Homophobic attacks have reached dangerous levels in sub-Saharan Africa and must stop, Amnesty International has said in a report.
Governments are increasingly criminalising "homosegxwal acts" by seeking to impose new laws and draconian penalties, it adds.
This sends the "toxic message" that lesbian, gay, bisegxwal and transgender people are criminals, the report says.
Some of the continent's leaders say homosegxwality is un-African.
In 2011, the US and UK hinted that they could withdraw from countries which did not respect homosegxwal rights on the socially conservative continent.
However, Amnesty said US religious groups "actively fund and promote homophobia in Africa", while many of the laws were inherited from the colonial era.
'Inflaming hostility'
Homosegxwal acts are still a crime in 38 sub-Saharan African countries it said in a report titled "Making Love a Crime: Criminalisation of same-sex conduct in sub-Saharan Africa".
There is no specific legislation outlawing homosegxwal acts in 12 African countries, mostly former French colonies, while gay rights are recognised in South Africa.
In the last five years, South Sudan and Burundi have introduced new laws criminalising same-sex relations, it says.
The parliaments of Uganda, Liberia and Nigeria have draft laws before them, seeking to increase penalties.
"These poisonous laws must be repealed and the human rights of all Africans upheld," Amnesty said.
"In some African countries political leaders target segxwal orientation issues to distract attention from their overall human rights records, often marked by rampant discrimination and violence against women, corruption and lack of media freedoms," it added.
In South Africa, at least seven people, five of them lesbians, were murdered between June and November 2012 in what appears to have been targeted violence related to their segxwal orientation or gender identity, the report says.
This is despite the fact that homosegxwal acts are not illegal in South Africa and the country boasts one of the most progressive constitutions in the world, it adds.
In many instances, media reports also inflame hostility towards people not conforming to heterosegxwal norms, Amnesty says.
In 2010, Uganda's Rolling Stone magazine published a photograph of gay rights activist David Kato next to a headline reading "Hang Them", it says.
Just a month later, he was killed in his home, although the police have denied it was a hate crime.
In Cameroon, people are regularly arrested after being denounced as being gay or lesbian because of their "appearance or conjecture, rather than evidence", Amnesty says.
Some individuals accused of same sex conduct in Cameroon have been imprisoned for three years without trial or charge, it adds.
Former detainees from Cameroon told Amnesty that they were subjected to "invasive procedures such as forced anal exams" while in custody, the report says.
In Kenya, people told Amnesty that sometimes the police threaten to arrest them under provisions in the penal code related to same-sex relations in order to obtain a bribe, the report adds.
"Extortionists also use the existence of these laws to demand money or goods in exchange for not revealing real or even made-up private details to the media, community or police," Amnesty said.
Posted: at 25-06-2013 11:48 AM (10 years ago) | Hero
katdeluna2 at 25-06-2013 12:15 PM (10 years ago) (f)
The UK & US kwa! Let them withdraw na. Idiots. Afterall we are'nt benefitn anythng 4rm them. Rather without some of the african resources they would'nt survive 4 lng. Those pple ar jst robbing, cheatn nd imposing rules on us. Homosegxwality is even AGAINST HUMANITY in general nt only UN-AFRICAN
Posted: at 25-06-2013 12:15 PM (10 years ago) | Upcoming
lovecommander at 25-06-2013 12:44 PM (10 years ago) (m)
US AND UK CRIMINALISE POLYGAMY WHICH IS AS OLD AS HUMAN HISTORY AND LEGALISE HOMOsegxwal WHICH HAS BEEN CRIMINAL THROUGHOUT HUMAN HISTORY. THESE GUYS ATIMES THINKS ANTICLOCKWISE.
Posted: at 25-06-2013 12:44 PM (10 years ago) | Upcoming
US AND UK CRIMINALISE POLYGAMY WHICH IS AS OLD AS HUMAN HISTORY AND LEGALISE HOMOsegxwal WHICH HAS BEEN CRIMINAL THROUGHOUT HUMAN HISTORY. THESE GUYS ATIMES THINKS ANTICLOCKWISE.
i love your point, they criminalize polygamous, and legalize madness and sickness, because i cannot imagine a man putting his dick in a smelling hole
Posted: at 25-06-2013 12:58 PM (10 years ago) | Upcoming
homo, lesby, kaiiiiii.....rubbish people...us n UK can run away for all I care but any Guy wey try touch my small yansh eh! hmmm na die be that because devil go collect am instantation....gbam
Posted: at 25-06-2013 01:17 PM (10 years ago) | Upcoming
Of course its allowed in South Africa! The true SA's have no say. I do not support the killing of homosegxwals or lesbians (after all an adulterer was forgiven by Jesus) but i think the act itself is unacceptable!
Just as the western world finds polygamy and other African traditional ways of life unacceptable so we find a man indulging in a segxwal relationship with another man or a woman in a segxwal relationship with anothet woman deplorable.
And the western world should stop equating the inclusion of black people where we were once discriminated against with the acceptance of homosegxwals and lesbians. They are entirely different situations.
Posted: at 25-06-2013 01:21 PM (10 years ago) | Gistmaniac
US N UK, y una dey interfare wit our cultural n religious beliefs? Anyway una fit withdraw me no snd o, bt make una no invade or try manupilate our laws or we go meet 4 hague
Posted: at 25-06-2013 02:11 PM (10 years ago) | Gistmaniac
Amnesty international, there are so many fight u can fight for africans than dis rubbish gay fight. Child molestation, widow molestation/inhuman treatment and so many. Wat is it dat u want us africans to do. To accept wat GOD does not want???
Posted: at 25-06-2013 02:22 PM (10 years ago) | Addicted Hero
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