Photo:The First Gay Nigerian To Come Out On TV, I feel molested…’ in Interview
He is a gay rights activist and he granted this interview to prolific journalist, Mercy Abang in April 2013. He called for a revolution in Nigeria and insisted that more Nigerians will vote in favour of a law protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people (LGBT).
At what point in your life did you decide to be gay?
I get asked this question many times, but honestly it's pretty hard. I knew I have same sex feeling as young as 8 years, I didn't really act on it till I was around 10/11 years when I had my first male kiss and it felt so good.
I think many people will say this is what children do and I do agree as I have many friends who had same sex experience while they were young and they grew out of, so also I have friends who had heterosexual feelings while young and grew out of it. Children sexuality is very difficult things to predict and I think it boils down to dynamic around being a child as nothing is set in stone. My second kiss I remember very well was when I was in primary school and it was my final year, I was going to win a prize and I was going to perform as well. So there I was in the changing room with my crush in primary, he had come to see me get ready, when I was all dressed and ready to go on stage, he kissed and I think it lasted for about 1 minute, it was like heaven. I went on stage and I think in all my years of performing, that was one of the best in my life. Today he is married with children and I remembered few years back reminding him of that day, he smiled and said, it was fun while it lasted but that he had moved on.
I went on to secondary school and attending Eko Boys' High was big time fun. I think I started reaching the conclusion about my sexuality from around age 13. Secondary school gave me the opportunity to see myself better.
I was with other boys, some of them loved girls, some loved boys and it was just normally. Unlike many young gay people being bullied at the playground, I will say to some extent I enjoyed a bit of pampering in secondary, well mostly in my first year as my school father was a very influential guy and he loved me to bits.
By the time I was getting to senior high, it was obvious that yes, I was very different from everyone. Also I have made friends with 4 other guys are we had became the "gay" rebels. We were representing our secondary school in cultural activities. I remembered once we went as far as representing Mushin Local Government in Lagos during the inter-council cultural festival acting as girls. Those were the days. I remembered acting as a pregnant woman and one of the judges saying even a woman won't be able to do it better.
When I left secondary school, I had the biggest opportunity in my life to attend my first "same sex" party in Lagos, it was mind-blowing and an eye opener for me. And it was at this event I could say I actually used the word gay. I think from childhood I had always been a rebel, even against myself and using the word "gay" was something I was never comfortable with since I knew the word. It just doesn't fit with me at that time.
So by the time I was 18 years, I have started accepting to use the term gay for myself and in a way trying to find myself with all the confusion around me as regards religion, my sexuality and the expectations of the society and where I found myself personally. My teenage years were the most difficult as well as the most liberating
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