Popular Nigerian transgender, Idris Okuneye otherwise known as Bobrisky has opened up on his reasons for transitioning into a woman.
Bobrisky narrated his story during a recent interview with singer Charly boy, where he shared the struggles of being accepted into the society and his family’s reaction to his choice.
The popular social media influencer during the interview, stated that, for him, being a cross dresser was just a market strategy to enable him sell his thrift wears at that time of his undergraduate days in the university of Lagos as an accounting student.
The transvestite said he had no intention of transitioning asides crossdressing.
He said, “about nine years ago, I was at the university of Lagos studying accounting and I also had a side hustle which was selling of unisex thrift wears. Most times I try the female wears on myself and I loved the outfits. From there I moved to female hair styles to make up and more women were patronising my business so i decided to keep cross dressing as it was lucrative.”
“I wasn’t thinking I was going to do it for a long time initially, it was just a marketing strategy but people were complimenting me that I look better as a woman than as a man that’s how I ended up being Bobrisky”
When he was asked about how his family reacted to him becoming a lady, the he said he faced resistance from his family but they eventually allowed him to be himself.
He said, “my father was so disappointed in me when some people told him i was cross dressing in the university and when I finally came out telling my whole family that I would be under going series of surgeries to transition into a woman. They all resisted but now everybody is calm and they have allowed me to be myself”
Speaking about his most challenging moment of being a trans in Nigeria, Bobrisky said he had been threatened to be killed and beaten by a lot of people both online and offline.
In his words, “most times I do a post and then people come in the comment sections insulting and cursing me, some even dish out death threats to me but I am not shaken. I see myself as a very strong person who cannot be fazed by ordinary threats and insults, they think it is easy to go under the knife countless times? they should come and face me.”
Meanwhile, Nigerian presidential aide, Bashir Ahmed had reportedly walked out of a premise on seeing Bobrisky in the same premises.
Also in 2019, the Director general of the Nigerian national council for arts and culture called Bobrisky a disgrace to the nation and said he would be dealt with ruthlessly if caught on the streets.
Amidst all of the stigmatization and threats the transgender is considered to be one of the most influencial social media sensations and has ganered a massive follower count on all social media platforms. As of 2016, he was considered the most searched Nigerian on the internet.
