What is it like for a Gay, Nigerian Male living in Nigeria?

Abstract

Following the enactment of the year 2013 Same Sex Prohibition bill into law, it is now illegal to practice homosexuality in Nigeria. With this development, a variety of scholars have come up with a number of papers in reaction to this law from largely the legal, ethical, cultural or spiritual perspective. However, there has been very little from the psychological perspective especially how these homosexuals perceive or experience their state of sexual orientation in Nigeria. Consequently, this study sought to explore some of the experiences and perceptions of these people from a psychological perspective using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Analysis of transcripts explored the extent of the hope, fears and aspirations of homosexuals in terms of their quality of life. They suggest that living as a homosexual in Nigeria is a very daunting experience and it makes life a little more difficult due to the fear of persecution and prosecution. Further implications and areas of further research suggested.