53 Arrested in Nigeria for Celebrating Gay Wedding, Police Say

[edellwy]

Nigerian police say they have arrested 53 young men who
celebrated a gay wedding and charged them with "belonging to a
gang of unlawful society."

Prosecuting officer Mannir Nasir told a court on Wednesday that
the young men were arrested Saturday in the northern city of
Zaria while attending a party organized for two men who got
married last week.

While Nigerian law bans gay marriage, some couples conduct
informal ceremonies.

Maria Sjodin, deputy executive director of LGBTQ advocacy group
OutRight Action International, said she believes the gay wedding
story is just an "excuse" and part of the police's attempt to
"crackdown on an emerging LGBTQ movement" in Nigeria.

"Only the police claim that it was a wedding party," she told
NBC Out, adding that sources in Nigeria told her organization
the event was "actually a birthday party."

"The police are using the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act as
an excuse for mass arrests, maybe even as a way to get bribes,"
Sjodin said. "The Nigerian law is much more far reaching than
just same-sex marriage, it really is a way to crack down on
anyone advocating for human rights of LGBT people."

The 53 arrested men pleaded not guilty to charges that also
included conspiracy and unlawful assembly. They were granted
bail, and their next hearing has been set for May 8.

Lots of bad things happen in the jungles over there. People get
lost and never find their way out.

http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/53-arrested-nigeria-
celebrating-gay-wedding-police-n748931