"I create according to my state of mind.. my emotions inspire my stories. I've been told by some people that they feel emotions in my work, I felt really good about that.." - Rachel Seidu, from Telling Intentional Stories (2020)
"I’m Lola, a Black transfemme living in Nigeria, where my existence is illegal with two decades of jail time. I got kicked out by my parents after I was forcefully outed and am currently in a homeless shelter.
I’ve been harassed multiple times, and recently, I was followed and harassed by four men near the shelter who threatened to kill me and split my head open. My life is in danger, and I’m facing homelessness as the shelter will be shut down by this month’s end. Being homeless as trans woman or transfemme in Nigeria is a death sentence
I’m also dealing with suicidal thoughts from gender dysphoria and a lack of access to HRT.
I’m seeking help so I can afford safe housing and gender affirming care so I can transition safely and save my life. This GoFundMe is the second one created because of problems with the first."
Lola is currently living on the streets because their homeless shelter kicked them out when they reported transphobic harassent and violence. they've been attacked, and they need food and money for a place to stay.
if you prefer not to donate to the GFM, you can send money to Lola through P*yP*l here: paypal.me/angelsaxis
In teaching her about oppression, be careful not to turn the oppressed into saints. Saintliness is not a prerequisite for dignity. People who are unkind and dishonest still deserve dignity. Property rights for Nigerian women, for example, is a major feminist issue, and the women do not need to be good and angelic to be allowed their property rights.
– Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2016) Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, p. 58.
We all know how violent police are to queer people. Nigeria is no different.
I'm trying to help a Nigerian trans femme named Lola with survival funds, but donations have seriously slowed down over the last few months. She's sick, she's hungry, her job isn't paying her well at all, and she's just been attacked by the corrupt and violent cops in Nigeria. SARS (Nigerian police/special task for basically) is notorious for harassing the shit out of people, especially queer Nigerians or anyone who doesn't look cishet.
Lola needs funds for food, medicine, and her HRT since she's been inconsistent on it due to a lack of money. The cops robbed even though she begged them not to because she was sick.
This isn't the first time she's been attacked and it likely won't be the last. Please help in any way that you can. We're not starting at zero, but we've got a long way to go.