Chad Griffin, president of the Human
Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT advocate, has called
Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan a “dangerous anti-LGBT
leader.”
Griffin made his remarks during an
interview with HuffPost Live from the World Economic Forum (WEF) in
Davos, Switzerland.
“President Jonathan of Nigeria is one
of the most dangerous anti-LGBT world leaders that we have on the
stage today,” Griffin said. “He also happens to be here at
Davos. We have encouraged all who come into contact with him, and
journalists who are interviewing him, to challenge him on this
dangerous law that he just signed.”
The law that Jonathan recently signed
prohibits the state from recognizing the relationships of gay
couples, mandates a 14-year prison sentence for anyone who enter a
same-sex marriage or civil union, prohibits the public promotion of
gay rights and outlaws gay clubs and organizations.
In response to actress Goldie Hawn
tweeting a photo of herself meeting Jonathan at Davos, Griffin said
she was unaware of the law and praised her as “a true leader on
LGBT rights.” (The video is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)
(Related: Goldie
Hawn denounces Nigeria's anti-gay law after tweeting photo with
president.)