(image via Google Maps)
Out Candidate’s Banner Defaced With ‘FAG’ + More News
Justice Horn (photo via Instagram)
Dancing In The Rain Leads To US Scholarship
Anthony Mmesoma Madu (screen capture via Leap of Dance Studio – Nigeria)
After his dance in the rain captured the eyes of millions, this 11-year-old Nigerian boy has earned a scholarship to study ballet in the U.S. pic.twitter.com/9SgFBxdE15
— AJ+ (@ajplus) August 11, 2020
Daily Dance: Leap Of Dance Academy
From the Instagram account of the Leap of Dance Academy in Nigeria, a vocational ballet school that is dedicated to providing quality ballet education to indigenous students and young artists. “With very little or no resources our kids are training to be the best they can,” reads the caption in part. “This is not to bring down anyone but to show their high level of dedication and commitment to our program.” “Who wouldn’t be proud of them? What teacher wouldn’t pray for students who show/come to class with so much desire to learn? Kids who are ready to dance with or without conditions.”
Nigeria: Men Dragged From Private Home, Stripped & Beaten For Consensual Sex
(image via Pexels)
Report: Most Dangerous Countries For LGBTQ Travelers
After studying the 150 countries that had the most international tourists, travel bloggers at Asher & Lyric ranked the worst countries for LGBTQ travelers. Among the factors considered were laws regarding same-sex relations, propaganda/morality laws, worker protections & protections against discrimination and more. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa and 7th most populous in the world, has the dubious distinction of taking the top spot on the list. Here are the top five most dangerous countries for LGBTQ travelers:
5. Tanzania – homosexuality can be punished by 30 years to life in prison; ‘indecent behavior’ in regard to homosexuality can result in 5 years in prison
4. Saudi Arabia – homosexual acts can be punished by the death penalty, 100 lashes or banishment for a year; gender expression is illegal
3. Yemen – homosexuality among men can result in 100 lashes, a year in prison if unmarried or stoning to death if married; women caught in same-sex relations can receive 100 lashes and/or 3 years in prison
2. Qatar – homosexual acts can result in 1-3 years in prison, flogging and/or the death penalty
1. Nigeria – homosexuality receives up to 14 years in prison or the death penalty; the mere discussion of LGBTQ rights is illegal
The bloggers note that “certain cities, tourist areas or resorts can sometimes be LGBTQ+ friendly even when the laws of the country as a whole are very anti-LGBTQ+. In all cases, do your research.” Check out the full list here.
Nigerian man beaten in court for having sex with a man 7 years ago
From the Advocate: A man in Nigeria was beaten by authorities this week for having had sex with another man seven years ago.
Mubarak Ibrahim, 20, was punished for retroactively violating a law that President Goodluck Jonathan signed earlier this month, which criminalizes homosexuality and bans same-sex marriages. While Ibrahim would have been a minor at the time, the BBC report did not disclose the terms under which he had sexual contact with another male.
In addition to 20 lashes, Ibrahim was also ordered to pay a fine of about $30.
According to the BBC, Ibrahim was whipped in the court with a animal skin smeared in oil. He screamed in pain as the lashes came down on his back in a packed courtroom.
He is one of several men who were arrested in the weeks leading up to the signage of the bill. Eleven men in total are facing death under Islamic law, and a 12th man, who is Christian, would be punished under secular law.
Nigeria: Eleven men face stoning to death for homosexuality
The BBC reports on the citizens’ arrest and upcoming “trial” of 11 men in Nigeria:
An Islamic court in Nigeria’s northern state of Bauchi has put on trial 11 Muslim men accused of being homosexuals in violation of their religion, a religious leader has told the BBC.
A 12th person arrested – a Christian – would be tried under secular law, a BBC reporter says.
Under Islamic law, a person can be sentenced to death by stoning if convicted of homosexuality.
It is also illegal to have gay sex in Nigeria, according to its secular laws.
Jibrin Danlami Hassan, the commissioner of Bauchi state’s Sharia Commission, said the alleged homosexuals were arrested by residents of Bauchi city. They were handed to the Islamic police force, which interrogated them, he said. “They accept that they are doing that dirty game,” Mr Hassan said.
Ms Aken’Ova said some of those arrested had been beaten up and tortured, but Mr Hassan denied this.
One day after the strict anti-LGBT bill — dubbed the “Jail the Gays” law — was signed into law in Nigeria, police arrested dozens of gay men, The Associated Press reports.
Police allegedly based the arrests on a list of 168 suspects purportedly obtained through torture.
Nigeria: Anti-gay law “enforcers” plan to hunt down gays
With the passage of the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill in Nigeria, anti-gay forces are now emboldened to hunt down gays and lesbians in order to form a “decent society.”
From Google News:
Islamic law enforcers in north Nigeria’s biggest city on Wednesday vowed a crackdown on homosexual activity, in the wake of new anti-gay marriage legislation that has sparked international outrage.
The deputy head of the Hisbah in Kano state, Usman Nabahani, told AFP that the new law banning gay marriage and civil partnerships was a “welcome development”.
“Definitely, we will work tirelessly toward the enforcement of this law by the special grace of God,” he added.
“From now on, we will go into every nook and corner of Kano state to ensure that (the prohibition of) prostitution, gay marriages, marriages of the same sex and consumption of alcohol… is fully complied with, so that we can have a decent society.
“We are given more power, we are given more support now to wage serious war against these issues.”
Homosexual acts have long been illegal in Nigeria, but Monday’s bill also made it a crime punishable by ten years in prison to form gay clubs, promote LGBT rights, or stage same-sex ceremonies.
(h/t JMG)
Nigeria outlaws marriage equality
Nigeria has outlawed same-sex marriage and civil unions in a bill approved by president Goodluck Jonathan, according to his spokesman.The Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill 2013, called “discriminatory” by Amnesty International, sets jail terms of up to 14 years for anyone entering gay marriage or civil partnership and also bans LGBT organisations altogether.“I can confirm that the president has signed the bill into law,” Goodluck Jonathan’s spokesman Reuben Abati told AFP.Abati said the bill, adopted by the Senate in 2011, was signed by Goodluck Jonathan “because it is consistent with the attitude of most Nigerians towards homosexuality”.“More than 90 percent of Nigerians are opposed to same sex marriage. So, the law is in line with our cultural and religious beliefs as a people,” he added.