Chérif* arrived in France in early June with one certainty: he could no longer stay in Senegal. «I was going to be arrested,» he recalls. For weeks after a man he knew was detained, fear consumed him. «As soon as I read about it in the news, all I could think about was fleeing.» The case hit close to home—his acquaintance was linked to Ousmane Sonko, now President of Senegal’s National Assembly, who spearheaded the law increasing prison sentences for same-sex relations from five to ten years, passed on March 11. Local media reported multiple arrests of alleged partners. «I knew the police would search his phone and find messages implicating me,» Chérif admits. «I deleted every trace—messages, photos, anything that could expose my hidden life.»

In Senegal, the climate has turned suffocating. Everywhere—homes, streets, TV, and social media— «everyone was talking about LGBTQ+ people,» and hate speech spread unchecked. «They corrupt the youth, they destroy society…»