Human rights fellowship recipient learns skills to advance LGBT rights in Nigeria

September 9, 2008

Joseph Sewedo Akoro, the director of The Independent Project for Equal Rights (TIP), completed a human rights fellowship in Heartland Alliance's offices this past summer. The Independent Project is an LGBT rights organization in Nigeria and is a part of Heartland Alliance's Global Equality Network. The Global Equality Network is a partnership between Heartland Alliance and LGBT partner organizations in Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, and Lebanon to advance the human rights of sexual minorities.

Sewedo, now 21, has assumed an important leadership role at a young age, becoming the group's director in 2007. He and several friends founded TIP in 2005 due to increasing discrimination in Nigeria against the LGBT community, including a proposed bill to outlaw same-sex marriage and relationships.

What are some of the challenges facing LGBT individuals in Nigeria?

It's difficult to be who you are as an LGBT person in Nigeria. Human rights of LGBT individuals are not protected, and discrimination and harassment go unpunished. People can discriminate openly and go free. A conviction for "sodomy" often means death by stoning under the Shari'ah criminal penal code or five year imprisonment under the civil law.

What have you learned so far during your time at Heartland Alliance?

I've been learning about organizational management, fundraising, donor relations, and how to analyze different funding opportunities. I'm learning how to set up a board and organize constituents. I've been working on marketing and developing key messages and talking points. It's all basically capacity-building for my organization. This environment at Heartland Alliance has been wonderful for me.

What plans does TIP have for the future?

We look forward to providing a social space for LGBT persons to spend time and be themselves, a place where they could socialize with people like themselves and learn from one another. We also look forward to providing comprehensive health care services for LGBT persons, with a special focus on young people who are most vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections.

In order to secure a comfortable environment in which our activities can be readily implemented, we're working on policy advocacy to enforce laws that will protect the human rights of sexual minorities. Currently, there is a proposed constitutional amendment in Nigeria, and we want to make sure it's LGBT-friendly.

You attended your first-ever LGBT pride parade in Chicago in June. What was that like for you?

Though I had seen Pride pictures prior to my experience, I was amazed at the crowd. It was refreshing to be around so many people free to be themselves with support from the general society!

Subscribe to RSS