Gay Rights Research and Advocacy in Nigeria: The Place of Data Mining and Data Visualization

The prevailing attitude towards LGBTQ people in Nigeria is generally hostile. This has led to the criminalization of homosexual activities which means that LGBTQ people risk up to 14 years in prison for expressing their sexual orientation. This institutionalization of anti-gay sentiments has also exposed LGBTQ people to discrimination, sexual harassment, bullying, physical and mental torture. This is contrary to the spirit of inclusive society being promoted all over the world and which is needed for sustainable development. One of the means of justifying the discrimination and violence against LGBTQ people in Nigeria is the distortion of facts, emotional blackmail, and scare-mongering among the general populace. As a result, the best way to counter this narrative and support LGBTQ people in Nigeria is through purposeful, consistent and comprehensive collection of data which will then be strategically communicated to different audiences in order to modify attitude, policies and create a safe environment for LGBTQ people in Nigeria. However, there is an acute lack of data on LGBTQ issues in Nigeria with the available data scattered in unstructured and disparate sources making it difficult for researchers and activists to obtain a true picture of issues relating to LGBTQ people in Nigeria and effectively advocate for the decriminalization of gay activities in Nigeria. This paper therefore aims to explore how data science in the form of data mining and data visualization can be used to support a robust advocacy for gay rights in Nigeria. It will also analyse the available sources of data on LGBTQ people in Nigeria, efforts targeted at data collection and tools that can be used to create a reliable data bank for researchers, activists and right groups supporting the LGBTQ people in Nigeria.