BBC News, Tomi
Oladipo, Lagos, 2 January 2013
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| The people attending the club did not want to be indentified |
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Stories
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.
Whilst
already illegal, homosexuality is widely frowned upon across Nigeria and has
been the subject of several bills in the National Assembly.
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.
'Repulsive'
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.
 |
| Rashidi Williams is one of Nigeria's few openly gay human rights activists |
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?"
One of
Nigeria's few openly gay human rights activists, Rashidi Williams, notes that
the bill seeks to ban something which is already illegal and which no-one is
publicly advocating.
"All
we are asking for is to repeal the repressive laws in this country," he
says.
The bill
has been condemned abroad - most recently by Australian lawmakers - making its
proponents see this piece of legislation as a way of protecting Nigerian
society from foreign influences.
"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?"
In hiding
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.
Critics of
the bill also worry that health workers who provide HIV counselling and
treatment to homosexuals could be committing an offence as well.
However,
some of these doctors say they hardly ever know the sexual orientation of those
they attend to because it is not a requirement for treatment and counselling,
and even if the patients were to reveal that they were homosexuals, it would
not affect the quality of healthcare offered.
Some
lawmakers have condemned violence against homosexuals but this has done little
to prevent the growing anxiety among those the bill would target as its likely
adoption, in whatever form, approaches.
 |
| If the bill is passed, same-sex couples could face 14 years in prison |
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."
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