From afar, pushing for repeal of Nigeria’s anti-gay law
Edafe Okporo, a Nigerian human rights activist living in the U.S., has sent a strong message home to the Nigerian government, demanding the repeal of the country’s draconian anti-same-sex-marriage law, which violates the human rights of LGBT Nigerians.
Okporo’s protest came during the Rise and Resist rally in front of the Nigerian Embassy in New York on the 10th of September. He called on the Federal government of Nigeria to put an end to the persecution of LGBTIQ people by repealing the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act.
At the rally, Okporo made it clear that the law, signed in 2014 by then Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, is a violation of human rights.
LGBT persons are peaceful and deserve the right to be happy, to be treated equally and to have their rights as human beings respected and not violated, he said.
“We demand that the United Nations during the General Assembly deliberate on these issues that persecute LGBTIQ folks all around the world. It is inhuman. It is our right. We deserve the right to live freely. We deserve the right to be happy. We deserve the right to be free.”
A video of Okporo’s remarks at the protest is available on YouTube.
Related articles:
- Nigeria: Ex-leader seeks redo of anti-LGBT law he signed (June 2016, 76crimes.com)
- Ex Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan Regrets: Nigeria’s Anti-Gay Law May Be Revisited (June 6, 2016, NoStrings)
- Nigeria’s Jonathan Says Country May Revisit Law on Gay Marriage (June 6, Bloomberg)
- Setback in court challenge to Nigerian anti-gay law (October 2014, 76crimes.com)
- With Nigeria’s anti-gay law, HIV care drops 10%-70% (July 2014, 76crimes.com)
- AIDS could rebound as Nigeria gets harsh anti-gay law (January 2014, 76crimes.com)
- Archive of this blog’s articles about the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act.
Agree, but those who want to force their religious belief’s upon all people, do not see it this way, as they think it is such a sin, they must protect others from sin, while they are the worst sinners in other ways they disobey their own books.