LGBT acceptance slowly grows Nigeria, spe anti-gay laws | Rters

Contents:

• OPN: NIGERIA IS A LD-BLOOD UNTRY FOR GAY MEN – I HAVE THE SRS TO PROVE
• LGBTQ+ NIGERIANS ARE CELEBRATG PRI MONTH DEFIANCE OF ANTI-GAY LAW
• HAPPENING NOW: LGBT NIGERIANS JAILED AFTER PASSAGE OF NEW ANTI-GAY LAW
• LGBT ACCEPTANCE SLOWLY GROWS NIGERIA, SPE ANTI-GAY LAWS

OPN: NIGERIA IS A LD-BLOOD UNTRY FOR GAY MEN – I HAVE THE SRS TO PROVE

In Nigeria – where homosexualy is crimalised and same-sex attractn is wily nsired morally unacceptable – ltle is said about trans inti mostly bee there is a misnceptn that the inti are non-existent. Agast a backdrop of adly anti-gay vlence, A Nasty Boy dared to be a haven for gay men Nigeria and, no time, received ternatnal attentn through CNN, BBC, The Guardian, The Enomist, Vogue, and others. And yet, even this gome attack pal parison to the fatal btaly many Nigerian gay men have too often experienced the form of lynchgs or pillory wh tir before they’re set on fire and burnt alive—not for terrorism or worse, but for beg gay, for beg human, a sperately homophobic untry.

Homosexualy⚢✖ Illegal (other penalty)Censorship✖ Imprisonment as punishmentNon-bary genr regnnUnknownDiscrimatn✖ No protectnsEmployment Discrimatn✖ No protectnsHog Discrimatn✖ No protectnsConversn Therapy✖ Not banned.

Imprisonment as punishment In addn to crimalizg homosexualy, Nigeria has enacted legislatn that would make illegal for heterosexual fay members, alli and iends of LGBT people to be supportive. Acrdg to Nigerian law, a heterosexual ally "who admisters, wns, abets or aids" any form of genr non-nformg and homosexual activy uld receive a 10-year jail to change legal genr Nigeria?

LGBTQ+ NIGERIANS ARE CELEBRATG PRI MONTH DEFIANCE OF ANTI-GAY LAW

By Pelumi SalakoILORIN, Nigeria, June 23 (Thomson Rters Foundatn) — YouTuber Victor Emmanuel knows first-hand how tough life is for people who are openly gay Nigeria, where LGBTQ+ relatnships and even same-sex displays of affectn are year, he was kidnapped by seven men who blackmailed, extorted, and tortured him for two days an attack that has sce left him nstantly lookg over his shoulr. "Nigeria is a eply relig untry, where many reject homosexualy as a rptg Wtern 2014, the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibn) Act was signed to law, which bars not only gay relatnships but also any public sign of same-sex affectn or membership of LGBTQ+ groups, wh punishments of up to 14 years prison.

Gay sex is illegal more than half of Ain untri, acrdg to global LGBTQ+ rights tracker Equalx, although Gabon, Kenya, and Botswana have all crimalised same-sex relatns recent spe the risks, activists are phg to exprs themselv and mand change this June, a month which is marked around the world wh LGBTQ+ Pri ralli and parti. The legislatn amounts to "refully nstcted state vlence" which "exacerbat queerphobia and prevents om havg a muny, " said Kayo Ani Somtochwu, founr of the Queer Unn for Enomic and Social Transformatn (QUEST) Mistry of Jtice and the police force did not immediately rpond to requts for 2018, a group of 47 men were arrted and later charged for allegedly jog a gay club, a se that drew ternatnal outcry and was wily seen as a tt of the men said they were at a birthday party and the se was thrown out by a judge due to the "lack of diligent prosecutn. "But LGBTQ+ people are growg creasgly vol and visible, wh the ter providg a space for gay-iendly films, talk shows, and rights groups barred om formally registerg as an anisatn unr the same-sex marriage law, most anisg and support groups take place onle.

HAPPENING NOW: LGBT NIGERIANS JAILED AFTER PASSAGE OF NEW ANTI-GAY LAW

Such provisns build on existg legislatn Nigeria, but go much further: while the lonial-era crimal and penal s outlawed sexual acts between members of the same sex, the SSMPA effectively crimaliz lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) persons based on sexual orientatn and genr inty. Many LGBT dividuals terviewed by Human Rights Watch said that prr to the enactment of the SSMPA January 2014, the general public objected to homosexualy primarily on the basis of relig beliefs and perceptns of what nstut Ain culture and tradn. For stance, Febary 2014 Gishiri village, Abuja, a group of approximately 50 people armed wh machet, clubs, whips, and metal wir dragged people om their hom and severely beat at least 14 men whom they spected of beg gay.

LGBT ACCEPTANCE SLOWLY GROWS NIGERIA, SPE ANTI-GAY LAWS

They told Human Rights Watch that members of the public rmed the police that gay men were gathered together and when police arrived and found a bag of ndoms that belonged to an HIV peer tor, they were all arrted. Interviewe, cludg reprentativ of mastream human rights anizatns, said the SSMPA has created opportuni for people to act out their homophobia wh btaly and whout fear of legal nsequenc. Punive legal environments, stigma, and discrimatn based on sexual orientatn and genr inty, together wh high levels of physil, psychologil, or sexual vlence agast gay men and other men who have sex wh men (MSM), impes staable natnal rpons to HIV.

When acts of vlence are mted or ndoned by officials or natnal thori, cludg law enforcement officials, this leads to a climate of fear that fuels human rights vlatns and ters gay men and other MSM om seekg and adherg to HIV preventn, treatment, re, and support servic. A June 2013 poll nducted by NOIPolls, prr to the enactment of the SSMPA, found that for moral and relig reasons, approximately 92 percent of Nigerians supported the proposed law, and did not see as gg on the human rights of the lbian, gay, and bisexual muny.

[18] In 2015, NOIPolls, partnership wh The Iniative for Equal Rights (TIERs), [19] a Nigeria-based non-ernmental anizatn workg to protect and promote the human rights of sexual mori, and Bisi Alimi Foundatn, [20] an enty that works to enurage the acceptance of LGBT people Nigeria, nducted a send poll followg plats that the SSMPA enabl law enforcement agenci to vlate the human rights of lbian, gay, and bisexual dividuals. [22] Further, 15 percent believed homosexuals should have equal rights and 30 percent believed lbian, gay, and bisexual people should have the same accs to public servic such as health re, hog, and tn. [23] While the general public ntu to support the prohibn and crimalizatn of same-sex marriage and civil unns Nigeria, is signifint that nearly a third of Nigerians do not agree wh discrimatn accs to socenomic rights for lbian, gay, and bisexual persons.