COMMUNICATIONS

Committee Coverage.

In celebration of Pride Month, African Services Committee (ASC) sat down with Ayodeji Otuyelu, a client in ASC’s LGBT Program and the author of Words in My Head: Love, Sex, Sadness, and Madness. Otuyelu reflects on art and writing, queer health and human rights, how ASC supported him after arriving to the United States from Nigeria, and what Pride Month means to him. 

ASC: What does Pride Month mean to you?

Otuyelu: For me, Pride means freedom — unafraid to express myself with my head up high!

ASC: This year’s theme in ASC’s LGBT Support Group is “The Art of Living.” How have you used writing poetry as a form of meditation and therapy? 

Otuyelu: Writing has been the best way to express myself without holding back. I am empowered with pen and paper to write the things I am mostly not bold enough to say. Over time, I see how much I have grown in my writing. It has become part of my living, and has helped me to cope with living with my own demons. Poetry saved me from suicidal thoughts and helped me move forward with living.

ASC: What challenges have you faced as a queer immigrant arriving to the United States from Nigeria, and how has ASC supported you?

Otuyelu: One of the greatest challenges I faced was finding a community for myself and people who understand my journey.  ASC helped by creating a community for like-mindedness and having people like Nathalie and Amanda who care deeply for us. Sometimes it's just the story of another immigrant that I hear that makes it easier for me to wake up another day. The space created by ASC is so safe and friendly that it makes you feel not too far from home even when you are thousands of miles away, and it also reminds me of the importance of community and why I also need to create one.

ASC: How do you stay connected with the LGBT community in Nigeria?

Otuyelu: Honestly, through the internet. We have groups on WhatsApp and Facebook where we connect and also help one another. On this platform, people sometimes share their stories — some are good and some are bad — and it makes me realize how much work needs to be done and how much the voices of us in the diaspora are needed.

ASC: What advice would you offer to other queer immigrants who arrive to the United States?

Otuyelu: It always gets better every day. Just believe in yourself and be ready to do the work. Don’t hold yourself back because you have already done a lot of holding back where you came from. Therapy helps, and don’t shy away from finding a community that can help you.

“Words in My Head: Love, Sex, Sadness, and Madness” is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Walmart.

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