A Nigeria transgender had decided to share his
story and appeal to people to stop stigmatizing
people like him.
The man, now simply identified as Miss Sahhara has
claimed that he was abused and jailed in Nigeria for
being a transgender.
In an article she shared yesterday to mark the
Transgender Day of Remembrance, she talked about
how depressed she felt and how she even
attempted suicide.
Hear her, and see more photos below:
“I am standing in front of the mirror looking at my
reflection. Tears of joy trickle down my rouged
cheek before going on stage.
I am in tears because I just can’t believe how
realistic my dreams have become. I am a woman!
Living my life freely. Accepted and respected for
my achievements as a model and a performer.
My fellow transgendered sisters and brothers paved
this way for me. They fought for acceptance,
understanding and respect. Some died while
fighting for what they believed in and others fell
before their time due to hate, rejection and
society’s unfairness. Every single story gave me
strength to fight on and never to give up.
I wish I could tell the younger me who tried to
commit suicide twice that life gets better and
dreams come true.
I did not imagine life could be this amazing many
years ago after being released from a horrid
Nigerian prison for being different. Then all I could
think was I could die in this prison and no one will
know or care.
Being imprisoned felt justifiable, considering I was
being punished for being ‘gay’ – something they
assumed due to my feminine features and
mannerisms.
I wasn’t gay, I am a woman born differently due to
natural defects. What I felt did not match my
outward appearance, Being assigned male at birth
doesn’t make me a man or a woman, nobody was
born a man or a women, you develop into your
preferred gender as you grow up. For me that
gender was female. I was born male but my brain,
gestures, features and carriage functioned as
female.
Growing up and not knowing what was happening
to my body made me confused and lost. I couldn’t
discuss it with my family because my femininity was
frowned on due to religion and I could not talk to
my friends because they would not understand
what I was going through. I found solace in music
and dreams.
I dreamt of being free to be myself, free of insults,
free of judgment and free from harassment.
That freedom came when I moved to the United
Kingdom, finding girls like me gave me hope of not
being alone in my journey of self-discovery.
I found out what I went through growing up in
Nigeria was quite common with transgendered
people. Having freedom, acceptance and knowledge
are the key most important elements to a
successful transition.
Knowing I am not alone in my struggles helped me
to reevaluate my views on life and how I should go
about my transition wisely. I researched my
transition and reconciled the conflicting emotions
involved in the process of accepting myself as the
woman I am.
It is a lonely world during transition, as your body
changes so do your emotions, which leads the mind
into the darkest path in life. If the chemicals are
not professionally controlled, you can feel suicidal
due to rejection from loved ones and society.
In life perfection doesn’t existent, but for me
having the freedom to be my true self feels almost
perfect. As a black transgendered woman I am
faced with many daily challenges such as
transphobia, a complicated love life, poor career
prospects and racism. But when I remember my life
history, these challenges become water under the
bridge.
That is why I will always remember those who built
this foundation for freedom and knowledge. Also
those who never got the chance to enjoy the
acceptance we have achieved so far.
Transgender Day of Remembrance today (20
November) is particularly import to me because I
have lost close friends to suicide and have seen
many more wishing to commit suicide as a final fix
to their gender dilemma and rejection by society.
The media is silent on the subject of transphobia
and the effects it has on young transgendered
people of today, because they don’t see
transgendered people as ‘normal’ members of our
community.
Remembering my fallen friends helps me to keep
their memories alive. It also encourages me to
carry on the fight to be respected, understood and
accepted for whom I am.
I dream of a world where we are given some sort of
understanding and tolerance to live peacefully as
able, intelligent fellow human beings who make
positive contributions to society.
Transgendered people are human too. We are your
brothers, your sisters, your children, your friends
and your lovers. Stop the hate! ”
Source: Dailymail UK
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