Participants at “Heavenly Bodies,” an underground drag ballroom event during Lagos Pride, celebrate the “mother of the year” winner.
On 21 June 2024, a ballroom event was held in an underground venue as part of the week-long Pride in Lagos celebrations.
Nigeria's Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act and Penal Code criminalize public displays of same-sex relationships and gender nonconformity. Coupled with a hostile social climate fueled by conservative religious beliefs and anti-LGBTQIA+ political rhetoric, Nigerian law makes it impossible for queer individuals to express themselves freely and openly in public spaces.
Despite threats of legal prosecution, widespread societal discrimination, and physical violence, members of the LGBTQI+ community in Nigeria continue to seek spaces for self-expression and celebration in defiance of societal intolerance.
The first Pride in Lagos ball was created as a safe space for queer people to be visible and build community. The third edition, titled 'Heavenly Bodies: Notes on Fola Francis,' was curated by Olaide Kayode Timileyin and has become one of the largest drag ballroom experiences in Nigeria. The 2024 series paid tribute to the late Fola Francis — a trans icon, activist, and the first openly transgender person to walk the runway at Lagos Fashion Week. Despite the risks, the event was an electrifying celebration of love, identity, and unapologetic self-expression.
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