14 January, 2014

Nigeria Bans All Things Gay - Hit & Run : Reason.com

Nigeria Bans All Things Gay - Hit & Run : Reason.com: Sodomy is already illegal in Nigeria, so the actual criminalization of gay marriages, while reprehensible, shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Really, the country’s attacks on free speech and association should be much more of a concern right now:

Any person who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs, societies and organizations or directly or indirectly makes public show of same-sex amorous relationship in Nigeria commits an offence and shall each be liable on conviction to a term of 10 years in prison.

That’s some scary stuff right there. Much like Russia’s ban on “gay propaganda” making it next to impossible to legally advocate for gays having the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts, this part of the law essentially criminalizes any sort of organizational efforts to ultimately overturn the law or attempt to change public opinion so that Nigerians don’t see homosexuals as enemies.