As LGBTQ+ History Month draws to a close this October, we reflect on the struggles, progress, and ongoing advocacy of LGBTQ+ communities, especially in Nigeria and Africa. Colonial narratives sought to erase these identities, but spoiler alert, African societies have long recognized and celebrated gender and sexual diversity. Reclaiming this history is important, reminding us that queerness is neither new nor foreign to African culture.  

Before #colonialism, many African societies, including those in Nigeria, embraced diverse understandings of gender and sexuality. These societies developed social systems that recognized people outside the male-female binary, challenging Western concepts of gender. In the 16th century, the fully militarized community of the Imbangala people in Angola had “men in women’s apparel, with whom they kept amongst their wives.” Meanwhile, King Henry VIII in England was criminalizing sex between males with the Buggery Act of 1533.

https://bisialimifoundation.org/2024/10/24/honouring-our-past-shaping-our-future-lgbtq-history-in-africa-and-nigeria/