Three Nigerian men have gone into hiding after suffering a gruesome assault where they were stripped naked, paraded in public and endured savage beatings for allegedly having gay sex.
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‘Throughout Nigeria there are extreme anti-gay sentiments due to lack of information and exposure to sometimes fanatic religious ideas.
‘Such sentiments not only lead to verbal and physical abuse but strike fear into gay people and cause them to take risky behavior, driving them into hiding and often getting infected by the HIV virus.
‘Then there is absolutely no support here for them once they get ill they simply drop dead, its appalling.
‘The National Action Committee of HIV/AIDS Nigeria doesn’t help LGBT people, when it should raise awareness on how homophobia is not only wrong but harms society as a whole by increasing HIV transmission. more
I note the use of the words "fanatical religious ideas". My assumption is that these ideas come from the fanatical religious US fundies over there stirring up hatred towards gays?
It's tragic too that they can't get any support being HIV+. I mean how stupid can people be as to think if they ignore the problem or punish the afflicted, then HIV will go away. It won't. Gays exist everywhere, even in Nigeria. No amount of ignorance or hatred is going to change anyone's sexuality. If they're driven underground then they'll have no access to education programs aimed at reducing HIV infections (if one even exists there?) or medications to reduce their viral load and thereby the infection rates. I predict Nigeria to have an increase in those with HIV.
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