Press Release – IDAHOBIT Day 2022

Dear friends,

Every 17th of May marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia, and Intersexphobia (IDAHOBIT).

IDAHOBIT Day was created in 2004 to draw attention to the harmful consequences of prejudices and discrimination perpetrated against sexual and gender minorities globally, and to promote a world of tolerance, respect, awareness, and freedom.

The 2022 IDAHOBIT theme “Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Rights” echoes the autonomous right of persons to make decisions about their bodies and their lives. In Nigeria, LGBTQI persons are denied this civil liberty, have their rights violated, and face numerous challenges in their demand for justice.

Spearheading these challenges are oppressive legal frameworks such as the Same-Sex Prohibition Law, the proposed cross-dressing bill, and other criminal codes that criminalise same-sex relations in the country. These laws often discourage many queer Nigerians from reporting criminal acts committed against them.

The Initiative for Equal Rights, (TIERs) commends the works of activists and organisations tirelessly working to ensure a world free of violence, hatred, and discrimination, and uses this opportunity to call upon you to take a stand against homophobia, biphobia, intersex-phobia, and transphobia, and to ensure justice and protection for all. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Happy IDAHOBIT Day from the TIERs Team
Remi Makinde, 
Interim Executive Director, TIERs