'Stop addressing me as man' - Nigerian transgender blasts Nigerian bloggers
Born Clifford Oche to Idoma, Benue State parents, who is now known as Iris Sahhara Henson, warns everyone to stop referring to her as a man, decided to pen a strong worded letter to journalists/bloggers with special mention of foremost blogger, Linda Ikeji.
Miss Sahhara
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Photo Credit: Facebook
Read her letter here:
"#LindaIkeji TO LINDA IKEJI ET AL., this is not a rant, rather an education: I never lived as a 'Gay man' in Nigeria! How could I have struggled as a gay man when I was never a man, as unfathomable as it may be for you and your readers, it is the fact.
I know my validation as the person I say I am doesnt come from you or anyone else, rather it comes from me, I wear the shoes, I know where it hurts and I alone can tell you how it feels.......But when you lot publish the wrong messages in other to get attention for your blogs, it encourages hate and transphobia from Nigerians and beyond.
As a 'Journalist/blogger' you should have the duty of care for all your subjects when writing about them, especially when it is about sensitive marginalised subjects such as the LGBTQI+ community.
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You all have immense power to influence your readers positively or negatively, so I suggest you use that power to educate yourselves and your readers, instead of inciting hate. Yes it is sensitive to talk or write about the LGBTQI+ community because we are at risk all around the world due to , bigotry and lack of education..................
MY BRAIN HAS ALWAYS BEEN FEMALE. JUST BECAUSE I HAD MEDICAL CORRECTION TO ALIGN MY BRAIN WITH MY BODY DOESNT MAKE MY CHILDHOOD AS A FEMALE INVALID...... MY SEXUALITY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY IDENTITY AS A WOMAN EITHER, I AM A STRAIGHT WOMAN AS I HAVE ALREADY STATED IN THE VIDEO BELOW.
WHO I GO TO BED WITH DOESNT DEFINE WHO I WAKE UP AS........NO I DID NOT 'TRANSITION'. JUST BECAUSE I WAS ASSIGNED A CERTAIN GENDER ON PAPER WHEN I WAS A BABY DOESN'T MAKE ME LESS OF A FEMALE AS A CHILD..... SOME TRANSPEOPLE AND MYSELF HAVE AND STILL USE THE WORD 'TRANSITION',
I DONT ANYMORE, BECAUSE CORRECTING MY LIFE MEDICALLY IS NOT A SWITCH FROM ONE THING TO THE OTHER, IT IS RATHER AN ENHANCEMENT OF WHO I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN............Please save your insults and religious quotes for those who care, it will not affect my already solid confidence.
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