I take for granted that \u2018foreign-ness\u2019 affords one a safety blanket not available to locals. So as they laze on the beach, she nestles her head between another\u2019s bosom and strokes her side with her middle finger in a rather suggestive manner and at no point does she stop to think if this makes them uncomfortable. She never for a moment stops to think how her behaviour might impact them, in fact it is just in the moment before she closes her eyes in deep reverie that she realises why they choose to go to the beach at night because at least when the darkness falls those who plague the beach are all delinquent in some way, yet their kind\u2026only their kind of delinquency is perhaps the most inadmissible. She doesn\u2019t stop to think for a moment that her loud, boisterous games that cause her to speak of ideas and laws unimaginable to them and theirs may in fact be more than risqu\u00e9 and actually put them at risk. She doesn\u2019t stop to think that when the time comes she can go back to her home where the law of the land and the law of the God she serves are separate, sovereign institutions. Institutions which she can choose to abide by or not, and yet she forgets they will remain here in this land where the law of man and that of the god they serve have been collapsed into one and the same code. So, she asks herself, \u201chow does my happy differ from yours. Do our rainbows have the same colours? Do our hearts beat and break for the same reason? And is our struggle really the same?\u201d Because while she can playfully look forward to the day when marriage could be a viable option for her, they dread the day their wedding bells will ring for a match will not have been made. While she speaks of her independence and freedom from eternal familial control, she forgets that here, in this place family defines who they are and will be. So again she asks herself, \u201cdoes your happy differ from mine. Does my happy offend you? Does it colour you a colour to be recognised and scorned? Does my happy taint yours? Is it contagious?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Due to the pervasive heteronomative cultures in many African nations, Nigeria inclusive, people in same-sex relationships face multiple layers of discrimination and are sworn to silence and often forced into hiding.<\/p>\n
Home spits me out about three weeks into every visit. Home vehemently spits me out, and instead of standing my ground and fighting I pack my bags and run! I say no more of that because in the words of Audre Lorde, \u201cyour silence will not protect you.\u201d[1]<\/a> Feminist scholar Zora Neale Hurston wrote, \u201cif you are silent about your pain, they\u2019ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.\u201d[2]<\/a> So even if physically distanced from my Naija kin I join my voice to theirs and choose to guerrilla write my way to our collective freedom.<\/p>\n Even as I pen these words I question my authority and position as a liminal player at best. Admittedly I come to this struggle from a certain position of privilege having never truly lived out the sum of my identities in the land of my birth, Nigeria. The land that now challenges my very existence and right to human dignity. What I represent, and that of so many others like me poses such a threat to the heteronormative, patriarchal, islamo-judeo-christian Nigerian establishment that with the stroke of his pen our Oga at the top, President Goodluck Jonathan has deemed us criminal elements. Alas in the sea of corrupt politicians, human trafficking rings, 419ers, would be paedophiles, Boko Haram and other maleficent characters in Nigeria it is the homosexual person that is most frightful and dangerous. We are so dangerous in fact that just these words could land me in the slammer from anywhere between 10-14 years depending on what a judge requires as sufficient burden of proof, or indeed lack thereof.<\/p>\n One might ask why in the face of issues such as poverty, infant mortality, HIV\/Aids, and Polio etc., I dare suggest fighting for the human rights of the LGBTQI community. The late Nelson Mandela said \u201cto deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.\u201d[3]<\/a> Simply because gay rights are human rights and it is the responsibility of any good and just government to dedicate itself to creating legislature that ensures the full recognition and protection of every citizen under the law and in accordance to international human rights standards and not at the expense of the lives and livelihoods of the particularly vulnerable minority populations. Development and Queer theorist Susan Jolly asserts, the \u201cassumption that while in the North people need sex and love, in the South they just need to eat\u201d[4]<\/a>, has become an impediment to defending the human rights of ALL people in the global South. Jolly goes on to say that \u201cin fact, lack of freedom to express sexuality can threaten survival, the most basic of human needs\u201d[5]<\/a> companionship and love which are essentially private matters should be of no concern to lawmakers. And yet in the words of Anthropologist ElIen Gruenbaum, \u201cthe emotional tenor of the rituals {and process surrounding suppressing articulations of sexual desire and sexuality} seems to have played the role symbolic anthropologists identified as transferring physical sensations and emotions from the individual into loyalty to society\u2019s rules.\u201d[6]<\/a> Thus the Nigerian government has essentially made policing sexuality and peoples most intimate lives an affair of the state, whereas they should be concerned with protecting the rights and full humanity of all its citizens and not just a privileged few.<\/p>\n On January 20th<\/sup> this year we commemorated his legacy, which remains a source of inspiration for liberation and human rights struggles the world over. Writing from the Birmingham jail, on justice, legislation and human rights, Dr Martin Luther King Jr., invokes St Thomas Aquinas, \u201c\u2026any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statuses are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority.\u201d[7]<\/a> With this new law President Jonathan and his cohorts in the Nigerian senate have connived to segregate and imprison all non-heterosexual persons and those who know them in Nigeria. They hope to erode the personality and human dignity of these persons, and parade them as fodder for corruption and mob justice. Environmental Geographer Jon Binnie argues, \u201csexuality can be defined as a private affair- belonging in the private sphere\u201d[8]<\/a> and as such should not be debated and legislated by government; as there are many more pressing issues at stake than who consenting adults love and what they choose to do in private. By legislating sexuality the government is denying citizens the full expression of their humanity and thus engaging in gross discrimination of people with same-sex sexuality. The Nigerian gay community has never rallied or demanded for marriage rights, this has never been on the agenda, and The Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act has now been signed into law. This ruse of a law has essentially put a bull\u2019s eye on the backs of otherwise perfectly law abiding citizens and made us Nigeria\u2019s scapegoat.<\/p>\n Before I go any further I want to declare who I am for it is from the intersection of these identities that my authority, audacity and right come. I am a human being. I am a woman (cis-gendered female). I am a Nigerian, I am Edo, and I am an African. I am a Black person. I am also a God-respecting woman. Now pay attention to this part of my identity because it is this part that now renders me criminal, alien and fit for imprisonment in the land of my birth. I realise though that there is power in naming a thing for in naming my (our) sexuality and sexual identity, much like in naming a child into their destiny, we cease to be the person that was once invisible and explained away. At no other point in my young life than now have I appreciated the urgency and import of feminist Carol Hainsch\u2019s words \u201cthe personal is political!\u201d[9]<\/a><\/p>\n I am a Zami woman; this is my preferred term second to Amazon because both are rooted in the experiences of other women like me. Zami (n) is \u201ca Carriacou word meaning women who work together as friends and lovers.\u201d[10]<\/a> Amazon, taken from the Dahomean Amazons[11]<\/a>, an elite group of warrior women who took an oath of loyalty to each other and swore to abstain from sexual relations with men. In fact men were forbidden to even touch or look at them, the punishment for which was death. Others understand this part of my identity to mean lesbian, Sapphic, dyke (another powerful term) or simply put a same-sex\/gender loving woman. However one understands this, the bottom line is, I and other women like me are predisposed to pursuing romantic interactions with other women, much to the disdain of some straight men who consider women as objects for their pleasure and unfettered access. \u00a0Particularly when it dawns on them that this in fact means we are not very likely to \u201cpullover\u201d[12]<\/a> and \u201cwind am well\u201d[13]<\/a> for their sport or for any other reason.<\/p>\n While it is very difficult to know what pre-colonial African histories offered definitively on this subject, there are several instances that serve as clues in the historical archive that allow us to debunk this notion of homosexual\/homosocial behaviour as fundamentally \u2018unAfrican\u2019. If we look at the examples in many cultures the continent over, we can begin to understand the local mechanisms, through which same-sex sexuality was and still is permissible in various African states, Nigeria inclusive. The Southern African archive provides many examples of this. Kendall investigates \u201cmotsoalle<\/i> (special woman-woman friendships) relationships in Lesotho. She explains that the value placed on the need for companionship and love, over physical pleasure and penile penetrations, creates a safe space for women\u201d[14]<\/a>. Ruth Morgan tackles the issue of same-sex coupling amongst sangomas (female traditional healers) in Southern Africa. Through her observation she cites other female same-sex communities and traditions across the continent. In each instance there exist social parameters \u2013 social, economic, spiritual, or simply cultural, namely adolescent rites of passage that all allow for the exploration and elaboration of same-sex sexuality.[15]<\/a> Here in Nigeria we have the tradition of the fattening rooms[16]<\/a>, where young women are pampered and taught by the older generation of women. These lessons include things from beautification, mercantilism and domestic behaviours, the young women also \u201creceive instructions on how to achieve sexual fulfilment\u201d[17]<\/a> from their elders.\u00a0 Yan Daudu[18]<\/a> of the Hausa tradition provides yet another example of same-sex coupling. Chaka Zulus army considered intimacy between the male soldiers as fundamental in building battle loyalty. Let\u2019s not forget the Igbo tradition of Female Husbands[19]<\/a> researched extensively by scholar Ifi Amadiume. These examples may not speak directly to the issue of bodies coupling, but they do provide valid examples of same-sex communities that were revered, accepted and embedded in our cultural fabrics the continent over. Through this brief overview of various African traditions, it is clear that homosexual\/homosocial behaviour is part of how African societies have forged communities and shaped identity throughout our known histories. What could be considered foreign, imported or borrowed is the overt sexual imagery and seemingly hedonistic values heralded as part of the protest of the western gay movement. These forms of protest are extremely context specific and cannot be translated on the rather conservative landscape of Nigerian and indeed other African cultural tapestries. That\u2019s not to say that we do not have our examples of flamboyance, just look at the Wodaabe or Bororo[20]<\/a> tradition amongst the Fulani\u2019s in Niger or the reed dance of Swaziland where the maidens dance for the King and each other. Undeniably African cultural aesthetics tend to be sexually demure and frown on profligate displays be they homosexual or heterosexual.<\/p>\n A popular image floating around social media land now describes homophobia as \u201cthe fear that gay men are going to treat you the way you treat women and that a lesbian will treat your women better than you do.\u201d The truth is such an analysis may in fact be too profound for Goodluck Jonathan and his fictitious 90%. For this descriptor to apply to the Nigerian case, people would have to be willing to question patriarchy, heteronormativity and hyper religious group-think and then be willing to accept that these models are deeply flawed and a better option exists.<\/p>\n Articles 3 and 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Right state, \u201ceveryone has the right to life, liberty and security of person\u201d and \u201ceveryone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law\u201d[21]<\/a> respectively. The preamble of the Nigerian Constitution states, \u201cto provide for a Constitution for the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in our country, on the principles of freedom, equality and justice, and for the purpose of consolidating the unity of our people.\u201d[22]<\/a> As the highest law in the land, the constitution goes on to discuss the principles of democracy, social justice equality of status, and claims to frown upon discrimination of any kind. Clearly President Jonathan hasn\u2019t read those parts. Aside from being a violation of international human rights, and the protections and rights enshrined in the Nigerian constitution, this law will also prevent people from accessing vital public health services and threaten their very survival. This law also doesn\u2019t account for those between genders, intersex and transgender\/sexual persons. \u00a0Professor Wole Soyinka affirms \u201cthe biological truth is this: some are born with imprecise gender definition, even when they have sexual organs that appear to define them male or female. Years, indeed decades of scientific research have gone into this, so what is needed is understanding and acceptance, not emotionalism and the championing of \u2018moral\u2019 or \u2018traditional\u2019 claims.\u201d[23]<\/a> I would argue that this law is yet another desperate attempt by our Oga at the top at misdirection. With this law, he has effectively thrown the masses a rather cheap and scanty bone to further distract them from the actual problems with governance in our society. The smoke screen is successfully deflecting attention because Nigerians seem to be susceptible to the same tricks throughout our history. We delight in creating vacuous binaries, highlighting difference, searching for otherness instead of looking for points of coalition in hopes of improving our collective situation. Nigeria\u2019s own rapper and cultural icon M.I. admits, \u201clife is bisexual anybody can blow.\u201d[24]<\/a> Indeed human beings are very complex and nuanced creatures, no one, not even Jonathan Goodluck, his cohorts and the fictitious 90% can begin to fathom the fullness of human condition. We are all the sum of our parts, and the law should strive to preserve, embrace, and protect the diversity of its population at all costs.<\/p>\n \u00a0By: OsaZami -lobuhle- Oh<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n References: \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Lorde, Audre. \u201cThe Transformation of Silence Into Language and Action.\u201d \u201cLesbian and Literature Panel\u201d. Modern Language Association, Chicago, Illinois. 28 Dec. 1977. Lecture<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [2]<\/a> Hurston, Zora Neale, speaking on civil rights and discrimination see \u201cCrazy for This Democracy\u201d in\u00a0Negro Digest<\/i>\u00a0December 1945 | \u201cHow It Feels to Be Colored Me\u201d, in\u00a0The World Tomorrow<\/i>\u00a0May 1928.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [3]<\/a>Mandela, Nelson R. \u201cAddress to the Joint Session of the House of Congress of the USA.\u201d Joint Session of Houses of Congress. House of Congress, Washington, DC United States of America. 26 June 1990. Speech.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [4]<\/a> Jolly, Susan. \u201c\u2018Queering\u2019 Development: Exploring the Links between Same-Sex Sexualities, Gender, and Development.\u201d Gender and Development, 8.1 (2000): 78-88. Print.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [5]<\/a> Jolly, Susan. \u201c\u2018Queering\u2019 Development: Exploring the Links between Same-Sex Sexualities, Gender, and Development.\u201d Gender and Development, 8.1 (2000): 78-88. Print.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [6]<\/a> Gruenbaum, Ellen. \u201cSexuality Issues in the Movement to Abolish Female Genital Cutting in Sudan.\u201d Medical Anthropology Quarterly 20.1 (2006): 121-38. Print.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [7]<\/a> King Jr, Martin L. \u201cLetter from Birmingham Jail.\u201d Letter to Fellow Clergymen. 16 Apr. 1963. MS. Jail, Birmingham, Alabama. Via http:\/\/mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu\/index.php\/resources\/article\/annotated_letter_from_birmingham\/<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [8]<\/a> Binnie, Jon. The Globalization of Sexuality<\/i>. London: Sage, 2004. Print.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [9]<\/a> Hainsch, Carol. The Personal Is Political: The Original Feminist Theory.<\/i> Notes from the Second Year: Women\u2019s Liberation. February 1969. Essay. Via http:\/\/www.carolhanisch.org\/CHwritings\/PIP.html<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n [10]<\/a> Lorde, Audre.\u00a0 Zami, a new spelling of my name. <\/i>Crossing Press. 1982. | DiBernard, Barbara, \u201cZAMI: A PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST AS A BLACK LESBIAN\u201d (1991).Faculty Publications \u2014 Department of English.Paper 28.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [11]<\/a> Cummins, Joseph.\u00a0History\u2019s Great Untold Stories<\/i>. National Geographic, 2007. | Edgerton, Robert B.\u00a0Warrior Women<\/i>. Westview, 2000. | Forbes, Frederick Edwyn.\u00a0Dahomey and the Dahomans<\/i>. Longman, 1851. | Shaw, Albert.\u00a0The Review of Reviews<\/i>. Review of Reviews, 1892. Via http:\/\/www.badassoftheweek.com\/dahomey.html | See also Libyan amazons http:\/\/www.sacred-texts.com\/wmn\/ama\/ama08.htm<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [12]<\/a> Kcee. \u201cPullover.\u201d\u00a0Pullover<\/i>. Kcee Featuring Wizkid. Five Star Music, 2014. MP3.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [13]<\/a> Ikechukwu.\u00a0Wind Am Well<\/i>. Ikechukwu Featuring Don Jazzy. Don Jazzy, 2008. MP3.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [14]<\/a>Blackwood, Evelyn, and Saskia Wieringa. Female Desires: Same-sex Relations and Transgender Practices across Cultures<\/i>. New York: Columbia UP, 1999. Print.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [15]<\/a>Morgan, Ruth, and Graeme Reid. \u201c\u2018I\u2019ve Got Two Men and One Woman\u2019: Ancestors, Sexuality and Identity among Same Sex Identified Women Traditional Healers in South Africa.\u201d Culture, Health & Sexuality<\/i> 5.5 (2003): 375-91. Print. | Gunkel, H., The Cultural Politics of Female Sexuality in South Africa, Routledge Research in Gender and Society, 2012, Taylor & Francis<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [16]<\/a>Effiong, Philip. Nigerian \u201cFattening\u201d Rooms: Reinventing the total Woman. <\/i>2013 Via <\/i>http:\/\/www.philip-effiong.com\/Fattening-Rooms.pdf<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [17]<\/a>Effiong, Philip. Nigerian \u201cFattening\u201d Rooms: Reinventing the total Woman.<\/i> 2013 Via http:\/\/www.philip-effiong.com\/Fattening-Rooms.pdf<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [18]<\/a> Epprecht, Marc \u00a0Allah Made Us: Sexual Outlaws in an Islamic African City<\/i>. African Studies Review<\/a> [19]<\/a>Amadiume, Ifi.\u00a0Male Daughters, Female Husbands: Gender and Sex in an African Society<\/i>. London: Zed, 1987. Print.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [20]<\/a>http:\/\/www.uiowa.edu\/~africart\/toc\/people\/Wodaabe.html AND http:\/\/www.discovery.com\/tv-shows\/human-planet\/videos\/wodaabe-flirtation-festival.htm<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\nVolume 53, Number 1, April 2010<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n