Subscribe to Breaking News
Loading ...Nigeria gays come out of shadows to fight anti-gay law
03.12.2009 2:10pm EDT
(Lagos) Nigerian gays who regularly face police persecution are coming out to fight a proposed law that would make it a criminal offense to attend a gay event, gather or attend a gay wedding anywhere in the world.
Homosexuality already is illegal in Nigeria, punishable by a prison term up to 14 years with hard labor.Under the proposed new law, a same-sex couple married anywhere and returning to Nigeria, or anyone who is married to a same-sex partner who travels to Nigeria -including foreign business people – would be jailed for up to three years.
The legislation also would imprison anyone who attends a gay wedding with up to five years behind bars.
In addition, police would have the right to raid public or private gatherings of any group of people suspected of being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
The National Assembly this week began holding public hearings on the bill and for the first time Nigerian gays openly testified.
“This bill is not necessary, we see no reason why people should be criminalized,” Rashidi Williams, 23, of the Queer Alliance of Nigeria told the committee.
“I did not choose to be gay. It is trial enough to live in this country, we should not create more laws to make us suffer,” he said.
Williams went on to tell the committee that “We believe that we are created by God and do not wish to be discriminated against, we seek your help and appeal to you all to lay this Bill aside. We ask that the House of Representatives and our lawmakers work with us to understand the concept of sexuality and sexual orientation through our experiences and not create laws that punish us needlessly.”
The international groups Human Rights Watch and Global Rights also argued against the bill.
But a large number of Nigerian groups spoke in favor of the legislation, including the Anglican Church of Nigeria.
In its submission to the committee, the church argued that “same-sex marriage is out to foist on the world a false sense of the family which will bring disastrous consequences to mankind.”
The church in its brief said that “same sex marriage, apart from being ungodly, it is unscriptural, unnatural, unprofitable, unhealthy, un-cultural, un-African and un-Nigerian.”
“It is a perversion, a deviation and an aberration that is capable of engendering moral and social holocaust in this country. Outlawing it is to ensure the continued existence of this nation,” the brief said.
In 2006, a similar bill was introduced but died when the government fell. It was reintroduced earlier this year.
Amnesty International has expressed in the past concerns about human rights abuses against individuals on the basis of their actual or perceived sexuality.
In August 2007, police in Bauchi state arrested 18 men suspected of same-sex relations, charging them with belonging to an unlawful society, committing indecent acts, and engaging in criminal conspiracy. In 2008, several men and women were also arrested and detained on charges of engaging in consensual same-sex relations.
Why does Bukky not want to go back home… If Nigeria chooses to continue on a path of blind ignorance and non inclusion it will implode and become yet another failed counrty that could have been great. A country thats said to have 250 ethic groups can not afford to discrimnate against ANYONE for ANY reason. Nigerians are the fucking dumbest smart people on the face of this planet. If after 50 years we can’t see that “our way” has caused nothing but death, hunger, and poverty for OUR own people, we have failed and will keep failing until we find another path.
“Will bring disasstrous consquences to mankind” No overbreeding is causing disasstours consquenses for mankind!
“Outlawing it is to ensure the continued existance of this nation”
Major Crazy going on here for sure.
This must be one of the most backwards nation on the face of the Earth.
Tom in Long Beach
ahh religion…out to cause MORE Hatred & Divisiveness in the world…They HAVE BLOOD on thier Hands IF this law passes there!
You have to have a great deal of admiration and respect for the courage and conviction of our Gay brothers and sisters who still suffer so much and who endure so much discrimination and hate under oppressive regimes fueled by religious extremists. It wasn’t so many years ago, that we too, here in the West suffered from oppression, from beatings, from being incarcerated in jail cells, from being rounded up like a herd of livestock as if we were off to market. While our lives have improved considerably over the last few years, now is not the time to become complacent, we still have the battle for our equal rights ahead of us. We still have the dreams of our brothers and sisters, long since gone, to fullfil. In the meantime, our hearts, our prayers must be with our men and women who are finding the courage to stand up and be counted in places like Nigeria and Iran.
Under the proposed new law, a same-sex couple married anywhere and returning to Nigeria, or anyone who is married to a same-sex partner who travels to Nigeria -including foreign business people – would be jailed for up to three years.
The legislation also would imprison anyone who attends a gay wedding with up to five years behind bars.
In addition, police would have the right to raid public or private gatherings of any group of people suspected of being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
But a large number of Nigerian groups spoke in favor of the legislation, including the Anglican Church of Nigeria.
In its submission to the committee, the church argued that “same-sex marriage is out to foist on the world a false sense of the family which will bring disastrous consequences to mankind.”
The church in its brief said that “same sex marriage, apart from being ungodly, it is unscriptural, unnatural, unprofitable, unhealthy, un-cultural, un-African and un-Nigerian.”
“It is a perversion, a deviation and an aberration that is capable of engendering moral and social holocaust in this country. Outlawing it is to ensure the continued existence of this nation,” the brief said.
The scary thing about this article for people in this country is something which is “hidden” by what is not said by the article.
The reference to the Anglican Church fails to mention that its leader, Archbishop Peter Akinola, primate of the Anglican Church in Nigeria is the church leader responsible for trying to affiliate with the break away churches of the Anglican faith in this country. The people that are in those churches in this country are supporting this type of “hatred” by their silence and their desire to be associated with the leader of the Anglican Church of Nigeria. Does this indicate to anyone what could be the end result of allowing “religions and their followers” to determine what the laws of a nation should encompass? Does this indicate how wrong it is to let “the people” vote on what the rights of citizens should or should not be? So called “christians” should bow their heads in shame to even think about being associated with such hatred and lack of compassion for fellow human beings.
FU*K this BULLSHIT!! This is Hitlerism all fu*kin’ over again!! Time to boycott these half assed nits NOW!! Call your representative, senator, whoever and tell them to introduce a bill that would effectively turn off ANY and ALL foreign aid to this third world sh*thole immediately! Let them wallow in economic desperation for awhile! To all of our Gay/Lesbian friends in Africa who have to live in this daily hetero breeder induced hellhole I say to you “DON’T GIVE UP!!” Your vindication is coming MUCH sooner than you think!!
This is Hitlerism! Why would you jail someone for 14 years because they have beliefs different from yours?!
The author of the article lost me after that idea.
Why would this be signed into law anywhere int the world?
-Davan
I wish our Nigerian brothers and sisters all the best of luck in trying to prevent this perversion of legislation from becoming law.
LOL! I find it funny and ironic that a European imposed church like the “ANGLICAN” Church of Nigeria says that homosexuality is “un-african” Of course the basis of this argument is that homosexuality is a White European phenomenon.
There was homosexual behavior in Africa, before the presence of Europeans. The Pangwe people of Present day Cameroon were known to have homosexual relations. Some of the Pangwe Men preferred the company of men than women…before European Contact. The San people of present day Zimbabwe would record anal sex drawing on rocks, before the presence of Europeans. The Igbo people in Nigeria had “female husbands” where a woman was allowed to marry another woman.
Homophobia in Africa, the Caribbean, and blacks in the U.S. can be attributed to the imposition of Christianity from European Colonialists. Of course at the time European Christians rejected homosexuals and some blacks were bought into that till this very day. Many blacks still cling to the old left over colonial vestiges (Christianity).
I consider myself to be a Post-Christian black Lesbian. Frankly, I think Black people were better off with our syncretic and animist religious practices. I don’t practice them, but that is the real religion of our ancestors, not European imposed Christianity.
We have to admit that some blacks in the Caribbean and Africa are too Christianized=Colonized. Christianity and Homophobia is a European phenomenon, Homosexuality is universal and natural.
I don’t understand why Nigerian politicians are big time denying hypocrites. They know that they have alot of Gay Nigerians. There is 90% of Kano population predominantly muslim, gay and bisexual. Most of them are married husbands and wives. Also there is a huge population of queer folks in Lagos too. Lagos is overcrowded city with 14 million residents plus 1,000 newcomers every day.
Don’t the “Christians,Catholics”,& all else who preach hatred towards the glbt community, know that they have a nice hot place waiting for them after they die. Persecution or hatred towards anybody, is wrong. I was a “Christian” at one time, but left the church because of it’s badgering to all others that didn’t follow their religious beliefs. They’re alot of bigots,racists,homophobes,and many others that I don’t like. I don’t hate them, but I don’t like what they preach either. If there is a Heaven, why would God let anyone who hates anyone into the pearly gates of Heaven. Are these people really that stupid???
The complications relating with appeals to reject implementation of California’s Prop. 8 reveal the formidible obstacles towards full and open inclusion of LBGT citizens with recognition of our rights on all levels of society.
Is it not time that we organise globally and think strategically, even if we tackle one evil country at a time. I have started a site (no, there is nothing there at the moment, http://www.humanrightsfriendly.com). We need a sustained effort, co-ordinated effort (we are fighting a war) to bring these evil people to account in whatever way we can. I have some basic ideas that may or may not work, but it is a start. We will find out what does work and will use that. Please visit the site on Sunday. It will still not be much to look at but let us work on it. Never be overwhelmed by what seems bigger than you. Every person who perseveres even when the world seems too much and there seems to be no hope has and always will achieve great things in spite of obstacles and what it sometimes costs us (our lives).