Stories coming out of Africa about the LGBTQ community fill me with dread. I read them with bated breath, certain the most recent one will be far worse than the last. I was kidnapped and tortured in my home country of Nigeria for being gay. Reading the news in constant panic is what happens to you when you have lived through the violence of state-sanctioned homophobia and barely escaped with your life.
To date, Africa ranks as the worst continent for queer people. In a 2020 report released by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association, nearly half of the 69 countries where homosexuality is still criminalized are African countries. Although views surrounding the rights of queer people are advancing around the world, the majority of African politicians are still finding ways to limit the rights of their queer citizens.
