I Found Out That I’m A Lesbian At 5 –Temmie Onwasa

Controversial openly gay Nigerian female artiste, Temmie Ovwasa, has revealed that she found out that she is a lesbian at age five.

She told okayafrica.com in an interview, “ I found out about my sexuality at five; I got into a lot of trouble for long because I didn’t know I was supposed to hide it.

Ovwasa added, “ Interestingly, some blog first outed me before  I came out of the closet. Before then, my safety didn’t really matter. Since coming out, I’d genuinely be scared that I could go to a supermarket and someone would acid-bath me. I do have concerns because not only am I out of the closet, I have visible tattoos and you know how Nigerians frown against tattoos—especially on a woman. However, I avoid people well enough and have created a safe space for myself that I revert to regardless of what’s happening in the country or how people are.”

Speaking on what inspired her album, E Be Like Say Dem Swear For Me, Ovwasa said, “Suffering. Being a queer feminist means belonging in marginalised communities. The album’s direction comes from a place of women, queer people around me who’re also suffering. No matter how privileged I am, it doesn’t invalidate the brutality of being a queer woman in Nigeria and I’m probably always going to be miserable.”