Paper short abstract:

The privatisation and decentralisation of moral policing in Senegal changes the ways in which people can(not) live queer lives. It is furthermore part of a larger transformation of values like sutura (discretion) that its proponents paradoxically argue to protect.

Paper long abstract:

Despite the state’s rather silent and ambiguous position with regards to homosexuality, Senegalese queers face increasingly institutionalised forms of violence. A number of Islamic organisitions deplore the in their eyes irresponsible stance of the state. Tapping into anti-French sentiments in Senegal and a global clash of civilisations, they mobilise citizens to engage in the quest to preserve supposedly traditional Senegalese norms and values. Their strong anti-gay sentiments pronounced in the public sphere have resulted in a reconfiguration of responsibilities between state, religious actors, and citizens. Vigilante emerge as people are encouraged to look for traces, proof, or indications of homosexuality and other forms of moral debauchery. Paradoxically, such calls for the preservation of Senegalese cultural values discard the value of sutura (discretion) that has been so central to Senegalese cultures. Sutura prescribes a twofold silence: people ought to be dicreet about their own behaviour, as well as keep silent about someone else’s deviant behaviour. This virtue of silence has long facilitated queer lives, but it is being jeopardised by the proliferation of moral policing that encourages outing and humiliation rather than respectful silence. In this paper, I will explore how this process leads to an increase in violence against, and suspicion of, queer persons in their families and (queer) communities. The privatisation and decentralisation of moral policing and claims to citizenship changes the ways in which people can(not) live queer lives, and is furthermore part of a larger transformation of values like sutura that its proponents argue to protect.