NIGERIA’s FIRST EVER (MONTH-LONG) TRANS PRIDE PROTESTS (OF MANY TO COME)

Part 2/15: Trans Pride, Trans day of Visibility & Tans Remembrance Day
Location: Broad Street Lagos (04/09/2019)

Figure 1: Joel introducing the TRANS flag and the colour meanings in Broad Street Lagos 2019

It is argued that ancient Africa was in fact “trans”-Africa as there were no imposed lines between male and female before the colonial era people were just people in all their nongendered and “trans-cestrial” glory so much so the “nonbinary’s” and “two-spirits” where revered, women took in other women as companions as did men, evidenced by historical records and passed down stories.

Growing up in Nigeria I had no queer friends, my close-knit community of friends, associates and acquaintances all identified as straight at least from what I could understand as conversations ran deeper, my first encounter of a (black) trans person (Jackie) would be in Manhattan New York back in 2013, before social media gained prominence I had never seen or heard of any trans person in Nigeria a sad reality of utter societal dishonesty and erasure, and even only recently do we see more of crossdressers and people in drag (especially comedians for comic relief) I was not privy to the underground LGBTQ+ scene.

It was within the early 1950’s the first known British trans woman, Roberta Cowell, had reassignment surgery and her birth certificate changed.

The Wolfenden Committee is also founded in this era after well-known men are convicted of homosexual offences. It published a report recommending that ‘consensual homophobic behaviour conducted in private no longer be a criminal offence’. Although the ‘Wolfenden Report’ generated support from many, such as the Archbishop of Canterbury and the British Medical Association, the government rejected the recommendations.

The Homosexual Law Reform Society was also founded in the 50’s and was started to campaign for the legalisation of same-sex relationships in the UK.

Outside the UK in 1980’s, Demark became the first country to legally recognise same sex partnerships.

Sources suggest that 1987 ushered the emergence of The International Foundation for Gender Education: which was aimed at promoting acceptance for transgender people.

Section 28 of the Local Government act of 1988: one piece of legislation that was of immense importance to that era was ushered in by Margaret Thatcher and this act stated that a local authority “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality” as a pushback to this act, Stonewall UK is formed (a non-profit I know so well). Recent era has seen many forms of silencing measures of the LGBT+ community across societal tiers and I remember the fight against DADT “Don’t ask, don’t tell” in the US military and its hurtful legacy decades after rings true, other forms of punitive and oppressive measures thrives against the LGBTQ+ community as we can see in most of the world, notably the African diaspora and of course, my birth country Nigeria.

Despite this Act, the first national lesbian and gay TV series ‘Out on Tuesday’ aired on Channel 4, and reran in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1994.

For our month-long pride protest, it was important that we revisit preserved history, learn from it and have a sense of possible drawbacks and contingency plans, galvanise international and local support from organisations and allies to foster progress no matter how slow”

The city of Lagos is both pleasantly unique as it is jarring, therapeutic to some and excessively haunting to many, if anything the LGBT+ community thrives in this mega city, welcome to Lagos, the city we all love to hate.

Figure 2: Joel 2019 Waving the Trans Flag in broad street Lagos and paying homage to the designer of the Flag: Monica Helms 1999

Global reports suggest that the Trans communities are the most targeted and underreported when it comes to breach of human rights, especially targeting trans people of colour, evidenced by the countless viral videos (which is only scratching the surface of the scale of such recuring crimes) of  the lynching of anyone that is perceived to be trans (or in fact is) the trans witch-hunt is increasingly worrying and calls for urgency in safeguarding the LGBTQ+ community and more specifically our trans siblings across the globe and especially in geographical locations where draconian laws encourage citizens and authorities the freewill to carry out dastardly acts against the most marginalised and vulnerable members of any communities with no repercussions after the fact.

Why we chose Broad Street: An ode to my childhood memories of high-rise buildings in Lagos is broad street, beyond being a famous street in Lagos that is not only beautifully diverse, but a commercial hub of early Lagos life till the present day, parties and social gatherings of all kinds without judgement are tales passed from the older generation.

Intersectionality is “the interconnected nature of social categorisations such as race, class, and gender, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage; a theoretical approach based on such a premise.” (Oxford Dictionary, 2019). It was a term coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw. 

Definitions:

Sexual orientation: orientation towards people of the same sex, different sex or regardless of gender; in common language – lesbian/gay, straight or bisexual.

Homosexual: dated and quasi-medical term for lesbians and gay men, rarely used by lesbians and gay men, but sometimes used in formal documents.

Bisexual: people who feel attracted to more than one gender

Homophobia: prejudice towards lesbians and gay men and fear of same sex attraction

Biphobia: prejudice towards bisexual people

Transphobia: prejudice towards trans people

Intersex-phobia: prejudice towards intersex people

Heterosexism: attitudes, behaviour or policies and practices that arises from the assumption that everyone is heterosexual.

To come out/be out: to be open about your own sexual orientation

To out someone: to reveal another person’s sexual orientation, without their consent.

Transgender person: a person whose sense of their own gender identity does not conform to the sex they were assigned at birth. Including umbrella terms, and those who identify as transexual, cross dressing people, and those who have a more complex sense of their own gender then either 100% male or 100% female.

Gender identity: a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned to them at birth.

Gender expression: a person’s external gender-related behaviours and appearance, including clothing.

Gender binary: the classification of sex and gender into two distinct and disconnected “opposite” forms of masculine and feminine.

Gender Variance: gender expression that does not match society’s norms of female and male

Non-binary person: a person who does not identify solely as male or female. They may identify as both, neither or something entirely different.

Gender fluid: having a gender identity which varies over time

Transsexual person: legal/medical term for someone who lives (or wishes to live) permanently in the “opposite” gender to that assigned at birth

Gender dysphoria: medical term for deep-rooted and serious discomfort or distress because of a mismatch between a person’s biological sex and gender identity; overwhelming desire to live in a different gender to that assigned at birth

Gender reassignment: the process of transitioning from the gender assigned at birth to the correct gender. This may (or may not) involve medical and surgical procedures.

Legal sex: the sex recorded on your birth certificate. Rarely relevant at work. Currently binary in the UK. Changed by applying to Gender Recognition Panel

Gender Recognition Certificate: issued by the Gender Recognition Panel – signifies full legal rights in acquired gender and allows the issuing of a replacement birth certificate.

As of writing this article, over 100 individual gender identities have been acknowledged.

It is crucial when discussing our LGBTQ+ community to root our experiences within the centre of our complex and myriad identities, hence we introduced about 50 gender identities and attempted to demystify them during the course of the month-long pride protest in Nigeria (it should be noted that gender identity definitions are mutable and unique from person-to-person, and no one but an individual can ever be as close to defining how they identify than any second or third party). The experience of one person will be different from another depending on their unique characteristics including, but not limited to, their faith, ethnicity, culture and class. 

This is also important as it highlights how within the LGBTQ+ community there are both privileged and marginalised. For instance, a middle class, white, gay man will have significantly more privilege than someone who is a black, trans, working class woman. This privilege also means they can harm and exclude more minoritized groups. As a result of this, racially minoritized groups have done work to create their own spaces, for instance, the launch of Black Pride.

Trans rights like other LGB+ rights have not seen any significant progress in Nigeria, and we are still a far cry from educating the next generation of the implications of exclusion, marginalisation and injustices against vulnerable people.

The SSMPA (Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act) is still in full effect alongside other laws targeted at the LGBT+ community, while on the international stage organisations like United Nations and other human right centred organisation condemns any of such laws, their actions or inactions fall short of taking any concrete measures to see that member-states uphold the values of the UN and the SDGs to the later. In a desperate bid to see that no one is left behind and “project everyone” is really for everyone regardless of gender identities, geography, class, sexual orientation, disabilities etc

It is important that we tell the truth especially for the sake of the generations to come, the ones already here and the beautiful ones unborn, to ease the confusion and pain if or when the time comes where their truth and societal expectations need not collide in a race to superiority and conformity that never should exist in the first place. Where depression, anxiety, suicide, trauma and gender dysphoria do not go tandem, where no one need not second-guess their existence due to the person they love, where everyone is aware and see the need to protect our most vulnerable citizens more than words but with concrete actions beyond well written policies that only go so deep but rather translates wholly in their implementation.

We will continue to fight the good fight until emancipation is attained come what may, love may be delayed but never denied.

TRANS RIGHTS NOW!

A person who is transgender, is someone who identifies with a different gender identity than the one that they were assigned at birth. This is an umbrella term that can also be used to describe other gender non confirming individuals, including people who identify as non-binary, gender fluid or gender queer. These are people whose gender identities are outside the binary of man and woman. 

Cisgender refers to someone whose gender identity aligns with the one they were assigned at birth.

Transgender and cisgender are adjectives, they are not gender identities. For example, it would be incorrect in a diversity monitoring question to ask if someone’s gender identity was a “woman, man, or transgender”. This is because someone who is transgender can identify as a man or a woman, in the same way that a cisgender person can identify as a man or a woman. 

Being transgender does not require a person to have undergone medical transitioning or to pass. Passing is when a transgender person is perceived to be cisgender, usually because of their outward appearance. Not every transgender person aims to pass, and it is transphobic to believe that they should. For some transgender people, passing is necessary as a result of safety considerations. 

Some transgender people may experience gender dysphoria. This is the unease and distress experienced by someone when their perceived gender identity does not reflect how they experience their gender identity. It can encompass a wide range of things, including feelings about their body and there are several ways that it can be addressed. 

What is transphobia?

Transphobia is prejudice or hostility towards someone who is, or is perceived to be, transgender. This prejudice is carried by many and reflected in society’s binary notion of gender and its performance. This has resulted in the creation of several transphobic groups including Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs) and the LGB group.

Examples of transphobia

Transphobia is notoriously rampant in Nigeria as well as other climes as evidenced by comments left on social media website examples of such comments by members of the public on people who are perceived trans or trans people are; “na man you be”, “na woman you be”, “we can still see your genitalia”, “senior man” etc.

Not allowing trans people to use the facilities of the gender they most identify with/ are most comfortable using. There is a dangerous narrative being spread about transgender women using women’s bathrooms and other women-only facilities. These narratives are rooted in false beliefs that transgender women are men and that they are faking being transgender in order to gain access to women to harm them. It is crucial to remember that men do not need to go to these lengths to harm women and have done so, successfully, in broad daylight, in schools and in the workplace. However, by playing into these fears, it allows trans people, particularly trans women, to be invalidated.

Outing a person: This happens when you disclose to people who are unaware that someone is transgender. This can occur intentionally or unintentionally. However, in addition to violating their privacy, it can have safety implications for a trans person. Depending on your capacity and how you gained access to the information, there may be legal ramifications for you.

Dead-naming a person. This is when you call a transgender person by the name they were assigned at birth/pre-transition. This is a name that they no longer use. While this can happen unintentionally, it can also be done intentionally and used as a way of harming a trans person.

Trans people being denied access to legal services, housing or adequate healthcare.

Hate crime in the UK: Transphobic attacks trebled from 550 reports to 1,650 between 2013 and 2018. Almost half (46%) of these crimes in 2017-2018 were violent offences, ranging from common assault to grievous bodily harm. There are also high numbers of murders that go unsolved. These figures do not include trans people who are not out or who have been dead named by their family. Nigeria and data on LGBT+ hate crimes are hazy although non-profits such as The Initiative for Equal Rights (TIERS) is attempting to blur the lines with well researched data and so far, as previously mentioned the numbers are anything but reassuring. Trans people are haunted/targeted and publicly humiliated and so many have paid the ultimate price (murdered).

The impact of transphobia:

Transgender people are an incredibly marginalised community and are significantly vulnerable as a result. This is even before you take into their experience at the intersection of other characteristics, including gender, class and race.

Half of trans people (51 per cent) have hidden their identity at work for fear of discrimination.

A quarter of trans people (25 per cent) has experienced homelessness.

Two in five trans people (41 per cent) and three in ten non-binary people (31 per cent) have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their gender identity.

Younger trans adults are at greatest risk: 53 per cent of trans people aged 18 to 24 have experienced a hate crime or incident based on their gender identity.

How to be an ally to the transgender community

  • Normalise using your pronouns. For instance, including them in your email signature, in your Twitter bio and even when meeting people.
  • Writing to your local government chairman or someone in the senate about issues of importance to the transgender community. In England for example, the reforms that were promised by the Government to the Gender Recognition Act have not taken place which means that legal recognition for trans people remain convoluted.
  • Intervene when you see transphobia being spread.
  • Mark key diversity days, such as International Pronoun Day, International Transgender Day of Visibility and Transgender Day of Remembrance.
  • When you make a mistake, correct yourself and move on. When you overly apologise or try to justify your mistake, you place the transgender or non-binary person in a situation where they must comfort you. In doing so, you centre your experience at their expense. Here’s a guide on how to do that.
  • Remember that ultimately gender is a societal construct, and any person can identify, and present, however they choose. Even cisgender people are excluded from participating in their gender identity due to not meeting the expectations outlined by society. For instance, cisgender women who are tall, dark skinned or who have large hands or feet are decried as being masculine and called men.
Figure 3 Joel in Trans Pride London 2022 with AKT

It is impossible to talk about LGBT+ rights issues in Nigeria and the African diaspora without mentioning Britain et al, imported and imposed religion and dated parliamentary laws

How to be an ally to the LGBTQ+ communities

  • Put humanity and love first before creed, personal beliefs etc.
  • Advocate for the repeal of the SSMPA and similar laws in Nigeria or beyond by lobbying people in power and joining forces with local, transnational and international groups.
  • Actively intervene when you witness homophobia taking place. Bystander intervention is a violence prevention strategy that can allow you to intervene in situations of varying risk. 
  • Mark diversity days. Key ones include Lesbian Visibility Day, the Day of Silence (against bullying), National Coming Out Day, (Intl) Trans day of visibility (TDOV), and the International Day Against Homophobia, IntersexPhobia, Transphobia and Biphobia etc.
  • Partner with the LGBTQ+ network to raise the visibility of their work and to partner on events as one of their supporters. You can even organise your own events.
  • Volunteer for groups such as the Mordi Ibe Foundation (@MIF_Nigeria), UK Black Pride, Stonewall Working Group etc.
  • Share literature and materials with colleagues and friends. This helps keep the urgency of the situation on people’s mind and ensures that they are aware that the fight for equality is far from over. 
  • Engage in personal development to address where your biases are and to acknowledge privilege that you may have, for instance, being straight.​​​​​​​

Reference: Know your History: LGBT+ in the 1950s & 1960s (sharepoint.com)

Figure 4 Joel, knee-high boots inspired by Broadway show “Kinky Boots”

Homophobia, transphobia, intersex-phobia and biphobia etc are acts of covert and overt actions or inactions which includes but not limited to:

  • Hate crimes: In 2019, hate crimes against lesbians and gay people doubled to 3,111. Hate crimes are ‘Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender’ (The Met). This includes physical assault and verbal abuse, such as threats. It can also include incitements to create hatred, for instance, ‘when someone acts in a way that is threatening and intended to stir up hatred. That could be in words, pictures, videos, music, and includes information posted on websites’ (The Met) such data are out of reach in places like Nigeria etc. 
  • The use of homophobic language e.g., calling someone gay as an insult. 
  • Exclusion in social situations or in the workplace because of a person’s sexuality or gender identity. 
  • The use of ‘gay panic’ as a defence following the committing of murder or serious bodily assault of a gay person. The E4 show, Cucumber, explored this. 
  • Telling someone that their experience is just a phase and that they need to find the right man/woman. 
  • The belief that lesbians exist solely to fulfil the sexual fantasies of men. This can include individuals making unwanted sexual propositions towards lesbian couples.

As of writing the remainder of this article, the 27th of July 2022 marked the pinnacle of my experience with hate crime in the UK by a homophobic British Jamaican house mate who forcefully broke into my room after months of verbal abuse and threats, he damaged my laptop and other valuables whilst chanting “batty boy” accompanied with a Jamaican song of the same slur all while holding a knife, I had escaped through the window to seek help and safety from well-meaning neighbours upon the second arrival of several Metropolitan Police officers of that same day, who took note of all the damages, confronted the perpetrator yet again on his incessant homophobic attacks (to which he denied) hence, no arrests were made nor was he made to pay for damages, this have caused me immense mental, emotional, physical and psychological distress not to mention I am currently a person of no fixed address (unwillingly made homeless) as a result of being removed from my initial accommodation for my safety, the non-profit Safe passage Intl. placed me in an emergency hotel for a period of time (I am currently being housed by my Lecturer and her partner).

The impact of homophobia, Transphobia etc:

  • Poverty, rampant unemployment and excessive exclusion from positive developmental national conversations are all but a few realities of LGBT+ people.
  • Limited or inaccurate representation in the media. For instance, TV shows only having story lines featuring closeted gay men or couples only being confirmed after the show, rather than being canon. Additionally, the repetitive use of stereotypes reinforces the idea that a gay person or lesbian must look and present in a specific way, or fit existing boxes e.g., femme or butch, in order to be valid. The Norwegian television show ‘Skam’ dealt with this in its third season.
  • People feeling unable to disclose their sexuality, this can be due to fear of violence against them and their loved ones if they do or being ostracised as is the case in Nigeria and other places alike. 
  • Poor mental health and well-being.
  • A person’s sexuality and dignity not being respected.
Figure 5 Joel Upholding the Trans Flag forward in National Theatre Lagos Nigeria

PRIDE BY JOEL N MORDI:

Pride is a protest, pride is solo or with community, pride is self-affirmation and resistance, pride is acceptance and defiance.

Pride is acknowledging the past and celebrating the present whilst looking to the future juxtaposed with pre-emptive intentions, with hope and pride.

Pride is personal and traditional in fear, bravery, courage and sometimes cowardice.

Pride is paying homage to our LGBT+ Champions and allies dead and alive

Pride is living authentically all consequences be damned or choosing safety.

Pride is progress for all within and beyond our communities to all that we know and understand and those we are yet to encounter and lack knowledge of.

Pride is challenging all that stands in the way of human dignity and progress

Pride is community, home, and lived experiences in joy, sadness and war.

Pride is painstaking radicalism in covert and overt acts of civil disobedience

Pride is justice and true emancipation: loud, silent and salient dualities

Pride is embodying the truth in love, tears and compassion for us and others

Pride is humanity at its unashamed and truest form in ability and (un)seen disabilities.

Pride is indoor and outdoor in autonomy and agency in togetherness of ballroom and vogueing to solitude and colourful and dark reflections

Pride is listening to and accepting nature in acknowledging everyone who exist within and outside the social constructs of gendered expectations

Pride is embracing fluidity and definite indefinites in the mutability of life

Pride is existence in art, a language, a culture in careful and carefree existence with or without (chosen) family.

Pride does not strive to conform within harmful ethics, nor reduced to commercial or corporate ventures.

This is pride in glorious colours beyond black or white in all binaries, complexities and grey areas (un)known.

Read the metro UK Article about Joel’s pride Here: https://rb.gy/oojirw

Special thanks:

All staff and members of (MIF): The Mordi Ibe Foundation, Stonewall UK

Lady Phyll                               Emmanuel Eboigbodi        Collins Onuahon

Peter Tatchell                          John Fashanu                     Moud Goba                        

Moyo Arise Elizabeth             Ebube R. Mordi                 Jane Ikechi-Mordi

Bisi Alimi                                 Geraldine O. Okosun         Jeremy Corbyn

Members and staff of the Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT), Galop, Swatch and Dr Martens UK, Safe Passage Intl, Comic Relief UK, Young Roots, and Micro Rainbow Charity.

And to the many other anonymous brave actors/allies (On this day 04/09/2019)

Media Credit: Anonymous: Director of Photography, Videographer, Chauffeurs and Allies.

This would not have happened without all your encouragement and unwavering support. Thank you!

Twitter/Instagram: Personal: @Mordiofficial Non-profit: @Mif_Nigeria

ABOUT JOEL MORDI (HE/HIM/THEY/THEM)

Figure 6: National Assembly Abuja 02/10/2019

Joel Mordi (@Mordiofficial) is published poet, farmer, father, uncle, son, writer, speaker and advocate he is a leading voice in the niche of Sustainable Development, both in Nigeria, the African continent, and the world.

Their passion for advocacy earned them the title of a “super advocate” which translates to a person who have campaigned continuously for countless issues within the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; they have been listed as Number 4 on the global sustainability influential social media index by Onalytica Here: https://rb.gy/rjujfg He won 10 scholarships by Sheila McKechnie Foundation in 2020, won the Global student Award in Nottingham in 2017Won the LGBT+ Undergraduate of the year award in London by Clifford Chance and Target Jobs 2022, Won the Amplifying Voices Award By Sheila McKechnie Foundation as a young leader with Safe Passage (International) 2022, and so much more including being Nominated for Shorty Awards New York Here:https://rb.gy/xqbium in four categories in his late teens and have attended several United Nations events in New York and beyond.

Fun Fact 1: Joel have most recently served as a youth special adviser to the commissioner for youth development (Delta State) on SDG’s matters as it relates to Youths and our key role to the achievement of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals in the “2030 agenda” (project everyone).

“With a clear passion for foreign policy, social inclusion, sustainability, national/human development, and policy implementation it is evident in all his activities to train the next generation of thought and action-driven young leaders through social action”

He has also given several online conferences, co-written an academic article with Olive, and given LGBT+ themed presentations and panels including University of York and Warwickshire (Pride) as well as 2022 pride month interview with the University of East London and one for winning LGBT undergraduate of the year award.

His non-profit organization, Mordi Ibe Foundation (@Mif_Nigeria) is a locally and internationally recognised platform for advocacy and action towards implementation of the UNs Global Goals (SDGs), MIF has been listed as Number 5 on the global sustainability influential social media index by Onalytica Here: https://rb.gy/rjujfg And works closely with other local and international partners; MIF is Nigeria’s largest independent/non-partisan charity focused on achieving the SDGs.

Upon the realisation of the lack of youth participation in Nigeria and Delta State, he saw the need for sustainable youth engagement using “education” and “innovation” as a strategy for bridging this ever-widening divide. With an end goal for social reform and grassroot mobilization towards a sustainability-inclined young leaders, who are not only aware of their individual and collective power towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) but are action-oriented and effective master campaigners and youth leaders.

Nigerian by birth, a global citizen by his thoughts and actions, Joel is the full package.

Joel believes “everyone” is born an advocate for a cause or several causes hence why “we should all be advocates” is at the core of his campaigns.

Joel continues to study and work with MIF and is also currently working with Safe Passage International as a young Leader: His most recent activity is Refugees Week 2022; with Safe Passage, we are providing school materials to over 11,000 schools across the United Kingdom via Purple Mash Online resource platform.

Fun Facts: Joel and members of his Non-profit; have served as expert advisors in the 8th Nigerian Senate through the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organization led by the late Senator Rose Okoji Oko (Also Deputy Chairman Senate Committee on Education -Basic and Secondary), Senator Ben Murray Bruce, Senator Abdu-Aziz Nyako amongst others as well as Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa (Chairman/Executive Officer of Nigerian Diaspora Commission) alongside other Non-profit organisations including Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) founded by Mr Clement Nwankwo.

Joel and members of his NGO have also served as key players in Electoral reforms leading up to the 2019 General Elections organised by Department for International Development (DFID) and Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) after the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN inaugurated a 24 man Constitution and Electoral Reform Committee (CERC) to facilitate a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s electoral laws back on Wednesday, 30th November, 2016 upon proposal of 25 amendments to the Electoral Act by both chambers.

Both Joel and his non-profit MIF; have been spotlighted by One Young World (As 5/13 Initiatives to lookout for) Here: https://rb.gy/b9f2hl amongst many other local, transnational, and international recognitions.

His public speech on the Nationality and Borders Bill Protest was featured by the United Nations. Parliament Square 2021 Here: https://rb.gy/hy7ugh

Disclaimer: Nigeria’s first-ever month-long recorded pride was done (Unsponsored) entirely with three sustainable and ethical brands: Swatch, Dr. Martens, and Twisted Tailor. As specifically chosen by Joel Mordi.

*Also, the original month-long pride locations were “17” (With Nigeria’s Aso (Rock) Villa and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja) we cut down to releasing only 15 of the projects due to personal and collective safety concerns (a unanimous decision by everyone involved)

A FEW OF JOEL’s CAMPAIGNS IN ARTICLES AND VIDEOS

Joel’s achievements, campaigns and resume are extensive (a few links Below):

The Hague Peace Project features First-ever month-long Pride Event in Nigeria 2019: https://rb.gy/kphluq

Extinction Rebellion UK (London, Manchester, and Durham): Watch Here https://rb.gy/zqoa7r

Daily Trust Nigeria: Read Here  https://rb.gy/dibbsc

First-ever Reclaim Pride UK 2021: Watch Here https://rb.gy/w9zxaq

Pride In London 2022 (with Natl Student Pride): https://rb.gy/dttaz0

UK Black Pride 2022: https://rb.gy/u0tx26

Bi Pride Nigeria 2019: https://rb.gy/oevfdf

Bi Pride UK 2022: https://rb.gy/gouhwy

Trans Pride Nigeria 2019: https://rb.gy/qld5zp

First-ever Intl. Day Against Homophobia Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia IDAHOBIT in Nigeria 2019: https://rb.gy/mojljc

Trans Pride UK 2022: https://rb.gy/lnnwtu

Nottingham Pride 2017: https://rb.gy/m26nio

LGBT+ asylum treatment Metro article: Read Here https://rb.gy/8wvdy7

Uni of York “Queering Intl. Development”: Watch here: https://rb.gy/vs88ql

University of East London Article: https://rb.gy/a1wut3

Clifford Chance LGBT+ Undergraduate of the Year Award: https://rb.gy/4snfh3

Young Leaders report (London Parliament): Read Here https://rb.gy/dagmq3

Exclusive Out and Proud Africa LGBTI OPAL Interview; Watch Here: https://rb.gy/3xtrns

Stonewall UK Interview Watch Here: https://rb.gy/erj9uw

Safe passage Young Leader award: https://rb.gy/c6r1ud

University of East London Pride Month Interview: https://rb.gy/lv5r6j

Photos: Causes, and Icons (on whose shoulders I stand)

Figure 7: Joel with Safe Passage Placard (Comic Relief Project)
Figure 8: Joel and Jeremy Corbyn (Nationality and borders Bill Protest)
Figure 9: Joel with Peter Tatchell (SMK Awards London)
Figure 10: Joel. Peter Tatchell at (SMK award) with the organiser
Figure 11: Joel x UK Black Pride (Reclaim Pride Protest)
Figure 12: Joel, Lady Phyll (UK Black Pride), Peter Tatchell (Reclaim Pride Protest)
Figure 13: Joel at Third Mainland Bridge Lagos, Nigeria Topic: LGBT Suicide and mental Health

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