If a bill prohibiting cross-dressing in Nigeria is passed into law, crossdressers in the country could face jail time.
The bill seeks to amend the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2013, to Prohibit Cross-Dressing; and Related Matters, and was introduced by Muda Lawal Umar, a member of the House of Representatives.
It is commonly assumed that the development will irritate crossdressers such as Olanrewaju Idris Okuneye, better known as Bobrisky, James Chukwueze Obialor, a.k.a. James Brown, a renowned television host, and Adenrele Oluwafemi Edun, better known as Denrele, among others.
Excerpts of the proposed bill read…
“(1) Crossdressing done publicly is prohibited.
“(2) A person shall be deemed to have committed the offence publicly where it is published or displayed publicly notwithstanding that it was committed privately or in any place that would have ordinarily been described as private.
“Provided that this section of this Act shall not apply to cross-dressing in the course of a stage play or in any bona ?de public entertainment.”
“A person engaged in cross-dressing is guilty of an offence and liable to imprisonment for six (6) months or to a ?ne of ?ve hundred thousand nairas (N500,000).”
Also amending section 7 of the Act, the bill seeks to introduce the word ‘cross dressing’ and de?ning it as “…the practice of wearing clothes usually worn by a person of the opposite sex.”
