Priinces and Priincesses,
Anyone who’s been on the virtual space since the first of June probably already knows it’s pride month this month. While celebrations are ongoing in regions where being LGBTQ+ is legal, nothing out of the ordinary day to day socioeconomic activities is being observed elsewhere. The gap between what consists the norm in model societies in each of the regions as classified above is glaring to say the least, especially at this time of the year when the media is flooded with so much content to remind everyone – even those who couldn’t care less – of how differently we are all wired when it comes to the subject of sexuality. This has not changed the fact that in many parts of the world, the LGBTQ+ community is still frowned at, and as is often the case, identifying as a part of the community comes at severe costs which could be legal (in which case you’d bag any number of years in jail term, be subjected to community service for a period of time etc.) or societal (in which case you’d face social ostracism, be left to the wrath of a homophobic mob etc.) Whichever the case is, the toll this takes on an individual’s mental, emotional and even physiological well-being can be grave, and as a consequence, activists all around the globe have taken it upon themselves to speak up for the rights of this marginalized sect.
Following the fairly recent event that occurred in Western Africa where a queer duo was brutally dealt with after a self-taped footage of them having sex was leaked, we thought to discuss the very controversial topic of gayism in Africa. One needn’t have been queer to have had pity on the African duo upon seeing how terribly misconfigured their bodies were after being beaten up by an angry mob. While the staff of PriinceBriightNation is neutral about whether identifying as LGBTQ+ is right or wrong (everyone is entitled to his opinion on the subject matter as influenced by their beliefs, societal norms etc.), we are of the strong judgment that the actions taken by the mob was extreme. And that is putting it mildly, especially considering that none of them gets to take any form of responsibility for the physical and mental damages they inflicted on the two sentient beings!
We took to the streets of social media, and to the literal streets, to get people’s opinions on homosexuality. Understandably, everyone has his belief on what is morally (un)just, and these beliefs are oft cast in iron, therefore, rather than ask whether or not they thought homosexuality is right or wrong, we asked deeper, less-likely-to-spark-an-unending-debate questions. Like what, even, is the core act of homosexuality – a crime, or an expression of self? Is it, in fact, both? Because one might argue that pedophilia is an expression of self, and also a crime. Since this is true, does the absence of consent play a vital role in defining its status as a crime, not merely self-expression? Just as importantly, should a consensual sexual act – the keyword here being consensual – between two or more adult parties be punishable by law entirely because the parties involved are of the same gender? If yes, why? If no, why not?
As you can imagine, we received diverse opinions, and we have listed some of our favorite picks below … y’know … for the sake of it.
N/B: The following quotes do not reflect the opinions of the staff and/or management of PriinceBriightNation, and may have been altered (e.g. translated from Pidgin to English, shortened for the sake of brevity etc.), but all retain the core messages being communicated by each interviewed contributor. Also, contributors who so requested have been allotted false names to maintain anonymity.
“I think it’s both a crime and an act of self-expression because they are expressing a feeling they possess, but that feeling is wrong, which ultimately makes it all wrong.” – Esther, Nigeria.
“No matter what argument anyone brings to back this up, the truth remains that same-sex relationships are wrong. There's a reason no known religion in the world supports it.” – Jonathan, Nigeria.
“We are in Nigeria, so it’s a crime sha o, but left to me, I don’t have a problem with it. Just don’t push my boundaries. And don’t pretend to be straight and date me as a cover up. Just be yourself because in the end, nobody alive is holy.” – Peace, Nigeria. (Instagram)
“This is always a losing argument for me because I am of the very unpopular opinion that if people are not deliberately inconveniencing us in any way, then they deserve to be left alone. I’m not gay, but there are things I do that I’m not proud of, and I still love myself regardless, so who am I to judge?” – Kwame, Ghana. (Twitter)
“The truth is that if we allow this nonsense to become legal, people will start to vouch for other 'nonsenses' to become legal too. We can’t accept this. It’s simply not normal. Even animals know that, but we that are supposed to be the ‘intelligent’ animals are vouching for it.” – Olufemi, Nigeria. (Twitter)
“There’s no way to say my true opinion on this without sounding like I’m gay, but I might as well, since this will be anonymous. I have a gay friend. He’s a good person. Like, a truly good person. I’ve listened to his story before, and being gay wasn’t something he saw and decided to choose. It’s something he can’t really help. I know this to be true because we've tried to hook him up with girls many times, but he's never 'moved' by them, if you know what I mean. It is because of him I know that being gay doesn’t make one a bad person, which makes sense I guess because being straight doesn’t make one a good person either. But who wants to hear that one in this Nigeria? Even when people pretend to listen, they have already decided in their minds to still conclude that gayism is a crime. I was that way too before, so I can’t blame them. That’s what happens when you’re taught one thing your entire life.” – Jeremiah, Nigeria. (Instagram)
“No matter where you live or how you grew up, if you are morally sound, you can’t even argue that gayism is OK. That’s my opinion, and it is a crime, and consent or no consent, it should be punished. Period.” – Stanley, Nigeria.
“People lie about the heaviest, most life–altering things, scam billions online, sit with a pen in an office and siphon money that should be the reward of workers’ sweat and toil, there’s no electricity, there are bad roads everywhere, but what you are calling a crime is what two grownups did in their privacy that doesn’t affect anybody except them. That’s the one that is ‘peppering’ you to punish. Omo. Reshuffle your brain o.” – Frank (who, surprisingly and note-worthily, is Stanley’s friend, I think; they were interviewed together.), Nigeria.
“My rule is simple – live, and let live. If you ask anyone who believes homosexuality is a crime why they think it is, I bet their answer will be one of two things: religion, or they were taught so from young. But I’m atheist, and I believe humanity supersedes religion. People do the craziest, most awful things in the name of religion. To me, if you don’t like meat, eat fish, but don’t force everyone to eat fish with you because of what your god says.” – Catherine, Nigeria. (Twitter)
So, citizens, there you have it. There are still so many responses we received that we can’t publish here right now. What is your take on the subject matter? Is homosexuality a crime, or an expression of self? Take the poll below, and let us know in the comments too. Don’t forget to subscribe.
WHAT, IN YOUR OPINION, IS HOMOSEXUALITY?
A CRIME
AN EXPRESSION OF SELF
