I knew I was gay at 10, former presidential spokesperson Doyin Okupe’s son, Bolu says

Bolu Okupe

Bolu Okupe, one of the sons of former Presidential spokesperson, Doyin Okupe, has shared more insight about his sexuality after he went public few days ago.

In an interview with Punch, Bolu said he knew he was gay at the age of 10. He added that he did not choose to be gay, same way people don’t choose to be straight. 

He said: “From the age of 10 or 11, I knew I was different, and if you speak to more people in the LGBTQ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) community they will tell you the same thing, it starts around pre-puberty years. If people take time to have conversations with people of the LGBT community and understand their point of view and perspectives, you will realise that most of us are really not trying to harm anyone and there is no “agenda.” We simply just want to exist and be entitled to the same basic human rights as everyone else.

“I did not choose to be gay. No one chooses their sexual orientation. The same way people do not choose to be straight, you just know.”

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On his father’s Facebook posts in which he (Doyin) expressed strong belief that he will reconsider his sexual orientation as a gay someday, Bolu said: “Sexual orientation is not something that one can reconsider. This is the way I am and it is the way I have always been and will always be. I and many others in the LGBTQ community were born the way we are, many may not understand this but stop and think for a second, why would we intentionally choose this lifestyle when we know that we will be ridiculed and shamed by society? I do hope that one day we can, as Nigerians and Africans, get to the point where we love and accept each other regardless of things such as sexual orientation.

“I will just say that I love and appreciate every one of my family members, my father inclusive, because if not for him, I definitely would not be able to live the life that I currently live. So, I will never utter anything disrespectful (to him) on any platform. With regard to homosexuality being anti-Christ, this is not incorrect, as many have pointed out to me. It is clearly forbidden in the Bible; however, I would like to also mention that there are a lot of things that are also forbidden in the Bible that many Christians partake in. So, it confuses me why people of the Christian religion feel like they can pick and choose what to be morally superior about.”