Gender-based violence (GBV) against lesbians, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) women in Nigeria remains devastatingly pervasive, and yet is rarely spoken about. Orthodox traditions and laws in Nigeria that police queer identities constrain LBQ women to live in silence about the violence and discrimination they experience. Gender non-conforming people are likewise faced with cruelties shaped by intersecting forces of patriarchy, homophobia, and cultural expectations.
Nigeria’s anti-gay law contributes to how little is said and done, with the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA), which discourages solidarity and criminalizes gatherings that seek to advocate for queer liberation, clamping down on awareness-raising campaigns in the media through threats of imprisonment and censure.
This leads to GBV against LBQ and GNC people manifesting in various forms. Corrective rape is chief among them, quite alarmingly common; it is a heinous act that serves as a byproduct of the belief that sexual violence can “cure” someone of their sexual orientation.
Within the queer community, the word ‘kito’ is widely known and used to mark the physical violence, public humiliation, entrapment and extortionate abuse that are unfortunately and routinely endured by queer men and queer women. Earlier this year, in an expose published by CNN, Akudo Oguaghamba, described ‘kito’ as, “anything done to harm a member of the LGBT+ community due to their online activity.”
This abuse has only worsened over the years. Since 2015, TIERs, partnering with WHER Initiative and a handful of queer grassroots organizations, has been documenting human rights violations in Nigeria. The data from 2022 and 2023 show a rise in violence towards queer women, with the latter reporting a 36.11% increase in violations and 97 female victims.
The repercussions are equally harrowing. LBQ and GNC persons are further isolated and pushed into silence and fear with how imminently these ‘kito’ experiences erode trust, especially as regards one’s readiness to socialize in digital platforms and online dating apps that once offered a way to find intimacy and gain a sense of community.
Amid all this, LBQ women, like Izzy in the CNN expose, who was set up and raped in attempt to find love in an online website, still have to deal with the ostracism and constant threats that stems from familial abuse and neglect. In Izzy’s case, she mentioned that she had to cope with the dual stigma of having a pregnancy out of wedlock, and being exposed for being a lesbian.
The legal landscape compounds these challenges. The Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act (SSMPA), enacted in 2014, doesn’t just limit the personal freedoms of LBQ and GNC people; it legitimizes their marginalization. Such discrimination as embedded into the law emboldens perpetrators of violence and ensures that victims rarely seek justice.
Cultural and religious narratives exacerbate the situation. Many traditional beliefs cast LBQ and GNC identities as “un-African,” while some religious teachings label them as sinful. These beliefs fuel stigma and provide cover for discrimination and violence.
It would take challenging societal norms and repealing discriminatory laws to address GBV against LBQ and GNC persons in Nigeria. It could also come from amplifying the voices of these communities and being intentional about inclusive conversations about GBV.
True equality demands dismantling the systems that perpetuate violence and creating a society where everyone, regardless of their identity, can live free from fear. That is why, as we march in 16 Days of Activism, it is crucial to include the voices of LBQ women and GNC persons. They, too, deserve justice, and there is #Noexcuse for violence against women.
——Godswill Arinze Agubalu for WHER Initiative