Davis Mac-Iyalla
Davis Mac-Iyalla (born 1972 in
The son of a wealthy Nigerian Army Colonel,[1] he came out to himself at the age of 14, but his disinterest in dating females was not made apparent to others around him until after two events: the ordination of Gene Robinson as the bishop of New Hampshire in the Episcopalian branch, and the death of his mentor, the Bishop Iyobee Ugede of Otukpo. He was, in July 2003, fired from his job as the principal of a local Anglican children's school; after this incident, which he believed was due to his being gay, he became an activist and started work with Changing Attitude.
He has faced stiff opposition from both the religious elite and their lay constituents in Nigeria, which is a heavily conservative nation in terms of politics. The
Mac-Iyalla has ventured to other countries with Anglican communities on speaking tours.[3]
An immigration attorney at the offices of Episcopal Migration Ministries in New York advised Davis to seek asylum in the US, but he decided not to proceed with the claim.[1] He has been granted refugee status in the United Kingdom, where he now lives.
He has been accused by Nigerian Anglicans as a charlatan who made up his life story, most notably by Canon Akintunde Popoola, but Mac-Iyalla posted photos of his time as a knight of the church during his younger years on the Web.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b "UK Grants Asylum to Davis Mac-Iyalla; Now the Rest of the Story". Akinola, Repudiate Anti-Gay Violence. 2008-07-29. Archived from the original on 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- ^ PRESS RELEASE - DISCLAIMER- Davis Mac- Iyalla Archived December 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Nigerian Activist Mac-Iyalla to March with Bishop Marc in Pride Parade Archived May 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mr Davis MacIyalla, Director of Changing Attitude Network (Nigeria) Archived June 7, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
See also
- Bisi Alimi - Nigerian man and civil rights activist who fled to the United Kingdom from retaliatory violence in Nigeria after coming out on national television.