‘It messed me up big time’: Nigerian youth shares homophobic experiences
Openly gay Nigerian student Matthew Blaise has shared some of his personal homophobic experiences while in school.
From the African Human Rights Media Network
Matthew Blaise. Photo Source: Facebook
By Mike Daemon
The undergraduate student went on Twitter to share about 5 cases of homophobic assaults and harassments he has experienced living openly as gay in Nigeria.
Homophobic attacks are common in the country. Every day, the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, (LGBT) people are violated by state and non-state actors. Perpetrators enjoy impunity because the law doesn’t protect LGBTIQ+ people.
Religion and ignorance about LGBTI issues are the leading cause of homophobia in Nigeria.
Frustrated with his situation, Blaise who has suffered multiple human rights violations and a victim of several hate crimes says he is now struggling with his mental health.
“Everything that happened to me messed me up big time, I won’t lie. I still haven’t recovered from any of them. I now deal with a complicated paranoia and anxiety. I’m not in a good place mentally at all. Much has happened, I have passed them but I know many will still come” he tweeted.
Read his tweets below.
I’ll share 5 assault cases I’ve gone through in the hands of homophobes and 5 harassment cases I’ve also gone through in their hands. I’d love you guys to RTS, so this people will see they are hurting us badly.
— Son of the rainbow🌈 (@Blaise_21) September 27, 2019
I was once bruised badly on my wrist by homophobes in broad day. People were around but they never came to my rescue when the guys were doing shits to me. According to them, I was acting girly and they didn’t like it, so one slapped me and the other grabbed my wrist until I bled
— Son of the rainbow🌈 (@Blaise_21) September 27, 2019
Another incident was when I was coming back from the library with my friends at night. Some group of guys called me personally and threatened me but I didn’t bother much cause I was with my friends. On my way home,I felt stoned dropping heavily on me.They stoned me and my friends
— Son of the rainbow🌈 (@Blaise_21) September 27, 2019
That night. I got injured on my legs when I was trying to dodge the stones.
— Son of the rainbow🌈 (@Blaise_21) September 27, 2019
A priest after going through my queer content on Facebook,saw me in church.Called me and grabbed my neck,dude choked me while using his other hand to punch me. According to him,I shouldn’t be sharing those contents.He punched hard many times and he didn’t stop until he got tired
— Son of the rainbow🌈 (@Blaise_21) September 27, 2019
Just last week, a lagos driver almost killed me because he felt my existence in his bus would stop his dick from functioning.
He said I was disgusting to him and threw me out of his bus. As usual, people were in that bus but never said anything.
— Son of the rainbow🌈 (@Blaise_21) September 27, 2019
My lecturer implied I was disgusting to him because I was being girly. pic.twitter.com/jOEL3BFq53
— Son of the rainbow🌈 (@Blaise_21) September 27, 2019
A man at Yaba market once hit me very hard, and when I tried to talk back at him, the whole guys start calling me ‘gay’ ‘man akunna’ ‘ashawo boys’ and ‘leaking yansh’
I swear, I was embarrassed, Everyone was laughing hard. I felt the world could just swallow me that instant.
— Son of the rainbow🌈 (@Blaise_21) September 27, 2019
I rose up my finger to ask a question in class, only for the lecturer to ask ‘why are you doing like Bobrisky?’ in a very derogatory manner. She added ‘you’re a man, you shouldn’t be doing this to yourself, it’s disgusting’
The whole class burst into laughter as I sank in tears
— Son of the rainbow🌈 (@Blaise_21) September 27, 2019
My literature lecturer after exams called me in front of many other lecturers and ask if I was a ‘shemale’. She asked and laughed like a devil with other lecturers. I didn’t respond. Another one asked why I was walking as if a vagina was there. They all laughed again
— Son of the rainbow🌈 (@Blaise_21) September 27, 2019
They said I wasn’t acting like a man.
I was more like a confused people and it’s not good at all for a young person.— Son of the rainbow🌈 (@Blaise_21) September 27, 2019
A pastor in school spat at me and muttered abomination. He fucking did this and I couldn’t do anything😫
— Son of the rainbow🌈 (@Blaise_21) September 27, 2019
My name was once published on a blog by a popular blogger in school. She outed me and exposed me to a lot of shits in school.
— Son of the rainbow🌈 (@Blaise_21) September 27, 2019
I don’t even want to talk about the thousands of slurs, threats and rejections I face everyday because I being what I didn’t choose to be.
— Son of the rainbow🌈 (@Blaise_21) September 27, 2019
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I can’t imagine what it would feel like in his shoes. But I understand the humiliation one go through by just being effeminate. I experienced similar bullying while I was in all boys boarding school. My fear of being threatened and/of attacked is why I haven’t come out yet.
God help us all!
So sad to hear, yet very courageous to hold your ground as possible (exposing the behavior, etc.)
I wonder about the lecturer though…does the institution offer no protection about abuse in the classroom? Here, that would not fly and they would be sanctioned about that behavior, even if result was reassigning the student to another classroom.
Hmm you are really a courageous person…keep up the good work, one day all will be history.
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Anyone who is been talked to indecently can call on me…..fuck those who think we aren’t human….proudly rainbow🌈