ANTI-GAY NIGERIA MAY LOSE COMMONWEALTH GAMES

Nigeria may lose its bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games because of its anti-gay policies say commentators.

The Nigerian city of Abuja, along with Glasgow in the UK, is bidding to host the event. The Commonwealth Games, founded in 1930, are held every four years in a country belonging to the Commonwealth of Nations.

The constitution of the Games states that “there shall be no discrimination against any country or person on any grounds whatsoever including race, colour, gender, religion or politics.” The event also espouses three core values: humanity, equality and destiny.

Nigeria’s homophobic policies are seen to be in direct contradiction to these values. Homosexuality is illegal in the country, with anyone found to have had sex with a member of the same sex facing 14 year imprisonment. In the even more conservative

Nigerian states that have incorporated Sharia law gay and lesbians could legally be
stoned to death.

Nigeria has also come under fire for its pending Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act which would, in addition to banning gay marriage, make almost any expression of homosexuality in the country – from holding hands in public to forming a pro-gay organisation – illegal.

The Commonwealth Games Federation will announce the winning city in Sri Lanka on November 9.