The fact that the Nigerian government banned the validity of the LGBT community by putting up a law that endangers them, is meant to reduce the number of Gays and Lesbians in Nigeria.
But instead of a reduction, we’ve been constantly presented with scenarios which prove that the practice has increased tremendously.
Is the “14 years in jail” threat even working at all?
We have numerous closet gays and lesbians scattered all over the country, and the fear of invalidity has subsequently made them harmful to straight humans who would have sought after love affairs with them because there was no knowledge of their actual sexual orientation.
If I am in love with you, it’s proper that I get to know your sexual appeal, and improper to be kept in the dark about it. If I know you’re a lesbian, it’s left for me to make final verdicts on what I want with you. If I still want to further the relationship into the destination of marriage – having known you’re a lesbian – then I’m to be blamed for whatever happens.
I am to be blamed, because I was well-aware of your sexual orientation, before deciding to walk down the aisle with you. But I’m likely not to have knowledge of a lesbian when I see one, and that’s the case of millions of men in the country.
This is because, most lesbians hide their identity in Nigeria, because of the law.
Same goes for gays, and it makes it difficult for Nigerian women to identify them. Imagine sharing your husband with another man? These things are currently happening, and it tears homes apart when the truths are being discovered.
A Nigerian Court recently allowed a man to divorce a wife he met on Facebook, for being a lesbian and denying him conjugal rights.
As usual, this got people talking about how hard it is to identify who is who these days.
But if the LGBT community has validation, then, the number of these sad tales of broken relationships could be reduced. At least, a lady would gladly say “I’m a lesbian – not into men.” This will save the man in love some stress, and future harm of investing emotions on someone who doesn’t value you.
I have seen a girl thinking of suicide, after finding out that her boyfriend’s colleague who visits him always, was his gay lover. It took the Grace of God to convince her that harming herself wasn’t an option. Five years of relationship just went to waste like that.
Government should look into these things, because the ratio of known gays and lesbians, is like a tiny drop of water, and the ratio of the ones hiding, is obviously an ocean when compared to the former.
Written by: Edward Amah
