year-old t
Neither Fully Queer Nor Somali?: What Queer Somalis' Narratives Reveal About Space, Individuality, and Community in Western Diaspora
Abstract
The field of Muslim sexuality studies has grown over the past two decades because of the aftermath of 9/11. This master’s thesis is a textual content analysis of the personal narratives of queer Somalis in Western diaspora. It addresses the intersections of their identities that create unique forms of oppression. Not much research has been conducted on queer Somali communities. This analysis of lgbtq+ Somalis’ personal narratives aims to illuminate parts of the invisibility of gay Somalis, their experienced accusations of inauthenticity, and the erasure of their existences. I utilize an intersectional, transnational feminist, queer, and Black feminist lens. By conducting this research proposal, the findings of this master’s thesis indicate that queer Somalis are subject to various forms of oppression, such as anti-Black Islamophobia and queerphobia, which often directly result in violence. Queer Somalis in Western diaspora actively resist these oppressive systems and actions through different forms of activism. The monitoring themes emerged