Activists are warning that anti-LGBTQ+ laws are rapidly increasing across West Africa. Many politicians are reportedly using the LGBTQ+ community as easy scapegoats to consolidate and maintain their power. This trend is driven by a combination of local political pressures and a broader global pushback against LGBTQ+ rights. Recent legislative changes highlight the severity of the situation in the region. For instance, Senegal recently doubled the maximum prison sentence for gay sex to ten years. Additionally, Senegal has now criminalized the promotion of homosexuality. Similarly, Niger outlawed same-sex intimacy for the first time in February. These developments signal a growing crackdown on sexual minorities in West African states.