Miss Sahhara

Miss Sahhara (stylized as Miss saHHara)[lower-alpha 1][2] is a British Nigerian beauty queen and human rights advocate.[3][4]

Miss saHHara
Miss saHHara modeling in London
Born27 August
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Singer/songwriter, fashion model, beauty queen, Founder of Transvalid organisation,
President of Miss Trans Global
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Title
Websitemisssahhara.com

With her 2011 participation in Miss International Queen, a beauty pageant in Pattaya for transgender women, Miss Sahhara became the first trans woman from Nigeria to come out in the international press.[5][6] She subsequently founded a global transgender awareness news curation organisation called TransValid.[7][8]

Biography

Miss Sahhara grew up in a small village in northern Nigeria. Her grandmother, who raised her while her mother was away at university, supported her in expressing her gender identity, but her neighbors and other family members were less supportive. As a teenager who wanted to wear makeup, dresses, and high heels, she was bullied at home and in public for her gender expression, suffering physical and sexual assault, harassment, and death threats. Her uncles beat her, and her church told her she was possessed by evil spirits.[7][9][10][11]

After two suicide attempts as a teenager, and being imprisoned for her gender presentation in January of 2004, Miss Sahhara resolved to either leave Nigeria or succeed in completing suicide. Later in 2004, she emigrated to London, where she was able to meet other transgender women, access gender-affirming care, and live openly as a woman.[12][9][13][11][14]

Miss Sahhara graduated with a Master's degree in digital media from London Metropolitan University in 2011.[15]

Pageants & modeling

Miss Sahhara has participated in a number of pageants in the UK and abroad, representing her birth country of Nigeria to draw attention to the plight of the African LGBT community.[16][17] She is also the founder and executive producer of transgender advocacy pageants Queen of Nations and Miss Trans Global.[18]

Title Year Placement Country Source
Super Sireyna Worldwide 2014 Winner Philippines [19][20][21]
Miss International Queen 2011 1st Runner-up Thailand [22][23][24]
Andrew Logan's Alternative Miss World 2009 United Kingdom [25]

Miss Sahhara has appeared on the covers of transgender magazines Mask and TransLiving,[26][27] and modeled for Ziad Ghanem on the London Fashion Week catwalk,[28][29][30][31] as well as performing at Madam Jojo's Kitsch Cabaret in Soho before its 2014 closure.[32][33][34]

Charity & advocacy

Miss Sahhara has been a vocal critic of the 2014 Nigerian Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, which imposes prison terms of up to 14 years on LGBT Nigerians.[35][36]

In 2014, Miss Sahhara founded TransValid, a global awareness organization for the transgender community.[37] Her activities with TransValid have included a 2015 short film, The Deadly Price of Transphobia in Brazil,[38] and a 2016 campaign titled 'I am Trans and I have the Right to Life' .[39][40][41]

Miss Sahhara has discussed transgender rights on Sky Living's "Lady Boys",[42] Eat Bulaga!'s "Super Sireyna Worldwide",[19] BBC's "In Her Shoes: #BBCIdentity",[2] and a Tunay Na Buhay interview with Rhea Santos.[43]

Notes
  1. Miss Sahhara does not use her legal name online for safety reasons; some sources claim that it is "Iris Henson" or "Clifford Oche", but she has denied both.[1]

References
  1. "DISCLAIMER | Miss saHHara putting the record straight". www.misssahhara.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  2. "Trans woman: 'I left Nigeria to save my life'". BBC News. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  3. Mix, Pulse. "Meet Nigerian Model Who Was Once Male". pulse.ng. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  4. Dachen, Isaac (9 July 2014). "Big Dreams: Miss Sahhara To Represent Nigeria At World Transgender Pageant". pulse.ng. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  5. "Scars of prejudice underlie glamour of transgender pageant". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 November 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  6. "#7 – The Story of Nigeria's First Transgender Woman". Africa.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  7. Mohan, Megha (16 March 2017). "Why transgender Africans turned against a famous feminist". BBC News. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  8. "Miss saHHara is a singer/songwriter, fashion model, beauty queen, and a human rights advocate". transvalid.org. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  9. Craggs, Charlie (19 October 2017). To My Trans Sisters. Jessica Kingsley. pp. 43–49. ISBN 9781784506681. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  10. Mordi, Melissa (27 March 2019). "Trans women speak on Western influence and being transgender in Nigeria". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  11. Norris, Sian (30 April 2018). "Young, trans Nigerians: 'people need to see that we exist'". openDemocracy. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  12. Camminga, B; Marnell, John (16 June 2022). Queer and Trans African Mobilities: Migration, Asylum and Diaspora. Bloomsbury. p. 153. ISBN 978-0755639014. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  13. "From attempting suicide in Nigeria to Miss Transsexual final". Kuwait Times. AFP. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  14. "Sahhara's journey". GMA News Online. August 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  15. Miss saHHara (13 December 2011), My Graduation Experience: Miss saHHara, retrieved 5 May 2016
  16. Dachen, Isaac (9 July 2014). "Big Dreams: Miss Sahhara To Represent Nigeria At World Transgender Pageant". pulse.ng. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  17. "Nigerian Representative at Transgender Pageant in the Philippines". kenyabuzz.com. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  18. "First Miss Trans Global is Pinay". Daily Tribune. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  19. "Super Sireyna: More heart than beauty". GMA News Online. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  20. "Eat Bulaga #SSWorldwide: Miss Nigeria Wins Super Sireyna Worldwide". TDSTV. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  21. "Ms. Nigeria, wagi bilang unang Super Sireyna Worldwide ng 'Eat Bulaga!'". GMA News Online. 19 July 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  22. Miss International Queen, Pattaya, Thailand (4 November 2011). "MIQ Official Website". Miss International Queen. Archived from the original on 18 June 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. PATTAYA DAILY NEWS, Thailand. "Stunning Miss "Sammy" Thai Ladyboy Wins Pattaya Miss International Queen 2011". PDN. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  24. Pattaya, Lindsay Murdoch (8 November 2011). "Stars replace scars in pageant fit for queens". The Age. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  25. "2009 | Alternative Miss World". Alternative Miss World. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  26. "Nigerian TransGender Miss Sahhara poses nude for Mask Magazine – The NashVibes". The NashVibes. 20 October 2014. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  27. "Nigerian transgender Ms Sahhara covers new issue of Transliving". #ANOTHERGIST. 20 December 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
  28. "London Fashion Week AW11 Fashion Designer Ziad Ghanem". retoxmagazine.com. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  29. "Ziad Ghanem Autumn/Winter 2011–12 Ready-To-Wear". Vogue UK. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  30. "Ziad Ghanem Autumn/Winter 2010–11 Ready-To-Wear". Vogue UK. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  31. "Ziad Ghanem Spring/Summer 2012 Ready-To-Wear". Vogue UK. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  32. "Madame Jojo's Kitsch Cabaret The Drury Club London | DesignMyNight". designmynight.com. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  33. London, The Kolberg Partnership. "Kitsch Cabaret, Madame Jojo's, 8–10 Brewer Street, London, W1F 0SE. Tel 020 7734 3040. – Theatre Event in London". AllinLondon. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  34. Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (24 November 2014). "Madame Jojo's, legendary Soho nightclub, forced to close". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  35. ""Nigerians are so Stupid" – Nigerian Transgender Iris Sahhara Henson reacts to Same Sex Bill". BellaNaija. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  36. Mix, Pulse (15 January 2014). "Anti-Gay Law: Nigerian Transgender Miss SaHHara Blasts Nigeria". pulse.ng. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  37. "Mission". transvalid.org. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  38. "Ong londrina faz documentário sobre transfobia no Brasil". emneon.com.br. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  39. "CAMPAIGN: 'I AM TRANS AND I HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIFE'". transvalid.org. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  40. "Nigerian transgender, Ms Sahhara releases photos to celebrate Trans Day of Visibility". CityPeople Magazine Nigeria | Nigerian Celerbrities | Entertainment | Stars. 31 March 2016. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  41. "Nigerian Transgender, Ms Sahhara, Shares New Sexy Photos To Celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility – INFORMATION NIGERIA". INFORMATION NIGERIA. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  42. "LADYBOYS". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  43. "Tragic life of Super Sireyna winner Miss Sahhara depicted on Tunay na Buhay". pep.ph. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
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