Last month, Nigeria’s most popular gossip blog Linda Ikeji republished a post from the Facebook account of a Nigerian lawyer. The post was a personal reflection and by publishing it, she outed him. This isn’t the first time the blog has compromised LGBTQI persons in this way even though Nigeria is intensely homophobic. Homophobia is enshrined in our religious doctrines and laws. In January 2014, former president Goodluck Jonathan signed into law the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA), which has since provided legal justification for homophobia and an increase in hate speech and attacks.
But in a surprising turn of events, the response to Linda Ikeji’s post was in support of the lawyer. Commenters condemned the website for its questionable journalism, demanding the post be taken down. How could this happen? Are perceptions changing? A social survey published by The Initiative for Equality Rights (TIERS), a human rights NGO, might provide some answers.
Working with a sample size of 2,400 residents from across Nigeria, the survey measured public’s attitudes to the local queer community. It focused on key metrics to gauge awareness, acceptance and access to gay, lesbian and trans people. It suggests a slow but growing acceptance of LGBTQI people.
A number of factors could have influenced this decrease in homophobic attitudes. Homophobia has been heavily politicised in recent years and young people are increasingly skeptical of political authority. Former President Goodluck Jonathan is believed to have passed the SSMPA bill in an attempt to court religious support for his re-election bill.
Another factor is the collective action of several advocacy and human rights organisations including TIERS, The Equality Hub, Mentally Aware Nigeria, She Writes Woman. They educate citizens on the importance of changing the country’s laws to protect all its citizens. These organisations have also engaged in dispelling myths that tie the spread of HIV to homosexuality in Nigeria through fact-driven media drives. Stigma around HIV was a strong catalyst for homosexual discrimination in the 90s. Read more via The Breaking Times