James Brown | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Chukwueze Obialor Lagos, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 2018-present |
James Chukwueze Obialor, popularly known as James Brown, is a Nigerian internet personality and content creator who is part of the LGBTQ community in Nigeria. [1]
In 2018, Brown was one of 57 young men arrested on charges of homosexuality at a birthday party in a hotel in Egbeda, a suburb of Lagos (homosexuality is illegal in Nigeria; see LGBTQ rights in Nigeria). [2] The police displayed the arrested men in front of news media to humiliate them. [3] While most stayed quiet, [4] Brown spoke up to the media to describe his arrest as unfair, including saying that he was a dancer hired to perform at the party, [2] and that the police had no evidence he had committed a crime. [5] His speech, including his phrase "they didn't caught me", became part of viral videos about the incident. [6] [7] He and others were imprisoned for a month in the Ikoyi Correctional Facility. [8] [9] His bold public reaction to his arrest brought him significant media attention, along with support from Bobrisky, who is a Nigerian transgender woman and social media personality. [10] [11] The cases against him and the other arrested men were dismissed by a court in 2020. [12] [13]
The 2021 documentary The Legend of the Underground, about LGBTQ+ people in Nigeria, featured Brown among others. [5] [14] It follows the story of his legal case and his choice to turn media attention into visibility for himself on social media as a gender non-conforming person. [3] Brown has said he identifies with and stands up for LGBT people. [15] He has been noted and criticized as a visible Nigerian cross dresser. [16] [17] His father has also been criticized. [18]
Brown has a significant audience on social media. [19] His content includes videos of him dancing. [20] [21] He made a viral video with comedian Viral TV in 2019. [22] Brown released a single titled "Hey Dulings" in 2021 after a catchphrase he uses to address his fans on social media. [23] He wrote an autobiography in 2022, The Chronicles of an African Princess. [24] In 2024, he acted in a Nollywood web series titled Hotel Palava. [25]
Brown has described himself as a drag queen and comedian [26] who plays a feminine role as entertainment, rather than a cross dresser. [27] [28] In 2022, the Nigerian House of Representatives introduced a bill to prohibit cross dressing, as an amendment to the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2013. [29] Brown said the bill would not apply to him because of its exception for public entertainment. [26] [30]
Brown said that he started cross-dressing when he was a child. [31] He said he is a man with an "effeminate character". [32] In 2022 he said he had a girlfriend. [27]
In 2018, Brown said he had been infected with HIV at birth, [33] [34] but retracted this claim in 2020. [35]
Brown said he went to the United Kingdom to study business at a university [36] but left due to the cost. [37]
Brown and Bobrisky have had public disagreements reported on by the media. [38] [39]