“May We Never Forget, Lose Hope Or Stop Fighting.” Pamela Adie on the Anniversary of the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act

In 2014, in defiance to international pressure and in an attempt to gain political clout, President Goodluck Jonathan signed the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act into law dated January 7. This happened in spite of Nigerian law already having provisions that make homosexual sex illegal, but it was well received and widely supported in Nigeria.

Yesterday, in commemoration of the law’s seventh anniversary, Pamela Adie tweeted her reflections on the law’s impact on the Nigerian LGBT community.

“When [Goodluck Jonathan] signed that law, people thought we’d go back deeper into the closet and be quiet. But the reverse has been the case,” she tweeted. “We’ve become more visible, we’ve organised more, and we’ve become louder and more assertive. We’ve become everything other than what they expected us to be…”

She however notes that the effects of the law hasn’t been all positive.

“However, the law has emboldened many to become more vicious in their attacks on our community. some have lost their lives and livelihoods, many have been thrown out of their families, and others have suffered systematic human rights violations.”

In the end, Adie encourages the LGBT community, who’ve been so unfairly targeted by the society, to not forget, to not lose hope and to continue fighting.

“As a community, we must mark this day and remember it so we won’t forget where we’re coming from, where we are and the better future we hope to build as we resist discrimination in our society,” she said, adding that “Moving forward, may we never lose hope … May we never give up fighting for our freedom because we shall overcome.”

Check out Pamela Adie’s full tweets below: