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Activists fight antigay
Nigerian law
23 Jan 2007- Nigeria seems certain to legislate
one of the world's most sweeping and repressive antigay laws unless
international pressure is bought to bear on the Nigerian government in
the next few weeks, according to Peter Tatchell of the London-based LGBT
rights group OutRage!
"We appeal to gay and
human rights groups worldwide to take urgent action to press the
Nigerian government to uphold international human rights law and to drop
this draconian legislation," Tatchell said in a statement that called
the bill being debated in Abuja's parliament "the most comprehensively
homophobic legislation ever proposed in any country in the world."
The law, approved by
the Federal Executive Council and now before the National Assembly,
levies a five-year automatic prison sentence not only on almost every
expression of gay identity and sexuality but also on giving advice or
support to lesbians or gay men.
Backed by Nigerian
religious leaders including Anglican archbishop Peter Akinola, to whom
several U.S. churches upset with the Episcopal Church's tolerance of
gays have switched allegiance, it is expected to be passed into law
within weeks.
On Friday retired
South African archbishop Desmond Tutu once again decried the antigay
stance taken by some African Anglican leaders and urged them to
concentrate on the continent's problems.
"To penalize somebody
for their sexual orientation is the same as what used to happen to black
South Africans for something about which we could do nothing," the South
African Press Association quoted Tutu as saying.
Among other things,
Tatchell said, Nigeria's proposed law "will outlaw membership of a gay
group, attending a gay meeting or protest, advocating gay equality,
donating money to a gay organization, hosting or visiting a gay Web
site, the publication or possession of gay safer-sex advice, renting or
selling a property to a gay couple, expressions of same-sex love in
letters or e-mails, attending a same-sex marriage or blessing ceremony,
screening or watching a gay movie, taking or possessing photos of a gay
couple, and publishing, selling, or loaning a gay book or video."
Homosexuality is
already illegal under Nigerian civil law and carries the death penalty
in the northern regions of the country that are governed by Muslim
Sharia law.
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