Non-heteronormative masculinities and religious attitudes of Senegalese migrants living in Italy

The article explores the experiences of some Senegalese Muslim men who have sexual experiences with other men. Drawing on research that took place in some selected urban areas in Senegal and in Northern Italy, I highlight the flexible strategies that Senegalese men enact to maintain or challenge their transnational image of breadwinners living abroad, expressing their intimacy in safe ways while taking into account the dominant social and religious expectations. The article questions whether non-heteronormative genders and sexualities may also influence the engagement in local and transnational networks. Conclusions underline the agency expressed by these highly mobile migrants in managing their bonds and sense of belonging through borders and challenge some dominant discourses that consider non-heteronormative sexualities and religious beliefs inevitably antithetical.