United States President Barack Obama told Senegal President Macky Sall to decriminalize homosexual acts and grant LGBT people living in the African country equal rights.
Upon hearing President Obama's request, Sall responded by saying that Senegal was a "very tolerant" land, but it was "not ready to decriminalize homosexuality," just yet, the BBC reported.
President Obama kicked off his eight-day tour of Africa by starting in Senegal on Wednesday. He met up with leader Sall for a discussion on international relations, Friday.
Although not an aggressively homophobic country, Senegal still sees its fair share of physical and verbal attacks against gay and lesbian people living there. Some Senegalese told the BBC that President Obama's strong suggestion may apply to leaders in Western nations, but not necessarily in theirs. According to the Washington Post, President Barack Obama "[laid] bare a clash of cultures" when he made his comments at a press conference with President Sall.
In 38 African countries, committing homosexual acts are still crimes that could lead to jail time. Many citizens in those particular nations hold conservative religious views.
Perhaps fueled by Wednesday's US Supreme Court decision to shoot down a law denying the recognition of same-sex marriage, President Obama said that when it comes to the state's treatment of its citizens, he believes "everybody has to be treated equally."
Sall answered by maintaining that Senegal is "very tolerant," but simply isn't "ready to decriminalize homosexuality."
The President of Senegal then pointed out that Senegal was not necessarily a backwards country, plagued by outdated legislation-he noted that his nation has made capital punishment illegal, while other countries-including the United States-still dole out the death penalty.
President Obama did not discredit the African country's "amazing" strides in working toward democracy.
He called Senegal one of America's "strongest partners" in Africa.
"It's moving in the right direction with reforms to deepen democratic institutions, and as more Africans across this continent stand up and demand government that are accountable and serve the people, I believe Senegal can be a great example," the U.S. President said.
President Obama will travel to Robben Island on Sunday, where former leader Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 18 of the 27 years he was jailed.
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