International Pressure Mounts on Nigeria, Fear of Gay "Exodus"
An update on Nigeria's ambitious proposal to legislate gays out of existence:
The European Union is calling on Nigeria to abandon the proposed legislation that would strip gays and lesbians of all civil rights.
The bill would be the world's most restrictive legislation against gays—making it a crime for more than two gay people to be in the same location at the same time, illegal to sell or rent property to same-sex couples, watch a gay film or visit an LGBT web site such as Rod 2.0, or for even two gay men to have dinner or meet in public.
European parliamentarians proposed several draft resolutions condemning the legislation. Ultimately, the Parliament opted for the weakest, saying "in its current form, since it contains infringements of the basic human rights of freedom of expression and opinion, in particular when it envisages a five-year prison sentence for anyone involved publicly or privately in positive representation of or advocacy for same sex relationships."
The draconian legislation has the support of Nigeria's Anglican Church and its very powerful leader, Archbishop Peter Akinola. The rabidly anti-gay archbishop has been at the forefront of opposing gay clergy across the Anglican Communion. A number of conservative churches in its American branch, the Episcopal Church, have aligned themselves with Akinola and refuse to comment on his support of the massive curtailment of civil rights.
Meanwhile, human rights activists in Nigeria have condemned the bill, warning that its passing would cause significant problems for other countries. "Already we are seeing an increase in homophobic behavior and attacks, because people feel they can get away with it," says Davis Mac-Iyalla, an activist lobbying for change within the Nigerian Anglican Church. "The climate is already becoming intolerable." Mac-Iyalla anticipates "a flood of refugees" as Nigerians would flee to other countries to escape persecution.
EU Calls on Nigeria to Abandon Legislation [GCN]
Nigerian Gay Group Claims New Law Could Create Exodus [Pink News]
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