PROJECT PLUSH

[project plush]

Hello,

We are a group of Gay and Lesbian people living in various parts of Nigeria. In our group are people of various strata and core professionals.We have doctors,lawyers,accountants,e.t.c in our fold.

We live in a supposedly modern state with a democratic government that have well differentiated institutions and structures that perform essential business of government.The problem is that it is also a society that is full of primitive values and prejudices.

In Nigeria it is taboo to be gay and declare it openly;you'd be stoned publicly.The prejudice and discrimination is so intense that gays and lesbians supress their pure and natural biological tendencies for fear of recrimination,abuse and shame.

The psychological torture is intolorable and painful,better imagined than experienced.In work places,it would amount to instant dismissal if you are found to be gay or lesbian, when this happens people don't even have the courage to fight for their rights even in courts because of the intimidating social stigma involved.So they simply go home and sulk;some of them commit suicide to end the misery.

So in other not to allow this state of affairs to continue,we the professionals started networking across the country.In the military era we did it hush-hush,but in this present democratic dispensation we have come out openly to challenge this type of primitive discrimination and ostracism even in court, something that was unheard of before.In some cases we have been successful and in some not so succesful.Now we want to go the whole hog and engage in massive media campagain to sensitise the public that if sombody is born differently[in sexual preference];does not make him less of a person .

We registered an NGO,known as PROJECT-PLUSH;plush meaning 'people living under shame and hate'.This NGO [Non Governmental Organisation] among other things is pushing for a legislation to be passed in the National Assembly .Currently the National Assembly have wound down their second plenary session and are doing Committee work.

Our Bill is with the Ethics and Social Morality Committee which shall consider its merits;before the bill goes for second reading on the floor of the National Assembly in the next plenary sitting starting in september.It is at this stage that the bill can be killed or survives.So we need a lot of financial assistance to lobby the members of these committee who are twelve in the Senate[upper chamber]and fourteen in the House of Representatives[lower chamber].

As at the time of writing this letter we sounded out some members of the committee and they were of the opinion that at least each member in the upper chamber[senate]should get ten million Naira[about one hundred thousand dollars at the current exchange rate].While every member of the lower house[House of Representatives]shall take five million Naira[about fifty thousand dollars]for the bill which they consider a 'hard sell' to pass through the committee stage.Given the enormity of the amount involved we are reaching out to you for assistance because this is the one chance we have to liberate ourself from this social prejudice and live free in our society.So that we can run our gay clubs openly without the Police crashing in and out of the place arresting innocent people.

We wish that you can with your experience guide us to achieve this herculean task.We shall indeed be grateful for your support.

Yours sincerely,

Dr.Abraham Sule

For PROJECT-PLUSH.

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