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SCREENSHOT: The People
Attending The Club Did Not Want To Be Indentified
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About
50 people, mostly men, crowd around the front porch of a social club in
Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos, cheering on a shy-looking young man, who
proceeds to sing a ballad.
Backstage,
another man puts on his wig and takes a quick glance at his pocket mirror,
before adjusting his tight-fitting red dress. Five other men also dressed in
drag outfits appear, checking on each other's make-up as they wait for their
turn to perform for the crowd.
"A friend invited
me here a few months ago", one chatty spectator says excitedly. "I
love this place because it makes me feel at home".
This
gathering of members of the gay and lesbian community in Lagos is held
regularly, albeit discreetly, but it could soon be illegal.
The
vast majority of gay Nigerians may not be interested in this kind of event but
they still have to hide their sexuality in this conservative society.
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A Couple Kiss
During Kiss-In Protest Over Nigeria Bid
To Criminalise Same-Sex Marriage Outside Nigeria House, London On 15th November 2011
Image Via Demotix
|
The
Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill specifically outlaws same-sex unions. It
also bans gatherings of homosexuals or any other support for gay clubs,
organisations, unions or amorous expressions, whether in secret or in public.
The
bill has been passed by Nigeria's Senate - the highest chamber - and is now
being reviewed by the lower chamber, the House of Representatives. If approved,
it will be sent to the president to sign it into law, after which same-sex
couples could face up to 14 years in prison.
But
Nigerian homosexuals complain that the stigma they face is already enough
punishment for their way of life.
Kunle (not
his real name), a
gay man living in Lagos, is outraged by the proposed law: "How does a government think that sending someone to prison
would change his or her sexual orientation? "How logical is that?"
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A
Couple Kiss During Kiss-In Protest Over Nigeria Bid To Criminalise
Same-Sex Marriage Outside Nigeria House, London On 15th November 2011
Image Via Demotix
|
"All we are
asking for is to repeal the repressive laws in this country", he says.
"Ours
is to weigh the aggregate of opinion - what the majority of Nigerians want",
says Abike Dabiri, a member of the
House of Representatives. "If majority of Nigerians want same-sex
marriage, then why not?"
She
adds: "You have a right to your
sexual preference but by trying to turn it into marriage do you realise you
could be infringing on the human rights of the other person who finds it
repulsive?"
This
view is echoed on the streets of this country, where religious influences,
particularly from Christianity and Islam, are heavy. "How do you even become gay, not to mention wanting to get
married to another man?" asks Okechukwu
Ikenna, a 33-year-old software engineer, visibly irritated by the topic.
Friends
and family members of gay people could get implicated if they do not report
cases of same-sex unions because they could be seen as being in support of
them.
Mr
Williams says some gay Nigerians may seek asylum in countries where homosexual
people are accepted, while others will have to go underground. At the gay club,
despite the jovial atmosphere, there is heightened caution, and no-one is
allowed to take any photos.
The
thought of being identified as being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender in a
country where the public still turns to mob justice haunts some here.
And
that is a huge concern for Richard (not his real name):
"If you don't become discreet
and try to hide yourself, even the man on the street will want to also act on
the bill because it has been passed”.
"If you're walking on the
street and he stones you, he knows the law would stand for him because the law
is against you”.
Watch BBC Video HERE
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