LGBT rights in Sudan
Encyclopedia
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Sudan face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT
residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Sudan
, and the topic of homosexuality is taboo.
applies should the offense be committed either by a man or a woman.
For homosexual men, lashes are given for the first offence, with the death penalty following the third offence.
100 lashes are given to unmarried women who engage in homosexual acts. For lesbian
women, stoning and thousands of lashes are the penalty for the first offence.
, writing in the 1940s and 50s noted that among the Otoro, a special transvestitic role existed whereby men dressed and lived as women. Trasvestitic homosexuality also existed amongst the Moru
, Nyima and Tira people
, and reported marriages of Korongo londo and Mesakin tubele for the bride price
of one goat.
In these tribes with "widespread homosexuality and tranvesticism", Nadel reported a fear of heterosexual intercourse as sapping virility
and a common reluctance to abandon the pleasure of all-male camp life for the fetters of permanent settlement. "I have even met men of forty and fifty who spent most of their nights with the young folk in the cattle camps rather that at home in the village." In these pervasively homoerotic societies, the men who were wives were left at home with the women.
Among the Mossi, pages chosen from among the most beautiful boys aged seven to fifteen were dressed and had the other attributes of women in relation to chiefs, for whom sexual intercourse was denied on Fridays. After the boy reaches maturity he was given a wife by the chief. The first child born to such couples belonged to the chief.
Today, the issue has divided some religious communities
. In 2006, Abraham Mayom Athiaan, a bishop in South Sudan, led a split from the Episcopal Church of Sudan for what he regarded as a failure by the church leadership to condemn homosexuality sufficiently strongly..
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, and the topic of homosexuality is taboo.
Law regarding same-sex sexual activity
Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Sudan. The judicial system is based on the Shari'a and according to Article 148, capital punishmentCapital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
applies should the offense be committed either by a man or a woman.
For homosexual men, lashes are given for the first offence, with the death penalty following the third offence.
100 lashes are given to unmarried women who engage in homosexual acts. For lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
women, stoning and thousands of lashes are the penalty for the first offence.
Sudanese tribal society
Siegfried Frederick NadelSiegfried Frederick Nadel
Siegfried Frederick Nadel , known as Fred Nadel, was an Austrian-born British anthropologist, specialising in African ethnology.-Biography:Nadel was born in Lemberg, Galizia, the son of a lawyer...
, writing in the 1940s and 50s noted that among the Otoro, a special transvestitic role existed whereby men dressed and lived as women. Trasvestitic homosexuality also existed amongst the Moru
Moru
Moru is an ethnic group of South Sudan. Most of them live in Equatoria. They speak Moru, a Central Sudanic language. Many members of this ethnicity are Christians, most being members of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan . The Pioneer missionary in the area was Dr Kenneth Grant Fraser of the Church...
, Nyima and Tira people
Tira people
Tira is an ethnic group in the Nuba Hills in Sudan and one of the ethnicities called "Nuba". They speak Tira, a Niger-Congo language and Sudanese Arabic. The population of this group exceeds 100,000....
, and reported marriages of Korongo londo and Mesakin tubele for the bride price
Bride price
Bride price, also known as bride wealth, is an amount of money or property or wealth paid by the groom or his family to the parents of a woman upon the marriage of their daughter to the groom...
of one goat.
In these tribes with "widespread homosexuality and tranvesticism", Nadel reported a fear of heterosexual intercourse as sapping virility
Virility
Virility refers to any of a wide range of masculine characteristics viewed positively. It is not applicable to women or to negative characteristics. The Oxford English Dictionary says virile is "marked by strength or force." Virility is commonly associated with vigour, health, sturdiness, and...
and a common reluctance to abandon the pleasure of all-male camp life for the fetters of permanent settlement. "I have even met men of forty and fifty who spent most of their nights with the young folk in the cattle camps rather that at home in the village." In these pervasively homoerotic societies, the men who were wives were left at home with the women.
Among the Mossi, pages chosen from among the most beautiful boys aged seven to fifteen were dressed and had the other attributes of women in relation to chiefs, for whom sexual intercourse was denied on Fridays. After the boy reaches maturity he was given a wife by the chief. The first child born to such couples belonged to the chief.
Today, the issue has divided some religious communities
Religion in Sudan
Religion plays an important role in Sudan, with most of the country's population adhering to Islam, Animism, or Christianity. More than half Sudan's population was Muslim in the early 1990s. Most Muslims , lived in the north, where they constituted ca 85% percent or more of the population...
. In 2006, Abraham Mayom Athiaan, a bishop in South Sudan, led a split from the Episcopal Church of Sudan for what he regarded as a failure by the church leadership to condemn homosexuality sufficiently strongly..
Living conditions
The U.S. Department of State's 2010 Human Rights Report found that “societal discrimination against homosexual persons was widespread both in the North and the South. In the North, vigilantes targeted suspected homosexual persons for violent abuse, and there were public demonstrations against homosexuality."See also
- Human rights in SudanHuman rights in SudanSome human rights organizations have documented a variety of abuses and atrocities carried out by the Sudanese government over the past several years...
- LGBT rights in AfricaLGBT rights in AfricaLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender rights in Africa are limited in comparison to other areas of the world, with the BBC estimating that homosexuality is outlawed in 38 African countries...
External links
- http://freedomsudan.webs.com "Freedom Sudan" The Sudanese LGBT Association.
- UK government travel advice for Sudan: Local laws and customs
- Africans and Arabs come out online, Reuters via Television New Zealand — includes Sudanese gay blogger