Mathew Blaise who is popularly known as The son of the rainbow, on social media, talk about his experience with a Priest about two years ago, just after he had posted about his sexuality on Facebook. He said a priest invited him to his church office and harassed him physically by throwing punches and choking him. People that witnessed the incident, did absolutely nothing to intervene, a not-uncommon response to anti-LGBTQ violence in Nigeria, Blaise says. Only 7% of Nigerians surveyed by Pew for its 2020 report said homosexuality should be accepted by society, the lowest rate among polled countries. In 2014, President Goodluck Jonathan signed a law that criminalizes public displays of same-sex affection and threatening LGBTQ couples who marry or have “amorous relationships” with up to 14 years in prison. In some states, same-sex relations are punishable by death.
The assault fueled Blaise, who’s nonbinary and gay, to become more outspoken on social media. After the killing of a Nigerian gay man last March, they created the #EndHomophobiaInNigeria hashtag, which trended for two days. Blaise also organized a group of queer people to march during last year’s protests against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a branch of the national police that has a reputation for targeting the LGBTQ community.
Last year, LGBTQ Nigerians won a minor victory when a judge threw out a case against 47 men charged with public display of affection, a crime that can carry a 10-year sentence. “It’s a very beautiful thing to know that despite these laws that condemn our existence, we are still resilient,” Blaise says
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