Lesbianism was first mentioned in the history of Hammurabi, a Babylonian code of laws from around 1700 B.C. that allowed women to marry another woman.
Today, all over the world, Lesbianism is becoming a general practice among women who cherish and desire the act.
Women who cherish the practice now fight for same-sex marriage rights, which has seen global support increase in recent years.
Countries like Australia, Malta, and Germany have legalized same-sex marriage since 2017, and Taiwan made history in 2019, becoming the first government in Asia to welcome legislation on marriage equality. Slovenia was the first post-communist country to legalize it on October 4, 2022, after the Constitutional Court of Slovenia overturned a prior ban on same-sex marriages in July, arguing that it violated the country's constitution.
The court gave the Slovenian government six months to pass legislation to rectify it. Currently, we have about 32 countries around the world that allow same-sex marriage.
However, the case is completely different in West Africa, especially in Nigeria. Governments and people in this part of the world believe that it is against the law of the land and the laws of the holy books; the Quran and Bible.
Recently, the Nigerian Senate passed the Same-sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act which also known as Anti-Gay Bill in 2013 before it was signed into law by former President Goodluck Jonathan in January 2014.
The law criminalizes same-sex unions in Nigeria, with a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment if convicted.
It also seeks to punish any person who registers, operates or participates in gay clubs, societies, and organizations directly or indirectly with a jail term of 10 years.
Consequently, women who engage in this act, practice it secretly without the knowledge of any close relations because of the severe punishments attached. Lesbianism is completely a crime in a religious country like Nigeria, which has about 180 million people split between predominantly Muslims and Christians.
A section of the country believes that any woman who engages in the act should be lynched owing to the fact that it is an abomination also against the culture of the land. Lesbianism is considered too shameful to be spoken about openly in African society.
Despite the strict punishments attached to the practice, many young African ladies still engage in the devilish act. Recently, 41-year-old Isiwat Damilola Adesoye narrated her ordeal which claimed the life of her partner, Wuraola Onafuwa. They both lived as couples at #8 Mustapha Street, Isolo Road, Lagos, Nigeria. Wuraola was killed on the same day Isiwat travelled out of the country by an angry mob after they discovered that both of them were living as Lesbians.
According to her, ‘’Growing up I have all my life loved people with same-sex, reason being that I feel loved, protected and expressive whenever we are together. I was seven years of age when my mum caught me kissing a girl from my neighbourhood, I was almost beaten to death by my parents as they felt very disappointed.
This is a taboo in my country and especially in the western part of Nigeria where I came from. Due to this unholy act, according to my parents, I was deprived of higher education after my secondary school education, as they believed that it would give me more opportunities to engage more in the act of Lesbianism which would be a thing of shame to the family.’’
She further narrated that, ‘’In 2007, I was already in a relationship with another woman known as Adenike Ogunjobi who was 2 years younger, and we decided to live together under the pretence that we were sisters. We were living together for almost 14 months when some men came into our house, and we were both raped. This situation caused a lot of mental and health issues for both of us, which made Adenike leave the relationship.
A few months later, I discovered that I was 16 weeks pregnant and that was how I had my daughter Istijabah Omowunmi Adesoye on February 16, 2009. After this, I was involved in other two relationships until I met Wuraola Onafuwa, and we have been together for four years now.
"On the day I was travelling, she dropped me at the Airport where I promised to be back soon, but later I heard that she was lynched by some set of people who found out about her true identity as a Lesbian, and I am the next target when I arrive in the country’’, she mentioned.
Isiwat Damilola Adesoye was born on the 23rd of April 1982. Recently, she travelled out of the country on a basis of visiting her elder sister who was very ill, and also to reunite with her after several years she has left the shores of Nigeria.
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