By Gboko Stewart

Monrovia-Rocheforte Jones, (not his real name), walked into a fence in the quiet suburb of Sinkor to celebrate a friend’s 33rd birthday on Saturday, November 9, when he and others were stoned, beaten and severely wounded by community members over suspicion that they were “gays.” “It was a birthday party, not an LGBT party,” said Jones. “If you saw a copy of the invitation, nothing there stated that it was relating to LGBT party.”

Jones, 37, said the incident began around 3 a.m. when angry community dwellers gathered around and began throwing stones at them, accusing them of engaging in homosexual acts. The event, he said, was being held in the compound of a Drop-In-Center (DIC) owned and operated by Population Services International (PSI).

PSI is a registered non-profit global health organization with programs targeting malaria, child survival, HIV and reproductive health. It has a global revenue of US$542,349,734 as of 2018. Its drop-in centers in Liberia, according to the organization, are safe spaces for key populations, including LGBTQ, sex workers, drug users and People Living with HIV to check their HIV status. Its opening is usually festive and marred by a wide range of activities, including pageantry.

Liberian gay community continues to face extreme challenges in protection from homophobia across the country. According to the latest U.S. Department of State 2018 report on Liberia, the country’s gay community faces extreme challenges. And with the election of the current administration in Washington, the US no longer exerts the moral pressure it once did.

Identifying as gay is not illegal in the country. However, it could spur violent homophobic attacks on an individual who does so. The current law criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults. The LGBT community says harassment and discrimination are widespread. Read more via Journal Rage