LGBTQ+ Nigerians Are Celebratg Pri Month Defiance of Anti-Gay Law

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” The SSMPA impos a 10-year prison sentence on anyone who “registers, operat or participat gay clubs, societi and anizatn” or “supports” the activi of such anizatns.

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.

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The heated public bate and heightened media tert the law have ma homosexualy more visible and LGBT people even more vulnerable than they already were.

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.

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. For example, shortly after the SSMPA passed January 2014, police raid an HIV awarens meetg Abuja and arrted 12 participants on spicn of “promotg homosexualy.

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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. Gay: Synonym many parts of the world for homosexual; ed here to refer to the sexual orientatn of a man whose primary sexual and romantic attractn is toward other men.