Paul Ayodele Onanuga

The assertion of identity and performance of agency lie at the heart of queer advocacies online. These representations challenge existing gender ideology and contest socio-cultural norms which ‘other’ non-heterosexual orientations. In this proposed study, I interrogate pictorial representations of Nigerian queers on Instagram. I argue that these images represent semiotic resources which not only enhance self- and group-validation; they also grant visibility and agency to the Nigerian queer community. My data are 30 purposively selected images from queer_ng, lgbt.ng and lgbtq.nigerian. These handles post queer positive images which constitute non-personalised graphic portrayals of queer realities. I analyse the images alongside their LGBTQ hashtags with recourse to socio-semiotic and multimodal analysis. I contend that the images and hashtags enable personal agency and sexual identity while also referencing a collectively constructed non-normative ‘lifestyle’. To achieve a wholesome analysis and discussion, I integrate the intersection of local context as well as macro-sociological influences in the analysis. I submit that the images formulate a collective identity and function as authenticating artefacts which encode meaning-making affordances for the Nigerian queer community.