Gay In Nigeria: LGBT Life In One Of The World’s Most Homophobic Natns

Contents:

• INSI NIGERIA'S SECRET GAY CLUB
• LAGOS, WHERE ’S STILL A THRILL TO BE GAY
• GAY IN NIGERIA: LGBT LIFE IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST HOMOPHOBIC NATNS
• GAY CLUB EJIR
• NIGERIA - LE CLUB GAY LAGOS NE VO PAS L'AVENIR EN ROSE
• A POLICE RAID, VIRAL VIOS AND THE BROKEN LIV OF NIGERIAN GAY LAW SPECTS

INSI NIGERIA'S SECRET GAY CLUB

The SSMPA also impos a 10-year prison sentence on anyone who registers or participat gay clubs or anisatns, as well anyone who shows support for the activi of such anisatns. He also knows that if any vlence breaks out, then n’t be reported – the ey of the Nigerian law, homosexualy is a much worse the future holds for Jordan – and for the rt of Nigeria’s LGBTQ muny – is unclear. As a new wave of anti-homosexualy laws and sentiments sweeps the globe, plac like Lagos ’s beg harr and more dangero than ever before.

"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. 'Repulsive'The bill has been passed by Nigeria's Senate - the hight chamber - and is now beg reviewed by the lower chamber, the Hoe of ptn, Rashidi Williams is one of Nigeria's few openly gay human rights activistsIf approved, will be sent to the print to sign to law, after which same-sex upl uld face up to 14 years Nigerian homosexuals pla that the stigma they face is already enough punishment for their way of (not his real name), a gay man livg Lagos, is outraged by the proposed law: "How do a ernment thk that sendg someone to prison would change his or her sexual orientatn?

LAGOS, WHERE ’S STILL A THRILL TO BE GAY

One of Nigeria's few openly gay human rights activists, Rashidi Williams, not that the bill seeks to ban somethg which is already illegal and which no-one is publicly advotg.

Friends and fay members of gay people uld get implited if they do not report s of same-sex unns bee they uld be seen as beg support of them.

Crics of the bill also worry that health workers who provi HIV unsellg and treatment to homosexuals uld be mtg an offence as well. However, some of the doctors say they hardly ever know the sexual orientatn of those they attend to bee is not a requirement for treatment and unsellg, and even if the patients were to reveal that they were homosexuals, would not affect the qualy of healthre lawmakers have nmned vlence agast homosexuals but this has done ltle to prevent the growg anxiety among those the bill would target as s likely adoptn, whatever form, ptn, If the bill is passed, same-sex upl uld face 14 years prisonMr Williams says some gay Nigerians may seek asylum untri where homosexual people are accepted, while others will have to go the gay club, spe the jovial atmosphere, there is heightened utn, and no-one is allowed to take any thought of beg intified as beg gay, lbian, bisexual or transgenr a untry where the public still turns to mob jtice hnts some that is a huge ncern for Richard (not his real name): "If you don't bee discreet and try to hi yourself, even the man on the street will want to also act on the bill bee has been passed.

GAY IN NIGERIA: LGBT LIFE IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST HOMOPHOBIC NATNS

If you’ve lived Lagos you probably already know this, but jt se you don’t, and are cur, the gay scene Lagos is poppg.

Olr folks live for their weddg, funeral and child-ditn parti, while the gay scene parti even harr whout needg any exce.

GAY CLUB EJIR

In Lagos, partyg is fundamental to gay people’s liv sce ’s an easy way to socialise, make iends and to meet potential partners. Whatever type of social animal you are, the gay folks of Lagos have nfirmed to me that beg a circle is easit way to know what’s on. You will equently fd hot-bodied gay men dancg on tabl wh their shirts off and shots of absthe makg their way around the hoe.

Sce I’m so magic and get to pick and choose om the people who flock to me (or I go through them all if I’m feelg slutty) I need to do some diggg on what tak to hook up gay Lagos. Her store is filled wh so much gay activy that I asked her if I uld e and work there my spare time… specifilly near the ftg rooms.

Tanya showed me pictur of gay marriage ceremoni, legal or not, the parti looked dope as fuck and I n’t wa to be ved to one… not held Nigeria. Some practic have to rema unrground but all tak is a ltle ncentratn to fd proof that gay people are termed to nurture their own subculture, spe mastream opposn. That hotel you love to vis but was closed to visors last weekend was probably hostg a very gay party or maybe a big fat gay weddg.

NIGERIA - LE CLUB GAY LAGOS NE VO PAS L'AVENIR EN ROSE

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.

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. 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.

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. LAGOS, Nigeria -- Life Nigeria, one of the world’s most anti-gay natns, is a daily stggle for Aola, a closeted, workg-class homosexual man livg on the outskirts of Abuja, the natn’s small, central (not his real name) has been lled offensive nam, sulted and ostracized over assumptns about his sexualy, so he shields his te self fear that g out would only attract more tense abe.

A POLICE RAID, VIRAL VIOS AND THE BROKEN LIV OF NIGERIAN GAY LAW SPECTS

Meanwhile, some young, wealthy gay Nigerians who spend most of their time the louche, Wternized Victoria Island sectn of Lagos -- the massive, quickly mornizg megalopolis on Nigeria’s southwtern ast -- are able to live a quasi-open life spe the vilent homophobia that l much of the rt of the Aola, a portly man his thirti who earns a most livg as a ok at a terg pany Abuja, that life of openns is difficult to said he worri about discrimatn every time he walks out the door, pecially light of a law passed this year that, should be signed by Print Goodluck Jonathan, would make the sheer act of beg gay punishable by up to 14 years prison. ”Aola’s fears are supported by statistil evince: A study of 39 natns published by the Pew Rearch Center June emed Nigeria the least-acceptg natn of the lot for gays, wh 98 percent of survey rponnts sayg society should not accept homosexualy, edgg out ultranservative Jordan by a sgle percentage Acceptg BubbleSix upper-class gay profsnals who met wh the Internatnal Bs Tim at a Victoria Island rtrant last week say that bee they mostly stay wh that neighborhood’s fairly tolerant bubble, they are largely able to avoid Aola’s nstant state of fear. Still, they, like everyone else terviewed for this story, asked to be assigned psdonyms bee of the harsh penalti that n rult om beg intified as gay the prs.

”Fatima is not gay per se -- she scrib her sexualy as “fluid” and said she is open to relatnships wh men or women -- but she mostly dat women. ”Crimalizg HomosexualyBeg gay Nigeria has long meant hidg the shadows of society, but fear and anxiety among most members of the natn’s gay muny have grown markedly sce May 30, when the Nigerian Senate passed a bill makg the simple act of beg homosexual a crime punishable by as long as 14 years prison. Jonathan has not yet signed or vetoed the bill -- which was prevly passed by the Nigerian Hoe of Reprentativ -- nor has he sent a clear signal of which si he will eventually take on the ntroversial bill, upled wh legal rtrictns on gay marriage, is actually lenient pared wh the suatn faced by gays the Mlim-domated north of the natn, where Shariah Islamic law mak homosexualy a pal offense punishable some areas by stong to though the measure is not yet officially on the books, has already had a chillg effect on gay life Nigeria, acrdg to Aisha, a lbian iend of Fatima’s.

” But now, she said, there is a wily held, albe premature, belief that “’s illegal and rri a sentence” of more than a dozen years behd bars, which further timidat Nigeria’s gay populatn. Although Fatima nsirs Abuja to be “like gay central of Nigeria, ” the place she said she would go to “hook up wh a girl, several girls, one weekend, ” that si of gay life isn’t accsible to many homosexual rints of the pal who aren’t as well-heeled as said that due to the discrimatn he fac Abuja, he unrground channels and word-of-mouth to fd other gay people to teract wh or date. Someone you’re sure is gay troduc you to someone else who is, who troduc you to someone else who is, and so on, ” he, Aola has been threatened and sulted on numero ocsns.