Homosexuality in Nigeria: What is the problem represented to be? An analysis of the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2013
Author
Vale, Silvie
Term
4. term
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-05-28
Abstract
På globalt plan bruges seksualitet ofte som en målestok for lighed, menneskerettigheder og civile og politiske rettigheder, og der er gjort en særlig indsats for at modvirke diskrimination på grund af seksuel orientering. Alligevel kriminaliserer flere lande stadig homoseksualitet; Nigeria er et af dem. I Nigeria er samkønnede seksuelle handlinger strafbare, og i 2014 trådte Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2013 (SSMPA) i kraft. Loven forbyder ægteskab mellem personer af samme køn, udvider straffe for dem, der støtter, hjælper eller er vidne til sådanne vielser, og forbyder at oprette eller støtte homoseksuelle organisationer. På baggrund af spændingen mellem en voksende forståelse af homoseksualitet som et menneskerettighedsanliggende og den nigerianske forbudslovgivning undersøger dette speciale, hvordan SSMPA fremstiller homoseksualitet som et problem. Specialet anvender Carol Bacchis “What’s the problem represented to be?”-tilgang (en metode, der analyserer, hvordan politikker konstruerer det ‘problem’, de påstår at løse), sammen med feministisk teori og Michel Foucaults idé om magt som noget, der udøves gennem sociale normer og institutioner. Analysen ser på, hvilke antagelser der bærer problemfremstillingen, hvilke virkninger den har, og hvordan den kan udfordres eller omrammes. Undersøgelsen viser, at det bærende element i SSMPA’s problemfremstilling er et “heteroseksuelt imperativ” – en regulerende forventning om, at heteroseksualitet og en ‘naturlig’ todelt kønsorden (mand/kvinde) er normal og rigtig. Gennem denne ramme delegitimerer loven homoseksualitet samt samkønnede ægteskaber og forhold og fastholder idéer om seksuel essentialisme (troen på, at seksuelle identiteter og roller er naturgivne og faste) og heteronormativitet (antagelsen om, at heteroseksualitet er standarden). Specialet drøfter også mulige måder at forstyrre og ændre denne problemramme, så “problemet” kan forstås og håndteres anderledes.
Around the world, sexuality is often used as a gauge of equality and of civil and political rights, and special efforts have been made to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation. Yet some countries still criminalize homosexuality; Nigeria is one of them. In Nigeria, same-sex sexual activity is a criminal offense, and in 2014 the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2013 (SSMPA) was implemented. The law explicitly bans marriage between same-sex couples, expands criminal penalties for those who support, assist, or witness such marriages, and prohibits establishing or supporting gay organizations. Against the backdrop of a growing human rights framing of homosexuality and Nigeria’s prohibitive legal framework, this thesis examines how the SSMPA represents homosexuality as a “problem.” It uses Carol Bacchi’s “What’s the problem represented to be?” approach (a method that studies how policies construct the very problems they claim to address), together with feminist theory and Michel Foucault’s view of power as exercised through norms and institutions. The analysis considers the assumptions that shape this problem framing, the effects it produces, and how it might be disrupted or reframed. The study finds that a “heterosexual imperative” sits at the core of the SSMPA’s problematization—an expectation that heterosexuality and a supposedly natural man/woman gender binary are normal and right. Through this lens, the law delegitimizes homosexuality and same-sex marriages and unions, reinforcing sexual essentialism (the belief that sexual identities and roles are fixed by nature) and heteronormativity (the assumption that heterosexuality is the default). The thesis also discusses possible ways to challenge this framing so the “problem” can be shaped differently.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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