Last weeks news of the proposed banning of same sex marriage which will include making it illegal to campaign on gay rights has led to a lively debate in the African blogosphere.

Below is a roundup of those blogs that posted on the issue.

Jeremy of Naijablog has a number of posts on the subject.  "On Blogging" he writes on the importance of words especially by young Nigerians and to think of ways to encourage Nigerians in their thousands to blog as "those  bursting with ideas of freedom from repression do in Iran".

In which case, the words of those young Nigerians who are leading the way in blogging here are incredibly important. So it saddens me that someone in the vanguard of in-country blogging shoots from the hip by suggesting that women attracted to women should be "dick-whipped". Dick-whipping is such a violent way of speaking. It ultimately translates itself into rape. How can someone so young have such violence stored in themselves? Where is the love?

He also addresses the human rights aspect of the law by listing the relevant Articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and believes that the proposed law would contravene the declaration.

Kenyan blogger, Gukira puts his commentary in the context of Kenya and poignantly begins with a quote from Amos Tutola asking: Is African identity a house of ideas that imprisons and silences?  In discussion on why some of us remain in the Diaspora he writes that here

"I can be queer" I can  teach queer-themed classes. I can get a job specializing in queer-themed projects. I can meet like-minded queer academics. I can write on queer topics…….According to the Nigerian government, homosexuality is “un-African.”

But repression is."

South African blogger, Moral Fibre writes

Africa’s most populous country has gone even further down the road of inequality and human rights abuse

Though homosexuality is legal in South Africa he doesn’t hold out much hope that his government will condemn the proposed law.

One always holds out some hope that South Africa will condemn these atrocities committed elsewhere on our continent, and one is always disappointed with the government’s hypocrisy and human rights doublespeak.

Musings of a Naija man considers the law against campaigning or supporting gay rights to be " a gross transgression of human rights" and wonders if his post would "constitute a breach of these laws?"

[a ban on] the rights to free speech and association and is going to open the floodgates for the most grotesque witchhunt. How on earth is "any form of protest", "aiding or supporting" or indeed "relationship" going to be interpreted? Two men or two women living together or sharing a bed as commonly happens in the chronically housing-deficient cities of Abuja and Lagos ? An article supporting equal rights for gay people?

AfroHomo has two posts "Politics - Yup, I Can’t Get Married Now" and "More Hate from Home"  Like Musings of a Naijaman he raises the point of hypocrisy amongst Nigerian leaders and the society as a whole.

The absurdity of this ban manifests itself even better when it’s viewed in the context of Nigeria’s moral topography. In a country where government officials routinely loot the treasury; where the policemen openly accept 20 cent bribes from unregistered commercial vehicles (some cars don’t even stop at police blockades, they just fling currency notes out the window); where human beings are kidnapped  everyday for ritual murder with little recourse to justice for their families; where female dorms at its most prestigious universities have become whorehouses where students barter their youth and pussies to government officials and wealthy patrons for money to buy books and feed themselves;

In the second post he writes

If you had any glimmer of hope that Nigeria might be finally making baby steps towards social justice, especially for its most vulnerable citizens, the poor, women, children, homosexuals and the rural dwellers, think again. That this article would even print in a national newspaper is in itself disturbing. The views expressed in the said article are appalling - absolutely hateful towards gays, a sordid display of ignorance, homophobia and cultural hypocrisy.

Trae Days unleashes a homophobic diatribe with huge dollops of misogyny to boost his chauvinistic pose.   Clearly he has chosen to adopt the worst aspects of African American hip hop culture that denigrates women in his quest to be the "baddest" guy on the block.  What fun I’m 21 and I  can rap the words "bitch" "bitch" "bitch" and "fuck" "fuck" "fuck" - what a clever boy I am!

Nigeria   Gay & Lesbian