Six gay men were attacked in Cote d’Ivoire and forced to flee their homes after they were pictured signing a condolence book for the victims of the recent attack on a gay night club in Florida.
The U.S. embassy in the Ivorian capital of Abidjan hosted an event a fortnight ago to honor the Florida victims and published a photo of the six men on its website with the caption: ‘LGBTI community signing the condolence book’.
Days after the tribute, one of the men in the photo was attacked by a mob in his neighbourhood.
Another man in the picture was also attacked after the photo was circulated on Facebook and other websites, said the head of an Abidjan-based gay rights group, who asked to remain anonymous.
The other four men in the photo were verbally abused, and all six fled their homes, he added.
