Married Nigerian gay man Lucius [name changed] is afraid for his family’s future now that a neighborhood phone repairman has discovered his sexual orientation.
From the African Human Rights Media Network
Photo illustration
By Mike Daemon
Lucius, who is gay but married to a woman, shared his worries in a Whatsapp group. In his text, he explained how his sexual orientation was discovered by a phone repairman working on his phone.
The text reads:
“I gave my phone to a phone repairer since my touchpad was not functioning well. I gave him my password, when I came back in the evening of yesterday after work to collect the phone, and the repairer says, ‘Bro, so you are gay?’ Clearly, he was judging from the [gay] video he saw on my phone. … I was speechless and embarrassed. I collected my phone in shame.”
Lucius said that he is worried and afraid that his wife might find out about his sexual orientation. He doesn’t know what might happen then.
He said: “My fear is that he owns a shop not too far from my street. My wife and my niece staying with us recommended him.”
This is the sad reality of many gay Nigerian men who pretend to be heterosexuals and marry women. Often, the women they marry are not aware of their sexual orientation. For most, the reason why they do this is because same-sex marriage is illegal in the country and also because of societal and family pressure.
The ripple effect can be devastating to everyone involved.
Discriminatory laws like Nigeria’s are of no benefit to anyone. The case of Lucius is just one example of why.
COMMENTS
May God have mercy