Little wonder her debut book is titled, “Freedom to Love for All: Homosexuality Is not Un-African.” Before relocating to the UK where she studied for a Masters of Law (LL.M) degree in Gender, Sexuality and Human Rights, Ilesanmi had worked with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC. In this interview, she talks about her sexual orientation, how her family has handled it and why LGBTs should be treated with respect and not criminalized for reasons of their sexual preferences.
In
terms of educating the Nigerian populace about gays, lesbian, bisexual rights,
what are the core foundational facts Nigerians need to know about the science
of homosexuality
The very first thing we need to
understand is that homosexuality, bisexuality, asexuality are all as natural as
heterosexuality. Our sexual orientation differs; we are born with an innate
ability to be emotionally or sexually attracted or not be sexually or
emotionally attracted to same sex or opposite sex. Unfortunately, many African
societies do not provide enabling environments to discuss sexual orientation.
Sexual orientation does not harm anyone. A person who is attracted to opposite
sex does not harm anyone so far it is a consensual adult relationship. A
homosexual who is attracted to the same sex does not harm anybody so far it is
a consensual adult relationship. A Bisexual or Pansexual who can be attracted
to all sexes harms no one so far it is an adult consensual relationship. Even
an Asexual who is not sexually attracted to any gender harms no one. We are all
different, and non-harmful lifestyle of adults should not be criminalised. It
is like criminalising a left-handed person for being born left-handed, or
criminalising a girl for being born a girl. Also we must recognise that even if
you claimed that homosexuality or bisexuality is a choice, you are also saying
heterosexuality is a choice. Which means, somehow you woke up and decided,
well, I am going to be a heterosexual. Well, I do not ever recollect a day I
chose to be bisexual, neither has any heterosexual confessed that they remember
the day they chose to only be attracted to opposite sex. However, even if our
sexual orientation is a choice, then we must recognise that adults have the right
to choose who they want to have a romantic, emotional or sexual relationship
with. If you have the right to choose to be in an emotional or sexual
relationship with an adult of opposite sex, then it stands to reason that
others also have the right to choose to be in an emotional or sexual
relationship with a same sex adult partner.
Do
you really think Nigerians would ever accept that LGBT rights are human rights?
Most people in Nigeria view homosexuality as a sin
Whether Nigerians accept it or not,
LGBT rights are recognised human rights. Unless, you can prove that Lesbians,
gays, bisexuals and transsexuals are not human beings, well, you have no reason
to deny them their fundamental human rights. Unfortunately many Nigerians
believe in the concept of sin. First, we must understand that sin is a
religious concept. Not every Nigerian is religious. Your religion is also a
personal matter, why drag other people into your personal relationship with
Jesus, Mohamed or Obatala? When I am told that homosexuality is a sin, I just
tell them their religion is not my law. The Bible or Quran is not my
constitution, so why is that even coming up? It is absurd when Christian gay
bashers gleefully quote Leviticus 18:22 to justify why they want to jail and
stone gays. Anyone who wants to quote from Leviticus should at least read the
book to make sure they are not guilty of any of the things condemned in the
book. Leviticus also says you should not shave, you should not interact with a
woman in her menstrual cycle, thou shall not eat shrimps or shell fish, Lev.
11:10,11:6-8 thou shall not touch the skin of a dead pig (therefore touching
football without wearing gloves makes you unclean!) Lev.19: 19 – thou shall not
plant two different crops in the same field, thou shall not wear garments made
of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). Thou shall gather
the whole town together to stone those who curse or blaspheme, Lev.24: 10-16.
So, when Christians throw Leviticus at me, I simply throw Leviticus right back
in their face. And I watch pitifully as they try to explain how one verse has
different interpretation but the one they want to defend means exactly what is
written. If you use Leviticus as a reason to stone gays and you wear clothes
made of blended fabrics as most clothes are, work on the Sabbath day, eat
shrimp, you are a hypocrite.
What
more do you think the Nigerian government could do to aid tolerance of the LGBT
community and where do you think the anti gay legislation will take Nigeria in
about 5 to 10 years
The government must decriminalize
homosexuality, bisexuality or any other sexual orientation or gender identity.
The government must educate its citizens on sexual orientation. People must
understand that we are different but equal. There is no harm in diversity, and
people who are different from us are not automatically evil! The Nigerian ‘Jail
the gays’ bill if signed into law would definitely worsen the plight of
Nigerian Lesbians, gays, bisexuals and Transsexuals. The law will lead to a
clampdown on human rights that will not only affect Lesbian, gays, bisexuals
and Trans, but also every Nigerian. Politicians will accuse their opponents of
being gay, landlord will accuse their tenants of homosexuality, NGOs who oppose
the government in power will be accused of advocating for LGBT rights, an
offence which is punishable with 10 years imprisonment under the bill. There
will be blatant abuses of fundamental human rights, like freedom of expression,
freedom of association, right to privacy. Many will be blackmailed or even
lynched based on mere suspicion of homosexuality. This is already happening in
Nigeria without the law. With the law, it will be a haven for those who want to
blackmail gays, stone or burn them to death. This is a Nigeria I hope to never see,
but which unfortunately, we are heading towards.
How
has your immediate family and friends reacted to your sexual orientation and
the publicity you attract
What makes a family is love,
tolerance and acceptance. Anyone who shows me love and welcomes me into their
heart is my family. Love is one thing that is thicker than blood. My immediate
family knows my sexual orientation, my father is late, and my mother is
accepting of whom I am and has shown me love and support. To continue to be an
important part of my life, you cannot be homophobic, biphobic or transphobic.
You cannot wish others be beaten, imprisoned or stoned to death just because of
whom they love. I will never proudly call anyone with such a mindset my family
member.
Is
your atheism connected to your bisexuality and what role does religion play in
aggravating homophobic sentiments
My atheism has nothing to do with my
bisexuality. Atheism is simply a non-belief in God. My bisexuality is my sexual
orientation, no connection. However, I must say, my atheism has helped me to
stand up against religious bullies, who use the bible and the Quran to justify
their hate for gays, lesbians, transsexual and bisexuals. Religion carries a
lot of unwarranted weight in Nigeria and Africa generally. This should not be
so. In fact, this is one reason the African continent is still very backward.
When religion carried so much weight in Europe during middle Ages, it was
wrought with wars, jihads, killings and ethnic cleansings. Religion is the main
ground that proponents of the ‘Jail the Gays’ bill are using to support the
bill. Catholics and Anglicans who attended the public hearing of the bill at
the National Assembly even threatened to beat up the few LGBT rights supporters
at the hearing! Some religious leaders argue that homosexuality is un-African
and a western imposition; how so? Logic points to the fact that foreign
impositions in Nigeria include Christianity and Islam and religious festivals
like Christmas, Ileya and Easter. It is quite incongruous that those that are
quick to embrace foreign religions are also the ones that are quick to condemn
homosexuality on the trump up charge of ‘un-African’. Africans now defend the
same holy books that were used to justify the slavery, exploitations and
indignities suffered by their ancestors. Many religious Africans now use the
‘holy’ books to justify the oppression of members of their own society. Even
when the original owners of the religion inform them that the book has been
updated and some parts are no longer applicable, Africans still insist that it
is must be applicable because it says so in the book they were given. How
pathetic!
In
a previous interview you had insisted that evangelical Christians and Muslims
incite hatred for homosexuality, would a return to the traditional religion
offer a breath of fresh air
As I said in my book, Freedom To
Love For All: Homosexuality is Not Un-African. Unfortunately, neo-colonialism
and mental slavery continue in Africa through the heavy influence of
evangelical missionaries who, having lost ground in their western countries to
equality rights Acts, have now invaded African churches and are inciting
members against homosexuals. Sadly, this nation is held spellbound by political
and religious leaders who are averse to education and scientific knowledge.
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