Words From a Wicked Woman

Chicago is latest stop on 20-city tour of the U.S.Davis Mac-Iyalla remembers when being gay did not bar him from serving his church. Now in exile, the Nigerian minister embodies a growing debate among Anglicans worldwide.

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Exiled Nigerian gay activist Davis Mac-Iyalla has come to the United States in search of political, spiritual and financial support. Founder of the LGBT Anglican organization Changing Attitude Nigeria, he has faced persecution from both his government and his church–being forced to flee to a nearby country where he and others organize in the herculean fight for their rights against the very powerful Archbishop Peter J. Akinola, primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) and head homophobe in charge. It is because of pressure from Akinola that Mac-Iyalla and others active in his organization were arrested in 2005 by police in Abuja, the nation’s capitol, held for three days without food and water, beaten and tortured before finally being released. To this day, he suffers from the after effects of that violation of human rights, yet, he continues to speak, organize and advocate for his people–our people–in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is an LGBT hero.

TWW was in the audience when Mac-Iyalla’s speaking tour came to Cleveland, Ohio on May 23 where he spoke to an audience of about 50 people at Trinity Cathedral. The first thing I noticed was how happy and relieved Mac-Iyalla was to finally be able to bring his story out of Nigeria and into the hearts and minds of people who could have significant influence in putting a stop to the persecution LGBT face in his country. Although it was already illegal to marry a same-sex partner in Nigeria, the legislature, spurred on by Akinola, considered a measure this year that would have carried a five-year prison sentence for advocating for LGBT rights individually or as an organization; providing services for LGBT people, including AIDS/HIV education and prevention; having dinner with another LGBT person in a purely platonic environment; renting space to any LGBT person or organization, and other activities. The bill, called the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, narrowly escaped passage last March thanks, in no small part, to international pressure from governments and human rights organizations and then-upcoming elections in April. It is hoped that the April 21 poll results will bring about change in attitudes toward LGBT within the new government, however, Akinola and his minions in high office still loom large. Mac-Iyalla was forced to flee his homeland and seek refuge in neighboring Togo amid threats of kidnap, torture and death. It is this story he brings to the U.S. (For more background see Gay Anxiety in Nigeria and Time for a Hard New Push Against Nigerian Anti-Gay Bill.)

Mac-Iyalla began his Cleveland speech by saying that he had tried to refrain from speaking about Akinola because the man is an attention whore who doesn’t care whether what is said is negative or positive, only that his name is mentioned. However, he realized that in order to make Americans aware of the serious dangers of being LGBT in Nigeria, as well as to tell his own story, he had no choice but to also speak of the Nigerian primate who had once declared that there were no LGBT people in Nigeria, much less LGBT Anglicans. It was in response to this assertion that Changing Attitude Nigeria was formed and it was this challenge that led Akinola to turn his considerable powers not just on LGBT Anglicans within his province, but LGBT Nigerians as a whole.

Akinola may be better known in the U.S. for defying hundreds of years of Anglican tradition and poaching dioceses and individual churches within the Episcopal Church, USA (TEC) as they attempt to leave over full-inclusion of LGBT within the life and structure of the denomination, touching off a legal battle royal that threatens to go on for years to come. He is also the primary mover of a coalition of theoretically independent churches within the Anglican Communion called the “Global South” who have threatened to leave unless TEC stops ordaining LGBT bishops and performing same-sex unions. It is supposedly to offer pastoral care that Akinola has affiliated himself with the breakaway TEC dioceses and churches.

Make no mistake, Akinola is a powerful and dangerous man driven by a rabid hatred that is anything but Christian. Because Nigeria is the most populous province in the Communion, he has a built-in power base from which to conduct his heinous campaign against LGBT people throughout the world. I urge anyone who can to hear Mac-Iyalla speak and tell his story in his own words. I will be posting a more thorough article about his fight for freedom next week. In the meantime, I have included a list of cities and dates for the speaking tour. At Mac-Iyalla’s request, I have not included event times. Even here, it seems, he is not safe.

Davis Mac-Iyalla U.S. Tour

Technorati Tags: activism, africa, blacks, christianity, discrimination, episcopal church, gay, homophobia, homosexuality, lesbian, lgbt, nigeria, politics

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been asked by 32 members of Congress to oppose legislation in Nigeria that would criminalize gay and lesbian “relationships” as simple as having dinner together, as well as the mere act of witnessing a same-sex union. So far, Rice has been silent.

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The Nigerian National Assembly has recessed without voting on the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2006, the proposed legislation that would prohibit not only same-sex marriage but advocacy on behalf of LGBT Nigerians; meetings or gatherings of any sort between LGBT; displays of affection between LGBT in public OR private, and; registration or promotion of any clubs or groups by or for LGBT Nigerians, among other things. Violations of any provision of the Act is punishable by five years in prison. Homosexuality is already illegal in Nigeria. In the Muslim north, it is punishable under Sharia law by stoning to death.

Although the bill was debated by the House of Representatives on March 22, the House Human Rights Committee is of the opinion that the bill violates the human rights of LGBT and is reportedly attempting to block the its progress, even suggesting that they may issue a minority report of their findings. Nevertheless, lobbying in favor of the bill is still taking place. Chief among the bill’s supporters is Archbishop Peter J. Akinola, Primate of All Nigeria, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion),(CON), who issued a statement in support of the legislation shortly after it was introduced last year.

“The Church commends the law-makers for their prompt reaction to outlaw same-sex relationships in Nigeria and calls for the bill to be passed since the idea expressed in the bill is the moral position of Nigerians regarding human sexuality,” reads Message to the Nation/Communiqué, (also called the Ibadan Communiqué), a statement issued after a February 2006 meeting of the CON’s Standing Committee in Ibadan.

Akinola is said to be specifically lobbying Christian legislators.

“Changing Attitude Nigeria stands as a reminder to the world-wide Anglican Communion that the Church of Nigeria is promoting and supporting a bill which will erode the most basic human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people,” declared director of Changing Attitude Nigeria, Davis Mac-Iyalla in a March 23 press release. Changing Attitude Nigeria is an advocacy group for LGBT Anglicans in that country.

The situation for LGBT Nigerians is horrific. “Two months ago I was arrested and detained by the police in Lagos,” said Chuma, a gay Nigerian man, in Voices From Nigeria: Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgenders Speak Out About the Same-Sex Bill, a pamphlet published by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) last November. “This happened when I was carrying out research for the study on the prevalence and risk factors of HIV/AIDS, STI infections and social risk behavior among men that have sex with men in Nigeria. A team of policemen in Lagos came to my apartment and took me away to an unknown place for 2 days. I was beaten beyond recognition, and I am still receiving treatment for the head injury I received. I was dehumanized and paraded naked to the press. My money, ID card and shoes were taken. Eventually I was released without being charged or tried. My only offense was that I am gay.”

Chuma is concerned that the bill will force gays underground, keeping them from HIV/AIDS programs due to the ban on LGBT organizations. Aishat, a 21-year-old gay man who is HIV-positive, shares that concern.

“These issues in society force gay life underground and contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS. I have to sneak around to have sex with other gay men. It is like hide and seek. We need to be quick and there is no time to make adequate provision about when and how to have sex. . . . The Bill will force people to have sex in secret rather than stopping gays having sex. Condoms will be used less and less often because there will be no time to develop relationships because of fear of being caught,” he says.

Patricia is a closeted lesbian in love with another woman. She is very anxious about what will happen if the legislation’s supporters prevail. “If the Bill is passed it will be terrible. . . . I am with somebody I love. I don’t think anyone can force me to stop living the life I want to live. When you love someone and you can’t have access to that person, life is not worth living. I am too afraid to think about what I will have to do if the Bill is passed.”

And then there’s Mohammed, a 26-year-old male transvestite who has been beaten on many occasions for being gay and transgender. “I wanted to go out for a party and I thought it would be better if I dressed up at home so that I would not be seen changing so as to protect myself. My stepfather and brothers came in because they saw lipstick on the shower top. I was tied down and beaten all night long. Another time my stepfather poured hot cooking oil on my foot as a punishment for being gay,” recounted Mohammed.

“I have been hurt badly. I have been beaten with an iron and sticks. I am too scared to go to hospital because of the way I look. I self-medicate and many of my injuries have not healed because I have not received proper treatment for them,” he said.

Voices From Nigeria contains accounts of incidents that happened prior to the introduction of the anti-gay legislation. More recent reports are even worse. As I’ve previously written, Mac-Iyalla, the Anglican LGBT activist, has been forced to leave Nigeria due to threats on his life. There are others who have experienced increased violence as well and Mac-Iyalla is doing what he can to provide assistance. In addition, I have learned that at least one of the world’s more prominent religious bodies is doing what it can to help. Details are necessarily vague, but I believe they, too, are trying to re-locate those LGBT who are in the most danger.

What is needed is world condemnation by people, governments and organizations according to Mac-Iyalla. “World opinion needs to urgently condemn further progress on this Bill in the Nigerian House of Representatives. It will make criminals of LGBT people simply for being who they are. We urge all Provinces and Primates of the Anglican Communion to support international action in condemnation of this dangerous and inhuman bill.”

This legislation has been condemned by IGLHRC, the U.S. State Department, the European Union, too many AIDS organizations to count, including UNAIDS, and others. Even the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the USA (TEC) has come out in opposition to the legislation. “We proclaim the Gospel that stands against any violence, including violence done to women and children as well as those who are persecuted because of their differences, often in the name of God. The Dar es Salaam Communiqué is distressingly silent on this subject.”

The statement is contained in the “Mind of the House” resolutions issued after the bishops’ Spring Meeting in Camp Allen, Texas earlier this month in stark contrast to the silence–until very recently–of the Anglican Communion, the organization comprising the 38 churches that trace their origin to the Church of England, in which Akinola is the leading conservative voice and the voice of the so-called Global South.

Nevertheless, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, leader of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion, voiced his concern that the Church be a safe place for gay and lesbian people in a welcome message contained in an interim report from the Communion’s Listening Process released March 28. “The commitments of the Communion are not only to certain theological positions on the question of sexual ethics but also to a manifest and credible respect for the proper liberties of homosexual people, a commitment again set out in successive Lambeth Conference Resolutions over many decades,” Williams wrote. “I share the concerns expressed about situations where the Church is seen to be underwriting social or legal attitudes which threaten these proper liberties. It is impossible to read this report without being aware that in many places - including Western countries with supposedly ‘liberal’ attitudes – hate crimes against homosexual people have increased in recent years and have taken horrifying and disturbing forms.”

The Listening Process is a mechanism established by the Communion to hear the voices of LGBT Anglicans in preparation for making policy concerning their treatment and inclusion in light of controversy concerning TEC’s 2003 consecration of V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay man in a committed relationship, as bishop of New Hampshire and the performance of same-sex unions in many dioceses. Other members of the Communion ordain gay and lesbian priests and perform same-sex unions as well. However, none have consecrated an openly gay or lesbian bishop as yet. I will be writing much more about this controversy and its effect on TEC at a slightly later date–probably next week.

Now that Williams has finally broken his silence, it is more important than ever to express concern to the Nigerian government about the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act. The National Assembly recess provides the perfect opportunity to get those objections in before the bill comes up for a vote. With enough protest, it is possible this bill will never reach the floor. I urge you to contact George A. Obiozor, Nigerian ambassador to the U.S., at Nigerian embassy in Washington, D.C. The full address is:

Ambassador Professor George A. Obiozor
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
3519 International Court NW
Washington, DC 20008

You can also fax your letters. The fax number is (202) 775-1385. Although I believe written communication will be more powerful, comments may registered at the embassy via phone by calling (202) 986-8400;. I strongly urge anyone who phones or writes to be very polite even while expressing your concern and dismay. Remember that you are representing your country and, if you are LGBT, all of us as well. Let’s get busy and support our Nigerian LGBT sisters and brothers.

Technorati Tags: activism, africa, christianity, episcopal church, gay, homosexuality, lesbian, lgbt, nigeria, politics

I’ve just received an urgent press release from Nigerian gay activist Davis Mac-Iyalla, director of the Anglican gay rights group Changing Attitude Nigeria, warning that passage of new anti-gay legislation by the National Assembly will likely result in a mass exodus of LGBT seeking asylum anywhere they will not be faced with daily violence and imprisonment because of their orientation. The Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2006 was introduced by President Olusegun Obasanjo last year and has the full support of both Muslim and Christian clerics, including the powerful primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), the Most Rev. Peter J. Akinola. Although the law purportedly prohibits same-sex marriage, it also: prohibits recognition of same-sex marriages or unions performed in other jurisdictions; punishes anyone who performs a same-sex marriage or union, or who attends the same, with five years in prison; prohibits formation of LGBT groups; prohibits “[p]ublicity, procession and public show of same sex amorous relationship through the electronic or print media physically, directly, indirectly or otherwise,” and; punishes “[a]ny person who is involved in the registration of gay clubs, societies and organizations, sustenance, procession or meetings, publicity and public show of same sex amorous relationship directly or indirectly in public and in private” with a five year prison sentence.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Nigerians have been victims of increased violence since the bill was introduced. Now that it has passed the Nigerian House of Representatives and is about to come out of committee in the Senate, the flames of fear and bigotry are burning ever brighter. Mac-Iyalla, an outspoken critic of the legislation, has fled the country in fear for his life after a series of death threats and believes he will not be the only gay émigré in search of a new home. “We are seeing an increase in homophobic behaviour and attacks because people feel they can get away with it. The climate is already becoming intolerable. Unless the government tones down its language and cancels the bill we are going to see a flood of refugees as people flee for their lives,” he predicts.

I don’t doubt that Mac-Iyalla is right on the money. I had the same thought and asked Ron Buckmire, former board member of International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and Los Angeles coordinator for Immigration Equality, to share his views on how the Nigerian law, if passed, might affect LGBT immigration here. “The U.S. would still probably try to argue that Nigerian LGBT’s could hide their sexual orientation in their home country instead of fleeing to [this country],” he answered. “However, any PUBLIC gay or lesbian individual, it seems to me, would have VERY good grounds for an asylum claim.” Buckmire, probably best known as creator of the Queer Resources Directory, is a longtime LGBT activist and chair of the mathematics department at Occidental College.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that any government, including ours, has considered the impact the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act would have on violence in Nigeria and immigration elsewhere. The numbers alone are impressive. Nigeria, a former British colony that gained its independence in 1960, is the most populous country on the African continent and has an area slightly more than twice that of California. Although population estimates vary widely, the 2007 CIA World Factbook puts it at 131,859,731 with adjustments for higher mortality due to AIDS. Mac-Iyalla estimates that 6.5% of his compatriots–a conservative estimate of the percentage of LGBT Nigerians–are currently in the cross-hairs. Using that percentage, almost 8.6 million people will be looking for ways to leave the country.

“We are already getting reports of an increase in attacks on people who are merely suspected of being gay–people who are not even being ‘caught in the act’. This climate of fear will simply drive many people to take desperate measures to find somewhere–anywhere–where they can at least live without imminent fear of death just for existing. For many people, even the prospect of being an illegal immigrant in Britain will seem preferable to a life of perpetual terror and suffocating oppression in Nigeria,” reports Mac-Iyalla.

My guess is that most LGBT who can leave will seek asylum in South Africa (the country with the most liberal gay rights policies in the world); Western Europe (primarily Great Britain); and North America. The irony is that Nigeria’s current anti-sodomy laws are a hold-over from its days as a colony. Part of the argument being put forward not only by Obasanjo, but also his homophobic brethren in other African countries, is that homosexuality is not indigenous to Africa but was transplanted by Europeans and Arabs who came in contact with native populations. Therefore, to repudiate colonial rule, Africans must repudiate homosexuality. Africans have been so brainwashed by their secular and religious leaders that they’ve forgotten their own history. While it is impossible to say that the thousands of ethnic groups on the continent were all in accord in their treatment of sexual minorities prior to colonization and trade, it is safe to say that many tribes had a place in their societies for non-heterosexual people. Some of those non-hostile practices have survived to this day, although Christianity has done its best to wipe those practices out. I plan to write more about homosexuality in Africa at a later date, so I will not delve too deeply here. Nevertheless, I suggest reading the book Boy-Wives and Female Husbands: Studies of African Homosexualities (Will Roscoe, Stephen O. Murray) for a very good overview of many traditional African practices.

Gay Nigerian flight may have a more personal dimension for individual Westerners. Changing Attitude Nigeria has received reports of Nigerians seeking British partners on gay dating websites. It’s just a hunch, but if I were an LGBT Nigerian running for my life, I wouldn’t limit myself to my own gender, but would also look at heterosexual pairings which may be easier to achieve. Historically, doing so would not be in conflict with being homosexual. It was not unusual for a man or woman to have a heterosexual family, complete with children, as well as a same-sex lover. Such a configuration satisfies societal obligations for procreation while still allowing the person to be who he or she is. I’m sure some of us have known similar polyamorous relationships in our own circle of acquaintances.

Unfortunately, new immigration also means an influx of people infected with HIV/AIDS. A 2002 National Intelligence Council report names Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, India and China as the next hotspots for the virus. The report estimates Nigeria will have 10-15 million HIV/AIDS cases by 2010 and that all five countries studied will have a very difficult time getting control of infection rates. “It will be difficult for any of the five countries to check their epidemics by 2010 without dramatic shifts in priorities. The disease has built up significant momentum, health services are inadequate, and the cost of education and treatment programs will be overwhelming. Government leaders will have trouble maintaining a priority on HIV/AIDS—which has been key to stemming the disease in Uganda, Thailand, and Brazil—because of other pressing issues and the lack of AIDS advocacy groups.” (Emphasis mine.) Yet, the Nigerian government is doing its best to wipe out all groups that mention same-sex practices and risks or encourage homosexuals to get tested and treated. There is no doubt that people with HIV/AIDS will be driven underground or out of the country, heading to safe haven, if the proposed legislation passes. They then become our problem.

In my mind, it really doesn’t matter whether a person is HIV-positive or not if that person is trying to escape imprisonment, torture and, very possibly, death because of who he or she is. That person is deserving of political asylum and, I might add, treatment if they have HIV disease or AIDS. Are we, as a nation, going to send someone back to their native country knowing that the person will face imminent bodily harm? If so, then it is time we looked at ourselves as a country because we used to be a place with open arms, especially for those who had no other options. Then again, we are only allowing a small handful of Iraqis into the country although they risked their lives as guides and translators for American troops in a war that should never have been fought. It is probably exceptionally naïve of me to think that we’d welcome LGBT people. I don’t doubt that professionals will have an easier time finding a place in North America or Europe, but that will, by no means, be the majority of people seeking safety. What are the rest to do? Immigration Equality has an online manual for LGBT and HIV-positive people seeking asylum based on persecution in their native countries. A brief scan of the table of contents indicates that it is pretty thorough. Still, the process must be daunting.

The best possible solution for everyone would be pressure on the Nigerian government to kill this onerous legislation before it comes up for a vote. The bill is based on ignorance and fear about issues that should not be in question in the 21^st Century. Although we, as Americans, are not in a position to condescend to anyone about same-sex marriage given that we have the Defense of Marriage Act on the books, we can say that it is not public policy to imprison people who advocate for their rights or assemble in a peaceful manner. The U.S. State Department issued a statement of concern about the Same Sex (Prohibition) Act in February 2006. However, that statement is timid by any stretch of the imagination and, obviously, did no good. It is time for us to do more. The lives of 8.6 million people are at stake.

Technorati Tags: activism, africa, gay, homophobia, homosexuality, lesbian, lgbt, nigeria