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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (
LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...
) people in
Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...
face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Although same-sex sexual activity is legal, the Nigerien LGBTQ community faces
stigmatization Stigma, originally referring to the visible marking of people considered inferior, has evolved to mean a negative perception or sense of disapproval that a society places on a group or individual based on certain characteristics such as their ...
among the broader population.


Law regarding same-sex sexual activity

Same-sex sexual activity is currently legal in Niger, but its criminalisation is pending. Also, the age of consent is not equal for same-sex and opposite-sex sexual activity. The age of consent is set at 13 years for heterosexuals and 21 years for homosexuals.


Recognition of same-sex relationships

Niger does not legally recognize same-sex unions.


Discrimination protections

While same-sex sexual activity is legal in Niger, there are no laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBT individuals have no legal protection in areas such as employment, housing, healthcare, education, or public accommodations. According to the Human Dignity Trust, Niger has no anti-discrimination provisions that protect LGBT persons in any context. The U.S. Department of State reports that LGBT persons face societal discrimination, harassment, and exclusion, and that the government provides no legal remedies or protections. There are no broad legal protections against
discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...
based on
sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring personal pattern of romantic attraction or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. Patterns ar ...
or
gender identity Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. Gender identity can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent and consistent with the in ...
. However, some limited protections based on sexual orientation are in place: *Article 4 of Law 2015-36 on the Illicit Trafficking of Migrants prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. *Article 95 of Law 2022-59 on the Protection of Personal Data, states: "The act, except in the cases provided for in Article 42 of this law, of collecting and processing data that reveals racial, ethnic, or regional origin, parentage, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, sexual life or sexual orientation, genetic data, or, more generally, data relating to the health of the person concerned shall be punishable by imprisonment of three months to five years and a fine of 5,000,000 to 50,000,000 francs."


Living conditions

The U.S. Department of State's 2010 Human Rights Report found that "there were no known organizations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender persons and no reports of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. However, gay persons experienced societal discrimination."NIGER


Summary table


See also

* Human rights in Niger * LGBTQ rights in Africa


References

Human rights in Niger Law of Niger Politics of Niger {{Title country LGBTQ in Niger