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Burkina Faso’s new anti-LGBTQ+ law is a dangerous step backwards

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Nairobi, Kenya
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Intimately caught up in the constant tussle for domination, Burkina Faso seems to be moving backward in time. Earlier this month, the West African nation enthroned a law criminalising promotion of homosexuality, for which people may be imprisoned for two-to-five years.

Burkina Faso has long been considered comparatively safe for the LGBTQ+ people vis-a-vis its neighbours Mali and Ghana, but that couldn’t be further from the truth now.

Not only does the law outline punishments for same-sex partners, but adoption rights, censorship of various media, and in extreme cases, expulsion of foreigners are some of its other implementations.

This response forces Burkina Faso into a group with other nations on the continent that are retaliating against queer identities on a mass basis, and is another example of the discernible trend of rising state-sanctioned homophobia on the continent.

This new legislation also echoes the far-right Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023, and the global outrage that it generated for enacting death penalties in instances of same sex acts, as well as several other intrusive regulations. Ghana’s own ‘family values law’ is inching closer to a vote, meanwhile, while Nigeria still operates in its 2014 law that criminalises same-sex relationships with up to 14 years imprisonment.

Burkina Faso’s passage of this legislation is indicative of the fact that anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment is spreading to parts of Africa not usually characterized by it, becoming a regional anti-queer movement that normalizes hate under the veil of attempting to save ‘traditional values.’ Whatever that is supposed to mean.

For young Africans who mostly engage with world culture via TikTok, Instagram, and streaming services, the discrepancy is glaring. Online, they see queer representation and allies being celebrated, while offline, their governments are actively trying to erase that.

Behind the legislation is a stark reality, people in the LGBTQ+ community in Burkina Faso will face fragmentation of their lives – arrest, social ostracisation, loss of work, family rejection. It’s horrendously out of keeping with 2025.

Young queer people, especially Gen Z, remain silent and invisible, or risk everything by authentically being themselves.

The timing from this crackdown is not accidental. Although Burkina Faso has experienced extreme insecurity, economical stalling, and political instability due to military leadership, many analysts see the attention on queer individuals as a smokescreen for avoiding more important issues.

Young people across the continent continue to find innovative methods of resistance. In Nigeria, creative digital campaigns gained traction in spite of attempts to censor them. In Uganda, underground collectives are still providing safe spaces. And in Burkina Faso, a new wave of anonymous online activism has begun using memes, encrypted chats, and campaigns led by the diasporas to amplify voices.

For many Gen Z Africans, this law is not just a legal issue but also a personal attack, questioning their right to exist in the same world they have grown up seeing online and by all accounts, they want a more inclusive one.

Despite global organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch being vocal and having statements about Burkina Faso’s new law, little to no attention is expected from the government over the statements. Global youth movements can also elevate Black African queer voices and fund grassroots work.

Because at the end of the day, it is more than just politics. This is about dignity, identity, and the right to love and be loved without fear.

Writer Nairobi, Kenya

I’m Derrick (He/Him), a Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from the Technical University of Mombasa, Kenya. Currently I write about trending topics and major issues affecting Africa for Thred, specifically concerning SDGs. View my Twitter here if you’d like to send me feedback.

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