I'll start of by saying that I'm Nigerian (Nigeria is a country in West Africa) and being gay is enough to land you in prison for 14 years.
I'm part of the 10 percent of Nigerians (10 percent out of 160 million people) in support of LGBTQ+ rights. In a country where homosexually is a crime and materials depicting it are siezed. (You don't know what I go through to buy a common book on amazon. practically have to pray that the people checking at the office where I get my stuff don't read too much into the books summary.)
I learnt about gay people by myself. I 've been reading novels since I turned ten. I can remember reading 'feast of Love's when I was twelve and wondering why two females were in love. I read it still, reading the anguish the women had to go through first to accept themselves then to be accepted by society. I read similar books depicting same sex love ('holding the man', 'the page Turner' and 'Return to me') Soon I found myself specifically looking for stories like this and that's how I somehow found myself on wattpad. I was an avid reader for a while before I found the courage to post my own story.
I've always been a writer but I'd never attempted to write purely in English (I write in Nigerian English and vernacular as well as 'Igbo' my native language outside this site) and I've never ever attempted to write a story with an LGBT main character. I felt I could do it, I've been reading stories surrounding it right? I soon found out that wasn't enough and that's what lead to my six month self study on the LGBTQ+ community. I read everything from their freedom history in many countries, to drag racing, gay villages, LGBTQ+ pride parade, sexuality spectrum, stereotypes to avoid...heck I even subscribed to gays.with.kids on YouTube to learn if the adoption process and maybe parenting was done a little different by LGBTQ parents.
The deal is I learnt a wonderful lot about this community. I had no problem Identifying as an aromantic asexual. I'm glad I was able to base my options of the LGBTQ+ community when I was young and that I did it by myself. I was glad I was already head fast on my opinion before I was taught otherwise as a Catholic. I could get arrested for voicing out my opinions concerning Homosexually. I'm going to be looked at like a freak for the rest of my life for not wanting a marriage in a country where girls marry in their late teens, early twenties.
Sadly as things get better for people in the LGBTQ+ community abroad things get worse here. More than half of the official laws against homosexulity have been made in the last ten years. But I 've learnt to use my writing and art as a tool. Apart from my writing on wattpad I've created a blog that's become a safe heaven for a good number of LGBTQ+ African individuals. I get hate but I combat it. I almost cried when Chimamanda Adechie (A Nigerian female author that raises in Texas.) wrote an angry letter to the government when they passed the law that made homosexulity an official crime in 2014.
This is an award winning author from my state of origin (Enugu) an author that lived just blocks away from my mother as a child. I decided then and there that if she could stand up for the human rights of LGBTQ+ community so could I and with the only voice I can- writing. I don't care if I'm part of the ten percent, I don't care if any book concerning this can't be publishable in my country, I don't care if my clan disowns me or people don't think I'm a real 'christian' because of my support. I just want to be me and help other people feel as comfortable in their skin as I am in mine.
By saintc
For more inspirational stories check out the lgbtq book milestones.