LGBTQ+ Nigerians celebrate Pride month in defiance of anti-gay law
gaytimes.co.ukYouTuber Victor Emmanuel knows first-hand how tough life is for people who are openly gay in Nigeria, where LGBTQ+ relationships and even same-sex displays of affection are illegal.
Last year, he was kidnapped by seven men who blackmailed, extorted and tortured him for two days in an attack that has since left him constantly looking over his shoulder. “It is living with the fear of possible killing or incarceration for who I literally am.
You are constantly having to explain your existence,” said Emmanuel, who dropped out of university after the attack. This month, however, he will be joining LGBTQ+ Pride events in Lagos as campaigners band together to party and share stories in defiance against laws and conservative societal norms that limit their rights and self-expression. “Pride month means a month to celebrate my queerness because most of the month I’m fighting, struggling and pushing back at society,” said Emmanuel, a 24-year-old who runs the “For Fags Sake” YouTube channel about Nigerian LGBTQ+ issues. “It is when I can actually sit and celebrate.” Nigeria is a deeply religious country, where many reject homosexuality as a corrupting Western import.
In 2014, the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act was signed into law, which bars not only gay relationships but also any public sign of same-sex affection or membership of LGBTQ+ groups, with punishments of up to 14 years in prison.
