Blackmail, prejudice and persecutn: gay rights Nigeria | Global velopment | The Guardian

Contents:

• NIGERIA ANTI-GAY LAWS: FEARS OVER NEW LEGISLATN
• LGBTQ+ NIGERIANS ARE CELEBRATG PRI MONTH DEFIANCE OF ANTI-GAY LAW
• HAPPENING NOW: LGBT NIGERIANS JAILED AFTER PASSAGE OF NEW ANTI-GAY LAW
• MAPPG ANTI-GAY LAWS AI
• THE NEW ANTI-GAY BILL PROPOSED GHANA WILL DTROY LIV
• NIGERIA'S PRINT SIGNS LAW IMPOSG UP TO 14 YEARS' JAIL FOR GAY RELATNSHIPS
• BLACKMAIL, PREJUDICE AND PERSECUTN: GAY RIGHTS NIGERIA
• JUDGE DISMISS CASE AGAST 47 MEN CHARGED UNR NIGERIA’S ANTI-GAY LAW
• NIGERIA IS TRYG 47 MEN ARRTED A HOTEL UNR S ANTI-GAY LAWS
• NIGERIA'S NEW ANTI-GAY LAW A HARSH REMR OF GLOBAL ATTUS
• UGANDA'S LGBTQ MUNY IS ' SHOCK' OVER NEW MEASURE, GAY ACTIVIST SAYS

NIGERIA ANTI-GAY LAWS: FEARS OVER NEW LEGISLATN

Xeenarh Mohammed, the executive director of the Lagos-based Iniative for Equal Rights (TIERS), said the law had historilly been ed to harass and blackmail gay people but there had not been any nvictns. The acced say they were attendg a birthday Same Sex Marriage Prohibn Act, which banned gay relatnships and entrenched tolerance of sexual mori Nigerian society, was signed by Goodluck Jonathan, then print, January law ed an ternatnal outcry, wh nmnatn om global human rights anisatn and wtern ernments. Surveys have historilly shown high levels of homophobia Nigeria, but some have poted to what mpaigners say is a tentative, growg acceptance of gay men and June, high urt judg Botswana led that laws crimalisg same-sex relatns were unnstutnal and should be stck down, a major victory for gay rights mpaigners Ai.

Botswana is regard as one of Ai’s most stable and mocratic natns, but homosexualy was outlawed unr the untry’s penal of, Mozambique and the Seychell have scrapped anti-gay laws recent judg rejected the precent set by India, which last year legalised gay sex between nsentg adults, as well as by a seri of other judgments across the Commonwealth and elsewhere, and said Kenya should make s own laws to reflect s own Tanzania, thori Dar Salaam, the biggt cy, have lnched a seri of crackdowns on gay people recent years. Image ptn, Those who go to gay clubs Nigeria now face 10 years jailGay rights activists have exprsed fears about Nigeria's tighteng of laws agast legislatn, signed to law by the print whout announcement, bans same-sex marriag, gay groups and shows of same-sex public is already illegal to have gay sex Nigeria - now same-sex upl uld face up to 14 years prison.

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

"You're not allowed to provi servic to anyone who is perceived to be homosexual, " said Mr Alimi, who heads the UK-based gay rights group Kaleidospe Internatnal Diversy Tst.

"When you say that servic will not be provid, what you're sayg is that HIV servic that are terg for men who have sex wh men will have to stop, " he told the BBC's Newsday new law remends prison sentenc of up to 10 years for anyone who participat gay clubs or anisatns and for same-sex upl who publicly show affectn. "Any person who registers, operat or participat gay clubs, societi and anisatns or directly or directly mak public show of same-sex amoro relatnship Nigeria ms an offence and shall each be liable on nvictn to a term of 10 years prison, " the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibn Act says. Acrdg to AP, the few Nigerian gay and human rights activists who tried to give evince last year durg the parliamentary bate were heckled and booed until one broke to tears and another uld not be US has also exprsed s ncern about the new dangeroly rtricted "eedom of assembly, associatn and exprsn for all Nigerians", US Secretary of State John Kerry said the act was "nsistent wh Nigeria's ternatnal legal obligatns and unrm the mocratic reforms and human rights protectns enshred s 1999 nstutn" human rights chief Navi Pillay scribed the law as "dranian".

A number of other Ain natns have already ma homosexualy punishable by jail December, Ugandan MPs passed a bill creasg sentenc for homosexual acts to life jail and makg punishable by a prison term not to report gay ntroversial legislatn has yet to be signed to law by the Ugandan on this storyAround the BBCRelated Inter LksThe BBC is not rponsible for the ntent of external s. 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.

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

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.

MAPPG ANTI-GAY LAWS AI

"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. Anyone who speaks out support of, meets wh, or participat a group advotg for the rights of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and tersex (LGBTI) people also risks 10 years prison. Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pri Month is celebrated each year the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprisg Manhattan, New York Cy.

THE NEW ANTI-GAY BILL PROPOSED GHANA WILL DTROY LIV

In the early hours of June 28 that year, police raid the Stonewall Inn, a popular bar that served as a safe haven for the cy’s gay, lbian and transgenr muny. While police had raid gay tablishments before, on that particular night, members of the LGBTQ+ muny cid to fight back, sparkg an uprisg that would lnch a new era of ristance that would later be celebrated. One of the ma purpos of this memorative month is to regnize the impact that lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr dividuals have had and ntue to have around the world, while also upliftg members of the LGBTQ+ muny and the movement.

Now, let’s pse here for a send and take all the way back to 2011 when the Nigerian Senate disregard the sir of the untry’s wtern alli and passed a strict bill banng same-sex marriage and public display of affectn by gays Nigeria. Sponsored by Domgo Oben (People’s Democratic Party; Edo state) shortly after the senate was nstuted that same year, the bill was met wh a lot of global outrage and cricism, wh the Uned Kgdom and some other ernments Wtern Europe even gog as far as threateng to pull aid to untri that pass laws persecutg homosexuals.

NIGERIA'S PRINT SIGNS LAW IMPOSG UP TO 14 YEARS' JAIL FOR GAY RELATNSHIPS

But spe all this prsure, and fully aware of the implitns of the law Nigeria’s foreign diplomacy, the Nigerian ernment still enacted the anti-gay law three years later 2014, which stat that:. Any person who registers, operat, or participat gay clubs, societi and anisatns or directly or directly mak public show of same-sex amoro relatnship Nigeria ms an offence and shall each be liable on nvictn to a term of 10 years prison. In a ntent where many still view homosexualy as “un-Ain” and a profoundly relig untry like Nigeria, is fair to assume that the bill was ed to stir up anger at the ia of imposed Wtern valu, helpg create solidary at home by directg anger outwards.

However, any laws pertag to homosexualy the past were unclear and not as bdg as the general unrstandg that anythg related to same-sex was taboo and nmned both by relign and society. “The law is so vague that is likely to lead to the arbrary arrt of gay people while facilatg extortn and blackmail of vulnerable groups by members of Nigeria’s notorly rpt secury servic”.

Although this creased visibily n pose a threat to the physil and mental well-beg of queer activists and alli livg the untry, has also gone a long way humanizg queerns and changg the outdated narrativ surroundg homosexualy. Durg the #EndSars protts October 2020, a non-bary and gay activist known as Matthew Blaise, walked the streets of Lagos shoutg “queer liv matter” at the top of their voice — a bold and urageo move that spired other LGBTQ+ Nigerians to share their heartbreakg experienc of abe at the hands of the police un. “It’s always tertg to see how fixated people actually are wh the sexual aspect of homosexualy, ” says Jay Nwosu, a wrer, spoken word poet, and non-bary member of the muny.

BLACKMAIL, PREJUDICE AND PERSECUTN: GAY RIGHTS NIGERIA

Produced by Pamela Adie and directed by Uyai Ikpe-Etim, the firm was released 2020 spe strict warngs om the Nigerian Film and Vio Censors Board (NFVCB) statg that the film vlat the untry’s strict laws on homosexualy. While is clear that the Nigerian LGBTQ+ muny’s light has not been extguished, the fight for equaly the untry – and the ntent as a whole – still has a long way to go, pecially wh anti-gay laws still full effect.

” It impos a 10-year prison sentence on those who “directly or directly make [a] public show of [a] same-sex amoro relatnship” and anyone who “registers, operat, or participat gay clubs, societi, and anizatns, ” cludg supporters of those groups.

“This law crimaliz the liv of gay and lbian people, but the damage would e extends to every sgle Nigerian, ” said Graeme Reid, Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr (LGBT) rights director at Human Rights Watch. “The law is so vague that is likely to lead to the arbrary arrt of gay people, while facilatg extortn and blackmail of vulnerable groups by members of Nigeria’s notorly rpt secury servic, ” Reid said. By banng unfed “gay meetgs, ” uld also crimalize programs fund by major donors that provi tn on HIV preventn and health for men who have sex wh men.

JUDGE DISMISS CASE AGAST 47 MEN CHARGED UNR NIGERIA’S ANTI-GAY LAW

Readg the news nstant panic is what happens to you when you have lived through the vlence of state-sanctned homophobia and barely ped wh your life. In a 2020 report released by the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Associatn, nearly half of the 69 untri where homosexualy is still crimalized are Ain untri.

In ls than six months, the muny has e unr tense and repeated attacks om policians, the police, relig groups, and anti-gay anizatns, cludg a heavily biased media mted to pilloryg and misreprentg an already margalized group.

A report released 2016 by Human Rights Watch highlighted a particularly chillg cint outsi Abuja, Nigeria’s pal, where a vlent armed mob of more than 50 people went om home to home, draggg out and beatg dividuals spected of beg gay. In addn, the misleadgly named Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibn) Act, passed 2013 and enacted 2014, provis for prison sentenc of 10 years for Nigerians belongg to a gay anizatn, supportg same-sex marriag, or displayg same-sex affectn public.

NIGERIA IS TRYG 47 MEN ARRTED A HOTEL UNR S ANTI-GAY LAWS

This is the language of Chapter 77 of the Crimal Co Act of 1990, as reported by ILGA (the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn):.

Nigeria's Print Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill on Monday that crimalis same-sex relatnships, fyg wtern prsure over gay rights and provokg US bill, which ntas penalti of up to 14 years prison and bans gay marriage, same-sex "amoro relatnships" and membership of gay rights groups, was passed by the natnal assembly last May but Jonathan had layed signg to law. Jonathan is expected to seek re-electn 2015 but is unr prsure after several dozen lawmakers and a handful of regnal ernors fected to the opposn the past two existg Nigerian feral law, sodomy is punishable by jail, but this bill legislat for a much broar crackdown on homosexual people, who live a largely unrground US secretary of state, John Kerry, said Washgton was eply ncerned by the new measur.

NIGERIA'S NEW ANTI-GAY LAW A HARSH REMR OF GLOBAL ATTUS

"It is nsistent wh Nigeria's ternatnal legal obligatns and unrm … mocratic reforms and human rights protectns, " he European untri, most recently France, have moved to offer same-sex upl the legal rights enjoyed by heterosexuals, many Ain untri are seekg to tighten laws agast homosexualy. Bra and some other wtern untri have threatened to cut aid to ernments that pass laws persecutg homosexuals, a threat that has helped hold back or scupper such legislatn aid-pennt natns such as Uganda and Malawi. "Any person who registers, operat or participat gay clubs, societi and anisatns or directly or directly mak public show of same-sex amoro relatnship Nigeria ms an offence and shall each be liable on nvictn to a term of 10 years prison.

UGANDA'S LGBTQ MUNY IS ' SHOCK' OVER NEW MEASURE, GAY ACTIVIST SAYS

”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. “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. Ai|Judge Dismiss Case Agast 47 Men Charged Unr Nigeria’s Anti-Gay Law ADVERTISEMENTThe judge said prosecutors failed to appear urt or ll wns the trial, regard as a tt se of the dranian law enacted nearly seven years ago Ai’s most populo Alaja/RtersLAGOS, Nigeria — A Nigerian urt on Tuday threw out a se agast 47 men charged wh public displays of affectn wh members of same sex bee of what the judge lled the failure of prosecutors to appear urt and ll trial, heard Lagos, Nigeria’s biggt cy and mercial pal, was wily seen as a tt se for a law troduced 2014 that bans same-sex “amoro relatnships.