Gambia President, Yahya Jammeh calls homosexuals ‘vermin’ and redefines LGBT

In a speech to mark the 49th anniversary of Gambia’s independence from Britain Tuesday, President Yahya Jammeh spoke to recent threats by Britain and some other Western nations who say they will cut off aid to governments that pass anti-gay laws.

Gambia President Yahya Jammeh
Image/Video Screen Shot

In the speech, Jammeh said the country will not pushed by outside sources on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues saying, “We will therefore not accept any friendship, aid or any other gesture that is conditional on accepting homosexuals or LGBT as they are now baptized by the powers that promote them.”

In fact, Mr. Jammeh went on to redefine the acronym LGBT saying it stands for–Leprosy, Gonorrhoea, Bacteria and Tuberculosis.

“We will fight these vermins called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-causing mosquitoes, if not more aggressively,” he said, according to Euronews.

In recent months, Nigeria has outlawed same-sex relationships and Uganda has voted for life imprisonment for some homosexual acts. In fact, homosexuality is illegal in over half (37) of the countries on the African continent.

Gambia is the smallest country in Africa surrounded by Senegal on the Atlantic coast of west Africa. According to a Wikipedia entry, Islam is the predominant religion, practised by approximately ninety percent of the country’s population. The majority of the Muslims in the Gambia adhere to Sunni laws and traditions.