Nigerian Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Writes On The Anti-Gay Law

Article written by award winning writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie titled 'Why can’t he just be like everyone else?'  Find it below...

I will call him Sochukwuma. A thin, smiling boy who liked to play with us girls at the university primary school in Nsukka. We were young. We knew he was different, we said, ‘he’s not like the other boys.’ But his was a benign and unquestioned difference; it was simply what it was. We did not have a name for him. We did not know the word ‘gay.’ He was Sochukwuma and he was friendly and he played oga so well that his side always won.

In secondary school, some boys in his class tried to throw Sochukwuma off a second floor balcony. They were strapping teenagers who had learned to notice, and fear, difference. They had a name for him. Homo. They mocked him because his hips swayed when he walked and his hands fluttered when he spoke. He brushed away their taunts, silently, sometimes grinning an uncomfortable grin. He must have wished that he could be what they wanted him to be. I imagine now how helplessly lonely he must have felt. The boys often asked, “Why can’t he just be like everyone else?”

Unlike Nigeria, Gays Get Refuge in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire

No kissing, no petting. As gay bars go, this one is pretty well-behaved. But the crowd packing the Abidjan venue is relaxed and happy to be part of this haven of tolerance on a hostile continent.

“In a gay club, we are much freer than in straight places,” 22-year-old student Jacques tells AFP, looking on as three men sway their hips to Ivorian music on the dance floor.

“We get no strange looks. Here we can unwind, feel at ease and let ourselves go.”

One man gently strokes his companion’s neck but displays of affection stop there. The strict social codes prevailing in Ivory Coast apply here too.
The patrons include several transvestites, one a 20-year-old teacher who goes by the name Malika, and who has been living as a woman by night and a man by day for the past three years.

Nigerian Woman Disowns “World’s First Gay Cat” For Displaying Same Sex Attraction

HuffPo reports: That a Nigerian woman is making some eyebrow-raising headlines after reportedly disowning her cat for “an unnatural sexual behavior” — allegedly, same-sex attraction.

As the Nigerian newspaper Leadership notes, the woman (identified simply as being middle-aged) rid herself of Bull, whom she owned for seven years, after the cat was deemed to “be in the habit of making sexual advances” only to other male cats in the household.

“By this, the cat has made a record as the first cat to be so publicly declared gay and disowned by its owner,” writer Donatus Nadi notes in the article. As for the cat’s disgruntled owner, she would only add, “Anybody interested in this gay cat can have it because I have no further use of it.”

Comedian Ali Baba Blasts Celebrities Over New Anti-Gay Law In Nigeria

The recently signed anti-gay bill by President Goodluck Jonathan has led to tongue wagging in both local and foreign scenes and many of the Nigerian celebrities have expressed their thoughts on the various social media platforms. The bill, which contains penalties of up to 14 years in prison, bans every gay marriage, same-sex “amorous relationships” and membership of gay rights groups.

YOU ARE A CELEBRITY, CLAIMING TO SUPPORT GAY RIGHTS. THATS GOOD FOR YOU, BUT IF EVERYONE NO BORN, WHO GO BUY YOUR PRODUCTS FOR MARKET?
— ALI BABA AKPOROBOME (@ALIBABAGCFR) January 16, 2014

IF YOUR PARENTS WERE GAY, WOULD YOU BE HERE FIGHTING FOR THE NON EXISTENCE OF THE PEOPLE THAT SHOULD COME AFTER YOU? NONSENSE
— ALI BABA AKPOROBOME (@ALIBABAGCFR) January 16, 2014

Top Comedian, Ali Baba took to twitter to air his views on the matter. Ali Baba declared his support for the law, stressing, “anyone who supports gay practice is mocking God’s existence.”
He further dissed the celebrities that wrote against the law. 
See his tweets below:


Kemi Omololu Olunloyo Writes Open Letter Offering Support For Homosexuals. Pls Read...

Kemi Omololu Olunloyo, Daughter Of Ex-Oyo State Gov. is not one to be shy from controversy. As time without number as come out to speak her mind... which most times don't go well with many in the populist. Below is AN OPEN LETTER TO NIGERIAN HOMOSEXUALS. An interesting read...

To all the Gays and Lesbians in Nigeria, keep your head up. You are being driven away from your country. Canada and any EU country will take you on Asylum status. You are not wanted in Nigeria. You will be jailed 14 years and I your supporter 10 years. Go to a country that can use your expertise and where u can live in peace and contribute to that country's quota and be safe. As time goes on, change your citizenship. 

Gays WorldWide Mobilise For Action Against Nigeria Because Of Same Marriage Prohibition Law

Gays all over the world are mobilising for actions against Nigeria over the Same sex Prohibition law signed by President Goodluck Jonathan. The leading gay nation on earth, the USA has already voiced its concern. According to the Secretary of State, John Kerry in a statement:

“The United States is deeply concerned by Nigeria’s enactment of the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act. Beyond even prohibiting same-sex marriage, this law dangerously restricts freedom of assembly, association, and expression of Nigerians. Moreover, it is inconsistent with Nigeria’s international legal obligations and undermines the democratic reforms and human rights protections enshrined in its 1999 Constitution.

People everywhere deserve to live in freedom and equality. No one should face violence or discrimination for who they are or who they love. We join with those in Nigeria who appeal for the protection of their fellow citizens’ fundamental freedoms and universal human rights.”

78-Year-Old Anti-Gay Marriage Activist Shoots Himself In The Head Inside Notre Dame Cathedral

An anti-gay marriage activist dramatically killed himself in Notre Dame Cathedral, forcing the evacuation of the world-famous Paris landmark. Right-wing historian Dominique Venner, 78, put a sealed letter on the main altar before shooting himself in the head.

It’s the first suicide in decades at the landmark site, Monsignor Patrick Jacquin, the cathedral’s rector, told The Associated Press. “It’s unfortunate, it’s dramatic, it’s shocking,” Jacquin said.

Police locked down the French capital’s 850-year-old cathedral soon after the shooting at 4pm local time as some 1,500 visitors were cleared out. Hours before his death, Mr Venner used his blog to attack a new law allowing same-sex marriage in France, writing: “New spectacular and symbolic actions are needed to wake up the sleep walkers and shake the anaesthetised consciousness.