PRIDE TV – QUEER CULTURE AND ACTIVISM BY ODAFE UMUFO

HELLO pride family, welcome to another edition of queer culture and activism, we went on a break for a while but we’re back so let’s talk, today we’ll be talking about how the Nigerian queer community has evolved during the last decade with appropriate timeline.

 

2004:, president OLUSEGUN OBASANJO made a public claim that there are no gay people in Nigeria.

2004: Bisi Alimi of THE BISI ALIMI FOUNDATION came out as gay on live tv programme NEW DAWN with Funmi lyanda

2005: Walking with Shadows by Jude Dibia is published. This is the first Nigerian novel that portrays a gay character in a positive light.

2005: International Conference on AIDs and STIs in Africa (ICASA) washosted in Abuja

2007: Lagos passed  the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Law. A similar law was also proposed at the National level by the Federal Executive Council

2011: LGBT+ Activists attend a public hearing at the National Assembly, negating the Government’s claim that LGBT+ Nigerians don’t exist

2011: A Shadow Report on Human Rights Violations Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Nigeria was submitted to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

2013: First national survey on LGBT+ rights and the attitudes of Nigerians towards LGBT+ persons was conducted by NOI Polls

2014: President Goodluck Jonathan signed and passed the Same-Sex (Marriage) Prohibition Act into law

2015: Joseph Ebah instituted a suit against the Nigeria Government citing the SSMPA as infringing the constitutionally guaranteed rights of members of the LGBT+ community. This became the first case in which the law was challenged.

2015: Under the Udala Tree by Chinelo Okparanta was published. This is the first Nigerian novel featuring a lesbian love story

2015: Veil of Silence, a documentary highlighting the experiences of LGBT+ persons in Nigeria and the impact of laws that promote hate and discrimination was released.

2016: The anthology, Blessed Body: The Secret Lives of Nigerian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender by Unoma Azuah is published. This is a collection of first-hand accounts of the queer experience in Nigeria.

2017: Everything in Between, a Nigerian series created by Ashionye Michelle Raccah with 3 of the lead characters as LGBT+ debuted on YouTube

2017: When We Speak of Nothing by Olumide Popoola was published. This is the first Nigerian novel with a Trans character

2018: The Same-Sex (Marriage) Prohibition Act was used as grounds to reject the registration of an NGO whose objective is to advocate for the fundamental human rights of female sexual minorities in Nigeria.

2019: The Same-Sex (Marriage) Prohibition Act was used for the first time in Nigeria to prosecute 57 men arrested at a birthday party

WRITTEN AND EDITED BY ODAFE UMUFO FOR PRIDE TV.