Richard Akon found a magaze for gay men Nigeria, left him vulnerable a place where homophobia is rife. Akon wr for CNN, talkg for the first time about beg btally attacked and havg to flee the untry.
Contents:
- GAY NIGERIA: 'EVERYBODY SE ME AS AN ABOMATN'
- BLACKMAIL, PREJUDICE AND PERSECUTN: GAY RIGHTS NIGERIA
- INSI NIGERIA'S SECRET GAY CLUB
- OPN: NIGERIA IS A LD-BLOOD UNTRY FOR GAY MEN – I HAVE THE SRS TO PROVE
- LAGOS, WHERE ’S STILL A THRILL TO BE GAY
- LGBTQ+ NIGERIANS ARE CELEBRATG PRI MONTH DEFIANCE OF ANTI-GAY LAW
- GAY PARTY GO AWRY EDO
- NIGERIAN POLICE ARE EXTORTG PEOPLE WHO 'LOOK GAY'
- FEATURE-LGBTQ+ NIGERIANS CELEBRATE PRI MONTH FIANCE OF ANTI-GAY LAW
- CROSS RIVER SPEAKER FUM OVER CALABAR GAY PARTY
GAY NIGERIA: 'EVERYBODY SE ME AS AN ABOMATN'
Stigmatised by the public and badgered by the police, gay people Nigeria have been driven ever eper unrground * gay party in nigeria *
Wele to queer nightlife Nigeria where, on weekends, apartments turn to gay clubs, barred wh pass-guardg doors to protect agast hoe parti, discrete rav, and clubs are now beg creasgly popular amongst young queer Nigerians. In 2014, the Nigerian ernment passed the highly ntroversial and homophobic Same-Sex Marriage Prohibn Act. While there isn’t an extensive rerd of people beg found guilty for the crim Nigeria, the laws embolned many homophobic mobs who took the laws to their hands and would beat dividuals who they intified as queer and stroy spac and parti that they spected were hosted by or for queer people.
BLACKMAIL, PREJUDICE AND PERSECUTN: GAY RIGHTS NIGERIA
The BBC's Tomi Oladipo viss a secret club for gay Nigerians, who are livg fear as lawmakers nsir a bill which would ban such gathergs, along wh same-sex weddgs. * gay party in nigeria *
One of the most famo stanc was a 2018 se where 57 men were arrted at a party Lagos unr the spicn of beg iated to a gay club. Tamuno, a 31-year-old gay man, tells me of a near-pture experience when he had gone to a party Port Harurt 2020.
INSI NIGERIA'S SECRET GAY CLUB
* gay party in nigeria *
For the anizers, the secury measur are put place, not agast potential miscreants or robbers but stead to keep off the police force and homophob. 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 sex is illegal more than half of Ain untri, acrdg to global LGBTQ+ rights tracker Equalx, although Gabon, Kenya, and Botswana have all crimalized 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. ”Growg VisibilyWhile there have been no nvictns unr the same-sex marriage act, rights groups, and activists say effectively sanctns ab of LGBTQ+ people and has embolned both police officers and members of the public to rry out legislatn amounts to “refully nstcted state vlence” which “exacerbat queer-phobia 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.
OPN: NIGERIA IS A LD-BLOOD UNTRY FOR GAY MEN – I HAVE THE SRS TO PROVE
Dpe anti-gay laws the LGBTI muny Lagos, Nigeria are havg fun: like-md people have created safe spac to be themselv. * gay party in nigeria *
”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 anizatn unr the same-sex marriage law, most anizg, and support groups take place onle. Younger adults, ag 18 to 25, are 30 percent more likely to be faiar wh some who is a gay, a promisg number for future advocy, says Mr. But for Sarah Nwosu, a graduate who fs the youth mographic that is most likely to change their perceptns on gay rights over time, the law is a good thg.
Five years ago, the Nigerian ernment signed the Same Sex Marriage Prohibn Act, sentially banng gay relatnships.
LAGOS, WHERE ’S STILL A THRILL TO BE GAY
LGBTQ+ Nigerians are gatherg to party and ph back agast anti-gay laws and societal norms this Pri Month. * gay party in nigeria *
They also claim there’s been a rise stanc of extortn and blackmail of the LGBTQI+ muny by secury a after the law passed, our rrponnt Mayeni Jon vtigat what life is really like for Nigeria’s gay muny.
LGBTQ+ NIGERIANS ARE CELEBRATG PRI MONTH DEFIANCE OF ANTI-GAY LAW
IN apparent fiance of the Same Sex Prohibn Act which attracts 14 years imprisonment if nvicted, homosexuals have ntued to display their liftyle some parts of Nigeria as a gay party anised a hotel Oben muny, off Sapele road Ben Cy on Tuday night generated to a ee for all over allegatns that a partner belongg to a particular young man was ught a promised posn wh another male durg the party. * gay party in nigeria *
At a private party, held late at night a small Lagos hotel far om any ma road, men fd solace beg openly gay. ”The Same Sex Marriage Prohibn Act, which banned gay relatnships and entrenched tolerance to sexual mori Nigerian society, was signed by Print Goodluck Jonathan January 2014.
GAY PARTY GO AWRY EDO
Y ouTuber 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 illegal. * gay party in nigeria *
Acrdg to Oriye, police regularly arrt people who attend gay meet-ups, or simply for beg gay – even though isn’t illegal. But the tst afford by the closed spac is creasgly over three years, gay iends of Samson Nm* stayed at his home Lagos. “If you’re gay Nigeria, and you’re rich enough to even afford therapy, n you really tell your therapist and be open?
NIGERIAN POLICE ARE EXTORTG PEOPLE WHO 'LOOK GAY'
”Azeenarh Mohammed, a 32-year old lawyer, worked wh hundreds of gay Nigerian women for the Herich Böll Stiftung Foundatn Abuja. “Firstly, people have ternalised homophobia, so they say to themselv ‘Oh, this is jt a phase for me, I’ll grow out of , get married and have children. Men really experience vlent homophobia here, but I’d say a key difference for women is that, bee of our patriarchal stctur, women are easier to ntrol or domate.
“You live life here as a gay person, knowg that there is no future Nigeria if you want to live an open life, but I really wanted to change that.
FEATURE-LGBTQ+ NIGERIANS CELEBRATE PRI MONTH FIANCE OF ANTI-GAY LAW
The legislators and senators were expectg a speech on the environment; Mohammed stead spoke on gay rights.
CROSS RIVER SPEAKER FUM OVER CALABAR GAY PARTY
Afterwards, some said the bill was already passed so we should move on, others were llg for me to be arrted for beg gay. "I love this place bee mak me feel at home" gatherg of members of the gay and lbian muny Lagos is held regularly, albe discreetly, but uld soon be vast majory of gay Nigerians may not be terted this kd of event but they still have to hi their sexualy this nservative already illegal, homosexualy is wily owned upon across Nigeria and has been the subject of several bills the Natnal Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibn) Bill specifilly outlaws same-sex also bans gathergs of homosexuals or any other support for gay clubs, anisatns, unns or amoro exprsns, whether secret or public.