If you are gay in Nigeria – it is not an easy life. The law, society, and often friends and family will discriminate against you. So BattaBox asked several gay men about the challenges they face being homosexual in Africa.
And they answers reveal a lot, not just about the men, but about society in Nigeria.
“My parents don’t know I am gay in Nigeria,” says one young man, who’s identity must remain anonymous. “They said to me, we don’t see you with any girls, always guys, guys, guys. And I asked myself – how can I do this?”
It is illegal to commit any “same-sex” act in Nigeria since 1901. If you are prosecuted of homosexuality and found guilty, then you can face up to 14 years in prison. It was a bill signed into law by the previous president Goodluck Jonathan despite serious external pressure from the West for the Same Sex Marriage, or the anti-gay, bill to be stopped. In the north of Nigeria, under Sharia law, anyone found guilty of committing homosexual sexual acts, can be stoned to death.
“I started to realise I was gay when I was nine years old,” says another man, who’s identity has also been kept anonymous. “I began to wear my mum’s shoes and head-wrap.”
Nigerian, and African, society is widely regarded as very religious and conservative. Homosexuality is widely regarded as a “Western import” that is “not” African. And so anyone who admits, even to their family, that they are gay in Nigeria, can face serious discrimination.
However, in recent years, especially as more people move to large cities such as Lagos and the rise of the internet and awareness to human rights, more Nigerians around the world campaign for equal gay rights in Nigeria. A gay church founded by pastor Jide Macaulay was even set up in Lagos, before police pressured the church to close.
“Even people who discriminate against gays in Nigeria – are one of us!” explains the young man. “I even have police that come to our gay parties, but they won’t say they’re police, but I know because they are my friends.”
In July, 2017, over men were arrested in Lagos state for performing homosexual acts, say police. But, according to the BBC, the event that the police raided was to raise awareness about HIV testing in Nigeria’s gay community.
The discrimination means homosexuals cannot easily access healthcare and education, and has helped the spread of HIV/AIDS in the gay community in Nigeria.
What do you think about being gay in Nigeria? Gist us in the comments below.
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Dear straight Nigerian men, please prepare kill these gay virus, because they will molest your little boy or little girl, for they lack self control.
Jack the ripper for Gays.
*Gay discussions in Nigeria is perceived as being too sensitive* People often refer to religion or say it is unAfrica but that’s not topic here because there are many other things that are unAfrica that we do and also we don’t even keep other commandments in the Bible. Sometimes those homophobic are gays themselves trying to cover it up even some religious leaders are gays so let’s not pretend as if gays are aliens from another planet.
In every nonsense there is sense so let’s not shy away from discussing issues about gays as there are things to learn from it on how to keep it under control.
I grew up from Christian background and those days I hated gays to core because of religion. While I was in SS2 we formed a group of 5 men that flogs the hell out of gay people in the HOSTEL. Until one day there was this young boy in JSS3 that I personally flogged the hell out of him. He used to be the best among other junior boyz, he is too kind and if you send him on errands he will do it better than others and he was also good in his studies.
Those days there are no GSM so it happened that I planned a date with a girl and she didn’t show up then I came back very angry, that very night that JSS3 young boy was caught having gay sex with a senior who was in same level with us. Because I was already angry, I flogged the hell out of this boy MORE than we normally flog others. Although the senior was our class mate but he prefer us flog him than reporting it to school authority.
The following day the boy couldn’t go to school, he was in deep pains because of the punishment but that doesn’t change the good boy in him as he greeted me very well and that made my conscience felt guilty not because I flogged him but I descended my anger on him by flogging him TOO much than we normally do. I felt remorse but in those 90s Nigeria was in military era so we used to have military minds even in schools therefore my ego can’t allow me to tell a JUNIOR boy that I am sorry for my actions yet my conscience won’t free me until I later called this boy to give him my ear to know HOW & WHY gay? At SS2 we were already given power as the leaders in school and I was also our group leader so my decisions matters most.
SURPRISENLY, I was shocked to hear that a Rev. Father introduced him to his first gay sex and it was the mother that UNKNOWNLY put him in such trap. What a hypocrisy from the same religious leaders that often preaches against gay. Well, to make the long story short, his story changed my view about hating and flogging gays in hostel as there are no amount of flogging that will take gay away from anyone. After the case of that very boy, whenever a gay case is brought to us, I will only command them to kneel down and raise up hands while I talk and warn them never to engage in such acts again, every gays in our hostel was 3x careful/secrecy then and it continued until we left secondary school.
Although I DON’T like gay acts (I never tried ANAL sex with woman as I don’t like it) but I don’t think flogging/mob gays or sending them to 14 years imprisonment will ever change anyone from being gay but in my own opinion I think therapy/counseling or giving “TB. Joshua” a TRY will be better than imprisonment. I also do not discriminate against gays as long as such person put his acts together and not flaunting it around me.
Nigeria is finished oo
Making being “gay illegal” isn’t going to stop people from being gay. How about accept people for who they are and move on as a country. However it is nice seeing open minded people in the comment section. 🙂
It’s 2017, we have to walk with peace in our hearts. If you’re religious, be patient, and let your god be the judge. “We” do not have the right to interfere in people’s lives
Why do Nigerians care about what two grown ass ppl do in the bedroom be it heterosexuals or homosexuals??
*Please pin this so people can read this. It’s very important*
Even without Christianity or Islam homosexuality has never existed in Africa! No native language has a word for homosexuality. It has never existed! People who masturbate themselves will obviously end up homosexual. If you find pleasure in sexually arousing yourself you won’t need an opposite sex for your lust desires. Homosexuality is a mental illness, it is a learned behavior. You can’t say you aren’t into men but like women who act like men, hows that? Homosexuality is a lust feeling not love, nature itself is trying to tell us that it’s unnatural. Gay people destroy their rectum by sticking their dicks in another mans’ anus, many of them even wear diapers because they can’t control the system.
I also notice that when women are raped at a young age or sexually molested they end up lesbian, even sodomizing young boys changes their sexual orientation.
Homosexuality is a choice, take Moniece for example from love and hip hop Hollywood, she has never been with a woman her entire life suddenly at age 30 she is dating a tomboy (she is now lesbian). Yes Moniece uses sex toys, she even owns her own dildo branch. When people like her, for example, she can’t find good men they start using an artificial penis to arouse their desires and end up saying they are lesbian.
Gays you see today are just teens who have been masturbating themselves and now suffer from this deep mental sexual disorientation (in other words lust).
This behavior is common with whites. Let’s face it, a lot of whites have sexual fetish, there are countries in Europe where bestiality is legal and some states in America where bestiality is legal. Whites see such sexual lust as normal and africans who grew up in the west are copying their culture of saying homosexuality is a normal thing. No, it’s not and will never be normal!!!!!
If you pause the video at 1:54, you can make out the face of the individual you are trying to disguise. I suggest you do a better job at hiding these people’s identify l.
I understand this doctor Stella Uwague is coming from a good place but if you catch them in the act then you catch them in the act – they are not inviting you into the bed. Pure foolishness, no-one in Nigeria should be prosecuted because they are gay, bi, lesbian trans and anything else.
Abeg it’s no ones business what 2 people are doing in the bedroom whether you agree with it or not. He who is without sin cast the first stone. Nigeria have bigger problems to be focusing on than same sex relationships.