Gay community in dessie, ethiopia

Authorities in Ethiopia have initiated a crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community. Rights activists have branded it a diversionary tactic in the wake of renewed violence across the country.

This provision carries a maximum penalty of one year imprisonment for consensual activity. Both men and women are criminalised under this law. Unlike almost all other African states, Ethiopia was not colonised by a European country so its criminalising law is of local origin.

The fear of persecution among gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and other sexual minorities in Ethiopia is so great that some are fleeing abroad. Gezahegn, who describes themselves as nonbinary, co-founded the LGBTQ+ activist group The House of Guramayle in Ethiopia before fleeing the country.

Beki Aby is a leader in the LGBT community in Ethiopia. In he co-founded DANA Social Club, an informal collective that advocates for LGBT rights and provides members with support and information. In an extremely difficult environment DANA has conducted online campaigns and publishes an online archive named the Ethiopian Gay Library.

Authorities in Ethiopia have initiated a crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community. Rights activists have branded it a diversionary tactic in the wake of renewed violence across the country.

Ethiopian church groups have called on the government to block a planned visit to the country by a US-based company that organises tours for gay people. The groups were particularly angry that the itinerary published by the Toto Tours company includes religious sites. Many Ethiopians are deeply religious and disapprove of homosexuality, which is also prohibited under the law.

Independent LGBTQ news and updates from Ethiopia — stories, community voices, and regional developments.

When a clip of two men dancing at a party in Ethiopia was posted to TikTok, it unleashed a torrent of homophobic hatred and eventually forced one of them to flee the country. The pair were unaware they were being filmed. The videos were initially posted to Instagram where someone took a screenshot of them to make a TikTok post that went viral.