Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Benin may face legal issues not experienced by non-LGBT

LGBT

LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...

 residents. Same-sex sexual acts for both men and women are legal in Benin

Benin

Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...

, though same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples.

Law regarding same-sex sexual activity

Same-sex sexual acts are legal in Benin. Same-sex sexual acts were previously illegal for both men and women, with a penalty of between one and three years in prison and a fine between 100,000 and 300,000 francs

West African CFA franc

The West African CFA franc is the currency of eight independent states in West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Sénégal and Togo. The acronym CFA stands for Communauté financière d'Afrique...

 (150 to 300 euros).

Recognition of same-sex relationships

There is no recognition of legal rights for same-sex couples.

Discrimination protections

There is no legal protection against discrimination

Discrimination

Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...

 based on sexual orientation

Sexual orientation

Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...

.

Living conditions

The U.S. Department of State's 2010 Human Rights Report found that "there were no reports of overt societal discrimination or violence based on a
person's sexual orientation" in Benin.

See also

• LGBT rights in Africa
  LGBT rights in Africa
  Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender rights in Africa are limited in comparison to other areas of the world, with the BBC estimating that homosexuality is outlawed in 38 African countries...
  
  
• Human rights in Africa
  Human rights in Africa
  Human rights as a legal concept is a relatively recent notion in Africa. The United Nations System, international law and the African Union have certainly all contributed to the establishment of a human rights system in Africa, which has positively and indispensably influenced the advancement of...
  
  

External links

• Is there gay life in Benin?
• UK government travel advice: Local laws and customs
• The Pink Shadows of Benin
• Asylumlaw.org: Sexual Minorities & HIV Status (Benin) — various information packets used for asylum purposes