#HowIResist Campaign 14

Our responsibility as Nigerians and denizens of this world is to be part of the solution. Our responsibility as persons of faith is the entrenchment of peace and dignity for all as demanded of us by our religious beliefs. Our responsibility as gay persons is to understand that the LGBTQ rights movement, while focused on protecting sexual minorities from violence and abuse, is rooted on the notion that all humans are entitled to live freely, happily and in prosperity. We recognize this and work in whatever strides to attain it. We must work hard to tackle violent extremism which threatens our continued existence from different fronts. We must fight to set virtuous examples through our lives by discrediting and marginalizing any extremist interpretations of religious beliefs in whatever forms they appear. – Edafe Richie Okporo

#HowIResist

I don’t live as a hemophilic person. I just live. But I also correct people who express homophobic sentiments. Let them know everyone is human and one man’s meat isn’t another’s poison. – Prince Seyi

#HowIResist

I resisted when I fell in love with a man and planned a future with him.

I resisted when I shut down the expectation of marriage to a woman by family.

I continue to resist when I speak, when I act, when I am.

I resist because to succumb is a lie I will not live with. – Pink Panther

#HowIResist

Someone once said, “…to kill a problem, to say they are evil, to erase them from history, is either not to write about them or to write horrible stereotypical stories about them.”

I resist by writing us, by documenting our struggles, our beauty. I resist by saying that we are here and we are beautiful and we don’t have to beg to be seen as humans because we are already human enough for the world. – Romeo

#HowIResist

I gave this some thought. How exactly do I resist? The saying “charity begins at home” has been echoing in my head.

I believe I resist by accepting who I am completely, and accepting people for who they are without judgment, because the world is full of colour and we are the colours in all the various hues and highlights.

I resist by standing against internalized hate and homophobia, because one can only love and appreciate you as much as you love and appreciate yourself. – Rodney

#HowIResist

A decade ago, I loathed myself for feeling this way and did everything to make it stop. Nothing was off the table, including suicide. The shame that made me think I was undeserving of life was overwhelming.

It took faith to believe that I was deserving of life, love and longing. Despite having been beaten, bruised and blackmailed since then, living my truth is a light that has given me a new lease of life. – Sense8