ANTI-GAY BILL IN NIGERIA: “When the senators had sufficiently ventilated their anger and opposition to the issue of same sex marriage, Senator David Mark put the question to vote, the ayes unanimously had it...¨

¨No one can feel the rain on our skin for us¨

¨Nigeria’s newspaper readers have reacted angrily to debates on the floor of the Nigerian Senate about a proposed law prohibiting same-sex marriages.

“The sad fact is, this is very much a vicious cycle. These politicians (like our parents, family members and neighbours) have no reference point. When they look around they do not see role models of same gender loving people, they do not hear stories of how the gay people in their own backyard are simply trying to navigate life – no different from anyone else.”

She added, “They only see stereotypes and one dimensional images of what being gay/lesbian means. Yes, and we too are caught up in the vicious cycle, yearning to come out, but fearful (and shamed) that we will be persecuted, excluded and rejected by the people we hold dear.”

Caston said, “I am a believer that if we want to see change we need to tackle the ’cause’ and not the ‘effect’ – this debate is all about the effect. Tackling the cause means us having the courage to show our parents, families, neighbours that being gay/lesbian is simply being human.”

Caston pointed out, “The fact is when we collude with our culture through silence and blindly signing petitions then we are no different from the politicians. They hurt us on the outside, we hurt ourselves from the inside. The politicians are simply saying out loud, what so many gay/lesbians silently/passively say to themselves through their behaviour. Only our courage can liberate us.”

Another commentator Johnson Chuks backed Caston saying, “I’m with Emily Caston on this. We are the only ones that can prove to our world that being gay is not a disease because we are the only ones that know better. No one can feel the rain on our skin for us.” ...read it all, HERE

·  Thanks to Behind the Mask, sidebar
·  Thanks to Ms. Caston and Mr. Chuks