Aunty, my Boy is Fem as!
But this is Nigeria. What to do?
Dear Aunty Jimothy,
My Nigerian friend is doing post-uni youth service as a teacher. He’s very smart and would be great at it, but one lady keeps hassling him. He overheard her say something in Yoruba. Someone interpreted and said she’d mocked him, saying effeminate men shouldn’t teach. My friend feels hurt and attacked. I don’t think he should have to tone down his effeminacy, but I don’t want people mistreating him. What should he do?
Losing it in Lagos
Dear Losing,
Ooh la la, Child! You’ve got this old aunty in a tizzy. Dame Edna and I were just about to slink out for cosmos, pedicures, perms, and men-watching while we get our feather boas steamed. Now I gotta stand her up. I’m that verklempt!
Seriously, your friend’s question is difficult and raises issues on many levels.
On the surface it’s simple.
You and your student-teacher buddy live in a homophobic society where people often leap to the conclusion that effeminate-acting men are gay. Frankly, that’s not so different from where this old aunty lives — way out in the woods with only beefy farmers, plucky ploughboys, and sweaty horses for neighbors.
