The first Nigerian man to come out on television looked back on his groundbreaking journey in an interview with HuffPost Live this week.
Adebisi Alimi, who came out as a guest on the Nigerian program "New Dawn with Funmi" in 2004, compared his case to African-American civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks' historic refusal to give up her seat on the bus.
"I think, at a point in life, people have got to do what they've got to do," Alimi said. "I think I had my Rosa Parks moment ... when I refused to be invisible and when I wanted to come out."
Alimi, who now resides in England, said he felt compelled to open up about his sexuality on TV because "somebody has got to put a face" on Nigeria's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
"It's not just about me; it's also about so many other people who are looking up to me," the activist recalled. "It happens to be me, it could have been someone else. But I think life has a way putting us in a position where overnight, we just become a pace-setter."
Earlier this year, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill which criminalizes same-sex marriage and relationships. Offenders are subject to prison terms of up to 14 years, according to Reuters.
Check out the full interview below.