Photo Credit: See-ming Lee

An African man waves a gay pride flag at a rally in San Francisco.

Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria, took a drastic turn when the Nigerian senate prohibited same sex marriage and public displays of affection between gay couples.

Approval of the bill, which must still be voted on by the Nigerian house of representatives and signed by President Goodluck Jonathan, came after a debate in which one lawmaker went so far as to suggest that the offenders be killed.

“If passed, this measure would target people on the basis of their identity, not merely their behavior,” said Erwin van der Borght, director of the Africa program of global rights watchdog Amnesty International, “and put a wide range of people at risk of criminal sanctions for exercising basic rights and opposing discrimination based purely on a person’s actual or presumed sexual orientation or gender identity.”

During a public hearing last month, gay activists staged a protest outside their parliament calling for the bill to be dropped, saying it infringed on their fundamental human rights.

It was unclear why lawmakers decided a ban was even necessary since gay marriage is not especially prevalent in Nigeria, with homosexuals already harshly discriminated against.

In the strongly religious region of west Africa, punishments for homosexuality are harsh; in Uganda, the punishment for gay marriage is execution.

“I can’t recall a particular place where this type of marriage has [occurred] in Nigeria,” said Adetokunbo Mumuni, director of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project.

Other additions to the bill include outlawing gay clubs or organizations and criminalizing the “public show of same-sex amoarous relationships directly or indirectly.” Those who violate those provisions would face 10-year imprisonment.

“It would place a wide range of people at risk of criminal sanctions, including human rights defenders and anyone else — including friends, families and colleagues — who stands up for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people in Nigeria,” Amnesty International said in a statement.

The bill passed Tuesday comes nearly a month after the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, threatened to withhold aid from nations violating gay rights, sparking outrage in Africa where leaders interpreted it as “colonial” display of power.

Last week, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, known for his homophobic rhetoric, called the prime minister “satanic” for demanding gay rights.

“Do not get tempted into that (homosexuality) madness,” state media quoted him as saying. “You are young people. If you go that direction, we will punish you severely. It is condemned by nature. It is condemned by insects and that is why I have said they are worse than pigs and dogs.”

Mugabe’s comments were the latest in a series of strident remarks by African leaders.

“This particular thing they have assented to is a thing of no substance to Nigeria,” Mugabe’s comments were the latest in a series of strident remarks by African leaders. “They should focus on things that affect the majority of Nigerians.”

South Africa is the only African country that allows same-sex marriage, but even there, violence against openly gay people is common.

For more information view: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/12/gay-marriage-nigeria-can-do-without-foreign-aids-mbagwu/