In a country where same-sex relationships or public displays of affection are illegal and many #LGBTQ+ Nigerians use the word ‘queer’, as a safer term to encompass their identities, attending any #Queer event is risky.
That didn’t stop over 500 guests from attending the Fola Francis Ball in Lagos. Even the venue had to be kept secret until a few hours before.
Party organisers Ayo Lawson and Uyaiedu Ikpe-Etim were inspired by a similar event they had been to.
“We thought we were very queer and very out there, but going to experience a ball really changed our perspective of what it is to be queer and what queer joy really is,” says Lawson.
This year the ball was named in honour of a transgender woman called Fola Francis, who before her death last year had been at the heart of the burgeoning underground ballroom scene.
For many, the Fola Francis ball was an opportunity to pay their respects. “I want to celebrate Fola,” said one of the platform-heeled revellers. For another of the trans women attending for the first time, it was a “dream come true”.
Others came to compete in the LGBTQ+ ballroom culture competition with categories including butch queen realness, femme queen realness, body, face, voguing and best dressed. Judges included Ashley Okoli and writer-designer Ozzy Etomi, both mainstream figures in Nigeria.
For the organisers, the ball is a space for self-expression and to celebrate the beauty of diversity, even in the face of fear.
And that fear is never far away.
Last updated on September 23rd, 2024 at 07:53 am
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