Bisi Alimi

Bisi Alimi (born 17 January 1975) is a British-Nigerian LGBTQ rights by country or territory gay rights activist, public speaker, blog writer, filmmaker and HIV/LGBT advocate who gained international attention when he became the first Nigerian to Coming out come out on television. Quotes Growing up in Mushin shaped me. Over there, survival is a language. We don’t give up. At first it felt like the world had collapsed. But slowly I realised I could either hide or fight. And fighting meant telling my story. HIV is not a death sentence. Stigma is. The moment we treat people with compassion, everything changes. I’m alive today because I got treatment, because I refused to hide, and because I chose hope. Anyone living with HIV can live fully. That’s the truth. “In Mushin, We Don’t Give Up” — Revisiting Bisi Alimi’s 2024 interview on 20 years of living with HIV There’s a curiosity about queer African stories — both within and outside the continent — that no one’s really talking about. But when you see how these stories are welcomed at international film festivals, it becomes clear: now is the time to start telling them. I wanted it to be a kind of revenge on Nollywood, which is why I have the bastardised spelling — because it’s time to take back. I was kicked out of the industry. I’m still angry. It’s been 21 years. But I can do something productive with my anger. I want to live in a society where I’m not seen as a criminal, where I can say to my husband, “Let’s pack our bags and spend the weekend in Lagos,” without having to hide. I’ve realized I have to make that happen. #MadeinNigeria: Bisi Alimi on How to Tell Queer Nigerian Stories in Nollywood I see the law as a catalyst for change for good in Nigeria. You don’t understand what it is like to fight a beast that you cannot see. I think that was one of the most difficult times in my life. You know the feeling when the world is crumbling around you and you just wanted someone to lift you up and everyone is turning their backs on you. You might want to read this interview with Bisi Alimi External Links Category:Authors from Nigeria Category:LGBT people Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:Activists from Nigeria Category:LGBT rights activists