Tragic Murder And The Burden Of Nigerian Crossdressers

In a shocking case of extreme violence, a well-known Abuja-based cross-dresser named “Area Mama” was tragically murdered on August 8, 2024. His lifeless body was discovered covered in bruises, suggesting he had endured a brutal beating before his death, which occurred just hours after he had been out the previous night.

Area Mama had previously experienced violence and harassment due to his lifestyle; approximately a year earlier, he was assaulted by a group of men following a confrontation with a taxi driver, resulting in serious injuries.

His death has ignited both outrage and sorrow, underscoring the persistent threats faced by cross-dressers in Nigeria.

Crossdressers and transgender individuals frequently navigate a treacherous landscape, facing threats, physical harm, and social ostracism. As we explore this topic, it becomes crucial to understand the systemic issues at play and the urgent need for societal change, advocacy, and protection for marginalised groups.

This discussion serves to honour the victims, raise awareness of their struggles, and call for a more inclusive society that respects and upholds the rights of all individuals, regardless of their identity.

In a society where traditional gender roles are firmly entrenched, men who wear women’s clothing or display feminine traits often face ridicule, intimidation, and even violence. This harassment can occur in public spaces, online, and even within their own families.

In Nigeria, some cross-dressers have reported incidents of arrest, detention, and torture at the hands of law enforcement agencies, which frequently justify their actions using the country’s anti-gay laws.

However, these laws do not specifically address cross-dressing, and the harassment mainly stems from societal biases rather than legal provisions.

In 2023, Nigeria’s House of Representatives introduced a bill aimed at criminalizing cross-dressing in the country. Sponsored by a federal representative from the Toro federal constituency in Bauchi State,

Umar Muda Lawal, the bill is titled “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Same Sex (Prohibition) Act 2023 to Prohibit Cross-Dressing and Other Related Matters.”

The crossdressing bill aims to prohibit individuals from wearing clothing associated with a gender different from the one assigned to them at birth, imposing a fine of N 500,000 or a six-month imprisonment penalty. This proposed amendment raises concerns amidst increasing instances of violence in the state, particularly against the LGBTQ+ community. Many express their apprehension regarding the bill, fearing it will put them at greater risk of targeting by law enforcement.

LEADERSHIP Weekend highlights that apart from personal stories of individuals like Area Mama, whose tragic murder underscores the constant threats they endure, several others have openly expressed the feelings about the psychological and emotional toll of living in the society that often stigmatizes and persecutes them. Particularly, by those who think they defy traditional gender norms.

As reported by Reuters, Jay Boogie, a transgender Nigerian with a significant following on Instagram who is known for her captivating videos and photos, once voiced her anxiety that the bill could further endanger trans -individuals.

She was quoted to have said, “I’m always cautious about where I go… (If the bill passes), some people will react violently. They don’t even want to see us,” she shares.

Empress Cookie, a Nigerian trans woman, recounted her harrowing experiences of violence in an interview with VOA News, including an incident two years ago in Abuja where a mob attacked her.

“They began to strip me naked, saying, ‘Look, you’re wearing women’s clothing.’ The emotional trauma was overwhelming. I felt completely drained, almost lifeless at one point,” she recalled.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Tom Kola, a Nigerian trans man, talked about the dangers of transitioning in Nigeria, including instances where he has been verbally assaulted on the streets.

During my time in Nigeria, I felt a profound sense of hopelessness regarding my prospects for a happy and healthy future. I realized that if I remained there, transitioning in the ways I yearned for would be impossible.

The proposed cross-dressing bill bans the act in both public and private settings; however, it does make an exception for cross-dressing intended for stage performances or legitimate entertainment purposes.

Vera Nlewedum, a trans woman residing in Nigeria, fears that this legislation will embolden the police to act more aggressively towards transgender and non-binary individuals.

“Although the bill exempts those who cross-dress for entertainment, this exception is tenuous, creating a loophole that can easily be exploited by law enforcement or vigilantes. Women may face arbitrary harassment for wearing clothing deemed masculine, and men for donning feminine attire.

Those who present as masculine women, feminine men, and individuals who identify as non-binary are at risk of being targeted as offenders,” she explains.

In January 2009, a shocking incident occurred when eighteen Nigerian men were put on trial in an Islamic sharia court in Bauchi State for allegedly dressing as women at a hotel party.

As they were led into an armored prison vehicle following the hearing, a mob of angry residents hurled insults and stones at them, leading police to respond with tear gas to control the escalating situation.

The men, primarily in their 20s, were apprehended at a hotel in Bauchi. According to police, they were dressed as women, which violates the state’s sharia penal code.

Meanwhile, three other crossdressers who were suspected to be homosexuals, are lucky to be alive today after they were attacked by some men.

The men attacked the crossdresser with bottles then humiliated them by forcing them to strip naked.

The incident occurred on Saturday, May 1, at Sunset Bar in Cotonou, Benin.

The violence was captured on cell phone video and uploaded to social media.

Only in April of this year, Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court in Lagos, sentenced well-known cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky, to six months in prisonment without an option of a fine for currency mutilation.

Social commentator like controversial Reno Omokri , had suggested that Bobrisky’s sentence involved more than just the conviction for naira abuse.

Omokri said the Nigerian government used the Naira abuse charges as a facade to clamp down on the crossdresser.

According to him, the Nigerian government wanted to clamp down on the trending cross-dressing culture in the country but was also “aware of the fact that any direct move in that regard would earn it the whip of the Western powers.”

On his X handle he wrote: “What happened with Bobrisky just shows you the savviness of Nigeria compared to other nations and the intellectual response to governing on display by the current administration.

“The Nigerian government obviously wanted to clamp down on the trending cross-dressing culture in Nigeria. But the government was also aware of the fact that any direct move in that regard would earn it the whip of the Western powers.

“The Tinubu administration was in a dilemma. How to deal with Bobrisky for being a cross-dresser but not to make it about his being a cross-dresser. And this is where you have to respect the subtlety of the Tinubu administration. They found a creative genius way.

“Bobrisky violated a law against the abuse of the Naira. That is why a first-time offender committed an offence that even government officials engaged in during Buhari’s son’s wedding, and, despite pleading guilty, was sentenced to six months in prison.

“In fact, there is more video evidence of Naira abuse via spraying at the wedding of no less a person than Abdul Aziz Malami, the son of Abubakar Malami, SAN, Nigeria’s Former Attorney-general and Minister of Justice.

“And the scapegoating of Bobrisky has worked. Since his arrest, have you seen any of his ‘colleagues’ prancing about?

“We used to see them almost daily on blogs and social media. The traditional media, too, could not have enough of them. They got the memo. They have run for cover since the Chairwoman answered to the gender of male in court when asked to state ‘her’ gender.”

On May 6, 2020, an unidentified crossdresser was reported to have been beaten up and stripped naked in Lagos.

Last year another unidentified crossdresser was allegedly beaten up and left with injuries by ‘area boys’ in a motor park in Lagos state. Eyewitnesses said he was fixing his lashes in a shop, before a mob dragged him out and beat him up. In the video which made the round on social media, the crossdresser was seen with makeup and swollen face, limping.

Also, in May this year popular cross dresser, known as James Brown, was also harassed, the socialite took to social media to expose and denounce the neighbor who had attacked him. He displayed the injuries he sustained from the alleged assault and had a confrontation with the neighbor’s sister for supporting her.

In James Brown’s case, he reported the harassment to the police, who eventually came to arrest the neighbor. A video which circulated online captured the moment the woman was escorted into a police vehicle by the officers, while James Brown got into his own car.

The challenges faced by crossdressers in Nigeria serve as a reminder that freedom of expression is a fundamental human right that must be upheld and protected.