Photos: Nigerian Transgender Singer Claims She Was Jailed In Nigeria For Being Trans

Nigerian model and singer Miss saHHara claimed in an article
yesterday to mark the Transgender Day of Remembrance that
she was harassed and jailed in Nigeria for being a transgender
and even attempted suicide but is now proud and free.

Miss SaHHara writes…

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 'gáy' – something they assumed due to my
feminine features and mannerisms.

I wasn't gáy, 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 harassments.
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!