“Not dancing to their music” is a report by Bisi Alimi Foundation, in which 446 LGBT Nigerians completed an online survey that uncovered disturbing stories of mental health abuse, coercion, exclusion, exploitation, isolation, abduction, rape, physical violence and detention. The report suggests that the Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, cultural attitudes, and infrastructure in Nigeria create a situation where LGBTQ people are not safe to come out, where discrimination and human rights abuses are routine, and where isolation and stigmatisation is commonplace. This, in turn, has a knock on effect to mental health, causing more distress reduced life satisfaction, and few welcoming and LGBTQ friendly services available for support.
Psychological distress also correlated significantly with internalised homophobia and experiences of discrimination – the more LGBT Nigerians experienced discrimination, the more they directed this hate inward upon themselves and, as a consequence, struggled with more psychological problems.
