The House of Representatives has submitted a bill to amend the Same-Sex (Prohibition) Act to criminalize cross-dressing. Muda Umar (APC, Bauchi), the bill’s sponsor, wants to change sections 4 and 5 of the main act.
If put into law, this proposed bill could have an impact on well-known crossdressers like Okuneye Olanrewaju, better known as Bobrisky, and James Brown. On Tuesday, the bill was presented for the first time on the House floor.
Despite opposition from the international world, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom, former President Goodluck Jonathan signed the 2013 Same-Sex Prohibition bill into law.
On January 17, 2014, Mr. Jonathan signed the bill into law.
The bill “dangerously inhibits freedom of assembly, association, and expression for all Nigerians,” according to then-US Secretary of State John Kerry.
The current law imposes a 14-year sentence for same-sex marriage and a 10-year sentence for aiding and abetting the crime.
The proposed measure exempts stage acts and other forms of entertainment from the prohibition on cross-dressing.