LGBT activist Bisi Alimi creates moving animation about growing up gay in Nigeria
The actor and activist found asylum in the UK and has now got a husband and son
By Steve Brown
LGBT activist Bisi Alimi has created a short, moving animation about how it feels growing up as a gay man in Nigeria.
Alimi lived life as a closeted gay man on the weekdays but would party in the underground gay scene of the country on the weekends but when he rose to fame on a popular Nigerian soap in 2003, he started gathering media attention.
His love life became a topic of many news agencies and he made history by coming out of the closet publicly on TV 0 making him the first Nigerian to do so.
Alimi hoped his outing would send the message that he wanted to see a place in Africa “where no one is discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity”.
However, in Nigeria the LGBT+ community face legal and social challenges and the country does not allow or recognise LGBT+ rights.
Alimi was forced to flee his native country after receiving countless number of attacks, discrimination and death threats.
After fleeing Nigeria, he made a name for himself as a gay rights activist, public speaker and advocate for HIV and male sexual health.
He was granted asylum in the UK back in 2009 and now lives with his husband and son.
Alimi founded the Bisi Alimi Foundation which aims to increase the social acceptance of LGBT people in Nigeria.
Watch his moving story below: