Gay Rights in Africa

Most African countries will never accept the gay culture as a way of life. Most Africans have been brought up to believe and accept that anyone who claims to be a homosexual, lesbian or bi-sexual is demon possessed. There are several closet gay men and women in Africa but they will rather remain silent about their real sexual orientation than bear the risk of being totally ostracized by society, family, and friends.

Many closet homosexuals have relationships and perhaps marry woman, but only as a means to conceal their true sexual nature.

In Nigeria, same sex marriage is an abominable act and the Nigerian government have made laws that guard against encouraging same-sex marriage. Anyone who is caught breaking the law by marrying a person of the same-sex, officiating a same-sex marriage or merely attending a same-sex wedding is going to be punished, because such an offence carries a 2- 5 year jail term or option of fine.

Most Nigerians are quite conservative and they believe that sodomy is unnatural, un-African and the act is viewed as being against both Christianity and Islam. In the Sharia governed states of Nigeria, adultery and gay acts are punishable by death!

Gay people in the Western World feel that the anti- gay laws adopted by Nigeria is a violation of the Human Rights Act.

Living a life of lies can be very disheartening for a gay man or woman who lives in a country where no one wants to be associated with anyone they perceive as demonic or sick because their sexual orientation is completely different to what society has considered as improper.

They are many times when parents have disowned sons and or daughters that have boldly declared (or in most cases, have been caught in the act) their gay status. Some people in the society will take it upon themselves to harass, assault, and even stoop to name-calling.

Many gay people live in perpetual fear in Africa because somebody who is probably a moral fanatic can decide to come up with some kind of way to validate his or her moral stance by organizing an avenue to disgrace a gay person's family name (A good family name is very important in Africa).

There are gay people who have found acceptance, respect, and happiness as soon as they left the continent. It is not unusual to see African gay boys latch on to gay foreigners, in the hope that these foreigners might help them by taking them along to America, Europe, or somewhere where the gay culture is accepted. But sadly, most of these foreigners take advantage of these young boys and promptly abandon them as soon as it is time for them to leave the country.

Some religious scholars have argued that God hates sodomy and by encouraging it, we are practically asking God to hate us! Some said that if God wanted the gay culture, he would not have destroyed Sodom & Gomorrah and He would have created a man for Adam instead of a woman.

Works Cited:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/the-new-struggle-for-equality-gay-rights-and-wrongs-in-africa-425115.html
http://www.mask.org.za/article.php?cat=HumanRightsMonitor&id=1424