The Development Costs of Homophobia

LONDON — As a gay man living in Nigeria, my biggest challenge was choosing between my sexuality and my job. In 2004, I was at the start of my acting career. I had just left university, and I was featured in “Roses and Thorns,” a prime-time soap opera on Galaxy Television, one of Nigeria’s most …

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My 10 Years of Living with HIV

The morning I was diagnosed with HIV was like most others. I had just left my hotel and was heading for the International convention center to attend the Fourth National AIDS conference in Nigeria. It was May 2004, 10 years ago this month. The day before, I had just given a presentation on HIV and …

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Sugar-Free Health Care

LAGOS — While at dinner recently at a restaurant in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, I observed a mismatched couple. The man appeared to be at least 60, but was dressed in skinny jeans and a skin-tight sleeveless top, with a large gold chain and dark sunglasses, though it was after eight in the evening. His companion, …

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Nigerian Activist Chooses Exile Over Life In The Closet

TEN YEARS AGO, BISI ALIMI CAME OUT ON NATIONAL TELEVISION IN NIGERIA. HE SAYS THE MOVE ALIENATED HIM FROM HIS FAMILY AND FORCED HIM OUT OF THE COUNTRY. Listen To Interview > TRANSCRIPT MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: I'm Michel Martin, and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News. Now we'd like to go back to …

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