Recently, Nigeria’s House of Representatives voted to ban gay marriage and outlaw any groups actively supporting gay rights or gay or lesbian couples in the country. This legislation would specifically call for 10-year prison sentence for any public show of affection by a same-sex couples; 14 years in prison for each gay or lesbian individual who marry; 10 years in prison for an individual who helps or participates in the same-sex marriage; and 10 years in prison for anyone taking part in a group advocating for gay rights.
We are calling on President Obama to tell President Goodluck Jonathan to not sign this legislation into law. “This legislation is a violation of LGBT rights. Sodomy laws that already exist are bad enough – this bill makes things worse,” said Nigerian activist and refugee Abraham Omeyoma. Abraham left Nigeria because he is gay and feared for his safety in his home country, and is currently being hosted by Housing Works in New York City.
According to Abraham, he cannot recall the Nigerian LGBT community calling for gay marriage, and states that this bill is only being issued to fan the flames against homophobia and gay and lesbian Nigerians. As reported in 2011 by the Associated Press, President Obama issued a directive asking officials to “ensure that US diplomacy and foreign assistance promote and protect the human rights of gays, lesbian and transgender individuals,” including combatting the criminalization of sexuality by foreign governments and suspending aid to nations that do discriminate against LGBT individuals.
According to the Nigerian Ministry of Health there are approximately 3.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. They have a generalized, severe epidemic with about a 4.1% prevalence rate. The HIV prevalence rate among MSM has been reported as high as 17.4 percent and MSMs account for one tenth of new infections. More than 50% of the men who have sex with men also have sex with women, and many are married to women.
Nigeria’s National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) is charged with the mandate to coordinate the broad spectrum of the AIDS Response and to interface with all stakeholders involved in the fight against AIDS in Nigeria. According to Abraham, NACA is well aware of these high statistics among sexual minorities but refuses to speak out against the bill. “If this bill becomes law,” Abraham said, “The death rate among LGBT persons living with HIV/AIDS will greatly increase because HIV/AIDS clinics, such as the clinic in Abjua Nigeria, will be forced to shut down, as will LGBT organizations. This bill is a death sentence.”
Similarly, Michael Ighodaro, a second Nigerian activist and refugee also hosted by Housing Works, said, “I was hoping to go back home, but that would be a death sentence for me. For someone living with HIV, it would be extremely difficult to access HIV/AIDS services because of the high rate of stigma and discrimination among health care providers. Many people living with HIV/AIDS prefer to access service through local USAID-funded LGBT organizations, but these will face closure because of this bill.”
While President Obama clearly defended the human rights of the LGBT community in his recent speech in Berlin, we hope he continues his steadfast support of the gay and lesbian community as he prepares to travel in Africa.
We call on President Obama to ask President Goodluck Jonathan to refuse to sign the bill and to encourage the safety and rights of LGBT individuals in Nigeria.
Please sign our White House petition to protect the safety and life-saving services of gay and lesbian Nigerians and those living with HIV/AIDS.
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