Matters Arising: Choices, Hostility, Tolerance & LGBTQ

By Ayo Akins Immanuel, Lagos

Controversy, unending debates has characterized the seeming sacrilegious subject of LGBTQ in Nigeria and most part of Africa, this reporter gathers.

In the context of the above reality, therefore, the lives of LGBTQ Nigerians remain under siege as harsh laws, cultural stigmas and institutional hostility continue to strip them of basic human dignity and safety.

In a country where being a gay may land you in jail or even death due largely to both religious and cultural beliefs of Nigerians, many LGBTQ individuals live in constant fear; hiding their identities to survive.

To ask whether Nigerians can freely make personal choices about their identities and relationships is receiving unfriendly answers from the state and society.

The subject of legitimacy as to people’s right of choices, responsibility for their choices and consequences of same is being put to test, especially with regards to the position of Nigerian laws, statutes and codes on the matter of the criminality or otherwise, of same sex marriage.

And talking about persecutions and recriminations of identified LGBTQ people, even celebrities who have dared the law and public outrage by openly declaring their LGBTQ status have not been spared.

In recent times, one of them whose former name was Okuneye Idris Olarenwaju and the current legal name Afolashade Amope Okuneye, a.k.a Bobrisky, went as far as performing transgender transformation from a man to a woman and got framed up recently on flimsy excuses and was made to serve jail terms upon conviction.

According to Mr Idowu, a barrister and gay, (full name not disclosed for fear of backlashes and recriminations), in Nigeria, same-sex relationships and related activities are “not only perceived as scandalous and abominable to the African culture, it is criminalized under our legal codes and frameworks”

Mr. Idowu informed that the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, 2014 (SSMPA), which prohibits marriage or civil union between persons of the same sex, and to harsher Sharia provisions in parts of Northern Nigeria.

“I have had to provide advocacy for countless LGBTQ people who are literally being hounded and persecuted by these laws”, he said

The persecution is not just theoretical; it has faces, names and stories.

One such story is that of one Anene Fortune, whose life has been subjected to violence, harassment, and trauma.

On Valentine’s Day 2021, in Awka, Anambra State, South-East, Nigeria, Anene Fortune and his partner, fresh university graduates, were violently attacked, beaten savagely and threatened with death in a restaurant after being observed for being “an abomination”. They barely escaped with their lives when police arrived.

But instead of protection, Anene says he found more humiliation at the police station. He was interrogated for hours as if he were the criminal, while his attackers went free.

“That night, he realized that even the people meant to protect him saw him as a criminal”, the mother told this reporter.

The trauma did not end there. Following persistent harassment and threats; Anene had to flee to Lagos, but safety and respite remained unreachable. His mother had availed this reporter access to a medical documentation from a recent 2024 incident, diagnosing him with “emotional trauma, anxiety and depression” and recommending him for psychiatric care.

Holding back tears during the interview, the mother said she wanted the whole nation and the world to know the treatment her son had been subjected to simply because of his sexuality.

“My son has suffered so much for just being who he is”, she said, her voice breaking. “People need to understand the pain these laws cause. I don’t wish another mother to go through what I am going through”, Madam Anene had opined.

Anene’s story is far from unique. Many others, too fearful to speak openly, are suffering silently across Nigeria.

This is a humanitarian crisis rooted in laws like the SSMPA and Section 284 of the Penal Code, which criminalizes “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” with up to 14 years’ imprisonment, and even harsher Sharia punishments in some states, including flogging and death sentences.

It must be noted, however, that the above laws and penal codes are majorly reflective of deep religious and cultural beliefs in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, hence politicians and lawmakers, who themselves, are gay, will not publicly identify, associate with, nor endorse same sex practices for fear of possible violent resistance and public recriminations and opprobrium.

Yet, amidst this, there are voices calling for compassion and change. One clergyman told this reporter: “Every human being has been given freedom by God to choose how to live but ultimately, judgment belongs to God, not man.”

“Within the socio-cultural and religious context of Nigeria and most African nations, however, it may take a while before the society tolerate LGBTQ and leave judgement for God”, he concluded

“It is time for Nigeria to confront the human cost of these laws. LGBTQ Nigerians are not criminals. They are sons, daughters, siblings, and friends; human beings entitled to dignity, safety, and the freedom to live without fear” Anene’s mother argues