Ivory Coast has traditionally been a haven for LGBTQ+ communities in West Africa, but a recent wave of homophobic attacks fueled by social media has “shaken that sense of security,” Elian Peltier said in The New York Times.

Since September, more than 45 attacks against gay and transgender men have taken place in its largest city, Abidjan. During an incident in Yopougon, a working-class neighborhood of Abidjan, a crowd targeted a beauty salon run by transgender women. A broader rise in homophobia was evident during last September’s election. African Cup of Nations qualifications when several groups of Ivorian supporters displayed banners displaying homophobic messages and slogans, including “No to woubi“, a derogatory term for gay men.