Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Nigeria face various legal and social challenges due to their sexuality.
Nigeria does not recognize LGBT rights. There is no legal protection against discrimination due to being a conservative country of more than 200 million people comprised of a Muslim north and a predominantly Christian south.
LGBTQ communities in Nigeria are fleeing to countries with progressive laws to seek protection from violence meted out on them.
The maximum punishment in the twelve northern states that have adopted Shari’a law is death by stoning. In southern Nigeria and under northern Nigeria’s secular criminal laws, the maximum punishment for same-sex sexual activity is 14 years’ imprisonment.
The Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, which banned gay relationships and entrenched intolerance of sexual minorities in Nigerian society, was signed by the then president, Goodluck Jonathan, in January 2014.
Fmr. President Goodluck Jonathan.
In October 2020, a case against 47 men charged with public displays of affection with members of the same sex was thrown out. The presiding judge, Justice Rilwan Aikawa, struck out the case and said he had done so due to the “lack of diligent prosecution”.
The men had been charged under the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act. This case was neither the first, second or third charged under the prohibition act.
Suspected Homosexuals paraded after arrest
Bobrisky, a transgender woman, known as an internet personality with over 3.7M followers on Instagram was Born Okuneye Idris Olarenwaju in 1992. She completed her secondary school education at King’s College, Lagos. Also attended graduate school at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
In May 2019, Bobrisky confirmed that her pronouns were “she” and “her” after receiving several misgendered comments on her Instagram profile.
Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s Communications and Public Affairs Manager for West Africa, revealed that Bobrisky was the most searched individual in Nigeria from October 26 to November 2016.
Since her emergence, there has been a flood of crossdressers and homosexuals in Nigeria, openly revealing their orientation.
Bobrisky
Bobrisky’s growing influence set him up for a clash with the Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe.
Otunba has repeatedly criticised Bobrisky and has threatened to deal with the crossdresser, who he called “a national disgrace.”
Commenting on the lifestyle by stating: “He started by selling and using bleaching creams. Now, he has grown boobs, bums and hips.
“If he is doing well with his immoral lifestyle, how do you convince Nigerian youths to do the right thing? Bobrisky has the right, but not within the Nigerian environment.
“If he wants to continue with that way of life, then he should leave Nigeria. Our culture does not allow such personality in our society.
A section of the society treats Bobrisky and the newly formed LGBT community in Nigeria with levity and believes that their choice of orientation results from the constant hardship.
However, it is clear that society is becoming more accommodating, and this community is opening more rooms to have important conversations about the legality of LGBT in Nigeria.
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REFERENCES:
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/27/nigerian-judge-throws-out-case-against-47-men-over-homosexuality
- https://www.humandignitytrust.org/country-profile/nigeria
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/dec/11/first-men-go-on-trial-under-nigerias-anti-homosexuality-laws
- https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2021/03/07/accolades-for-ncacs-boss-otunba-olusegun-runsewe/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobrisky
