Charles Oputa, a veteran Nigerian singer and activist better known as Charly Boy, says he is grateful to have a lesbian child.
In a lengthy Instagram post on Friday, the ace singer narrated how Dewy, his last daughter, broke the news to him about being a lesbian in 2016.
In the post titled ‘for parents only’, the Afrobeat star revealed that the news had left him unsettled due to fear of what the society would term his family, particularly Dewy, over her choice.
The singer said he managed to maintain his cool during the phone conversation with Dewy to avoid severing the bond between the pair.
“For Parents Only: About 4yrs ago, my last Princess of the house called me from America, from her tone I was bracing up for whatever she was about to tell me especially when she kept saying to me, ‘daddy promise me you won’t get mad at me, or give up on me,” he wrote.
“So many things went through my mind, one of them included self-blame (‘Did I do something wrong?’) (‘The child I thought I knew and loved no longer exists.’), worry (Will my child be discriminated against?) religious confusion (‘Is my child damned to spend eternity in hell?’), and stigma (‘What will people think of my child? Of me?’).”
The 70-year-old activist said that it took him months to get over Dewy’s sexuality but explained that he is now grateful for the experience of having a lesbian child.
According to him, it is “stupid” for people to think that having a gay child is a failure on the part of parents.
The controversial musician went on to reaffirm his love for Dewy, stressing that nothing can come between them.
“As a matter of fact, I now look back and find that I am grateful for the experience of having a gay or lesbian child,” he added.
“Nothing can come between me and any of my beautiful children. It is stupid to even think that having a gay child means that parents have failed. That’s some pedestrian thinking. Me, I love my gay daughter oooo. I love you Dewy”.
In 2018, Dewy, currently based in the US, had revealed the identity of her lesbian lover on social media.
Charly Boy, on the other hand, had sparked rumours that he was bisexual in 2011 after a photo wherein he kissed Denrele Edun, a TV presenter, on the lips, went viral.
