Igbo, Queer, and Unfiltered

Coming out in mainstream LGBTQIA+ spaces is often talked about as a hopeful, even celebratory moment. But for gay Africans the reality is far more complex. The fear is different. The stakes are different. The community pressure, the family expectations, the financial dependency, the risk of losing everything. None of that gets talked about enough. In this episode, I get into the internal journey t...

I'm discussing Kito this week. The practice of luring, trapping and extorting gay men in Africa using fake dating profiles. It is one of the most urgent crises facing gay men in Africa, and it does not get nearly enough attention. I cover what kito is, who is behind it, why the law makes it almost impossible for victims to speak up and practical steps you can take to protect yourself. If you are a...

As we celebrate Episode 80, I'm saying things out loud that gay African men have never been allowed to say in our families, churches, queer spaces, or even to each other. I'm not going to sugarcoat the damage the church caused; I'm naming it. Eighty episodes of refusing silence. Stay Connected Welcome to myownkindofrunway, a place for unapologetic conversations, fashion, and queer joy. Watch more...

This episode discusses the real numbers on homosexuality in Africa, the research that has been done, what it has found, and the big difference between what African governments say and what the numbers show. Stay Connected Welcome to myownkindofrunway, a place for unapologetic conversations, fashion, and queer joy. Watch more videos: https://youtube.com/channel/UC9jWWJwF_KzrY14FR9DXO4A https://yout...

The same church that calls gay love sinful has covered up abuse, ignored domestic violence and blessed corrupt politicians. This episode is the conversation they do not want you to have. Charles grew up in the church, and he knows the difference between an institution that is morally serious and one that is just morally selective. Follow Charles on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and YouTube at myownki...

African leaders call homosexuality a Western import. Same-sex relationships existed across Africa long before colonization. The criminalization came on the ships. The laws, the church, the rhetoric, all of it has a colonial fingerprint. Follow Charles on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and YouTube at myownkindofrunway. Igbo Queer and Unfiltered is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and everywhere you...

This episode covers what most gay African men bring into dating before the first date even happens. Why secrecy does something very specific and very damaging to a relationship, how to navigate the family question honestly, what it looks like to date across cultures and what that requires from a partner. What a healthy relationship actually looks like for a gay African man who has spent years bein...

What it costs to grow up with conditional love, how to survive and rebuild even when families do not support you, and the particular grief that a queer African child experiences when their family turns to religion instead of them. Follow Charles on Instagram, TikTok, Threads and YouTube at myownkindofrunway and the African Gay Igbo Vlog Channel. Igbo Queer and Unfiltered is available on Spotify, A...

For the most part, Nigerian men are not as straight as they act. This is not about outing anyone. This is about culture, behaviour, performance, and the very specific way that heterosexuality works in the Nigerian society as a costume that many men wear because they can't imagine being anything else. Igbo Queer and Unfiltered is a podcast by Charles, a gay Igbo man from Nigeria, talking about quee...

There is an unspoken rule in the queer community that by a certain age, you should know who you are. Come out young. Date young. Build your identity young. And if you didn't, if you lived your twenties and thirties avoiding shame, fear, religion, or family pressure, then you somehow missed your window. This episode pushes back against that lie. Charles talks about the myth of the gay timeline, why...

For years, I negotiated things that were never meant to be up for debate. My identity. My dignity. My peace. My right to be seen. In this episode, I share the personal principles that guide my life now as a gay Igbo man. These are not rules for anyone else to follow. They are the standards I chose for myself after years of trying to earn acceptance from people who were never willing to give it fre...

This episode examines evangelical Christianity from the perspective of lived experience in a candid and reflective manner. The kind that stays with you, shapes you, and sometimes leaves scars. We are talking specifically about what evangelical Christianity has meant for queer people, and for queer Africans in particular. The silence, the shame, the conditional love dressed up as salvation. This is...

A version of you that appears dependable, submissive, and easy to understand is what many people become attached to. In this episode, we look at what happens when your personal growth goes against what other people expect of you, whether those expectations come from family, religion, culture, or long-term relationships. Stay Connected Welcome to myownkindofrunway, a place for unapologetic conversa...

What would your life look like if you stopped waiting for permission to be yourself? In this episode, I am getting into something deeply personal. The emotional cost of seeking approval from family, religion, culture, and society when your authentic life challenges everything you were raised to be. As a Gay Igbo Man I know exactly what it feels like to silently hope that one day the people you lov...

Stay Connected Welcome to myownkindofrunway, a place for unapologetic conversations, fashion, and queer joy. Watch more videos: https://youtube.com/channel/UC9jWWJwF_KzrY14FR9DXO4A https://youtube.com/@igboqueerandunfilteredpod?si=0GZV68iNaWT5BumS Visit my website: www.myownkindofrunway.com Listen to my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5EjOLr2ilFBqhaXkoTK72a Instagram: https://instagram.com/...

Can you forgive someone and still choose to walk away? In this episode, we are getting into one of the most misunderstood parts of healing. Forgiveness and reconciliation are not the same thing, and nobody talks about that enough. So many of us were taught that forgiving someone means going back. Rebuilding. Pretending it never happened. But what if the thing that hurt you have not changed? What i...

In this episode, we delve into a distressing reality that many queer individuals, particularly those from Africa, are familiar with: the experience of being accepted in private but denied in public. Stay Connected Welcome to myownkindofrunway, a place for unapologetic conversations, fashion, and queer joy. Watch more videos: https://youtube.com/channel/UC9jWWJwF_KzrY14FR9DXO4A https://youtube.com/...

Stay Connected Welcome to myownkindofrunway, a place for unapologetic conversations, fashion, and queer joy. Watch more videos: https://youtube.com/channel/UC9jWWJwF_KzrY14FR9DXO4A https://youtube.com/@igboqueerandunfilteredpod?si=0GZV68iNaWT5BumS Visit my website: www.myownkindofrunway.com Listen to my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5EjOLr2ilFBqhaXkoTK72a Instagram: https://instagram.com/...

It is important to tell the truth in places where it wasn't meant to be told to truly heal. When you are trying to heal, it can be challenging to accept that the place where your pain happened is probably not the best place for you to grow. Stay Connected Welcome to myownkindofrunway, a place for unapologetic conversations, fashion, and queer joy. Watch more videos: https://youtube.com/channel/UC9...

This episode looks at what it means to become the target of other people's fear, insecurity, discomfort, and unresolved beliefs. Stay Connected Welcome to myownkindofrunway, a place for unapologetic conversations, fashion, and queer joy. Watch more videos: https://youtube.com/channel/UC9jWWJwF_KzrY14FR9DXO4A https://youtube.com/@igboqueerandunfilteredpod?si=0GZV68iNaWT5BumS Visit my website: www.m...

This episode breaks down the fear that many of us have not because we chose to, but because we were taught to. Stay Connected Welcome to myownkindofrunway, a place for unapologetic conversations, fashion, and queer joy. Watch more videos: https://youtube.com/channel/UC9jWWJwF_KzrY14FR9DXO4A https://youtube.com/@igboqueerandunfilteredpod?si=0GZV68iNaWT5BumS Visit my website: www.myownkindofrunway.c...

In this episode, we explore the emotional, social, and cultural implications of being the one who speaks openly, particularly in environments that are influenced by religion, tradition, and hierarchy. Stay Connected Welcome to myownkindofrunway, a place for unapologetic conversations, fashion, and queer joy. Watch more videos: https://youtube.com/channel/UC9jWWJwF_KzrY14FR9DXO4A https://youtube.co...

In this episode, I discuss the true meaning of defying expectations, particularly in African, cultural, and religious contexts where conformity is frequently required. Stay Connected Welcome to myownkindofrunway, a place for unapologetic conversations, fashion, and queer joy. Watch more videos: https://youtube.com/channel/UC9jWWJwF_KzrY14FR9DXO4A https://youtube.com/@igboqueerandunfilteredpod?si=0...

This conversation looks at the difference between personal faith and religious institutions. It also looks at how religion has been used in the past to enforce obedience, control, and regulation, using things like fear of hell and shame to police sexuality, gender, and dissent. Stay Connected Welcome to myownkindofrunway, a place for unapologetic conversations, fashion, and queer joy. Watch more v...

This episode discusses a type of grief that isn't usually talked about. For many queer individuals, particularly those from African communities, this grief is both silent and profound. Stay Connected Welcome to myownkindofrunway, a place for unapologetic conversations, fashion, and queer joy. Watch more videos: https://youtube.com/channel/UC9jWWJwF_KzrY14FR9DXO4A https://youtube.com/@igboqueerandu...