Meet The People Fighting Homophobia And Transphobia In Africa

Photographs of LGBTI activists in Kenya, South Africa, Cameroon, Zambia and Uganda are currently exhibited on the streets of Spain’s industrial city Bilbao. The exhibition, titled Love Is Not a Crime: Our Fight in Africa, is organized by Amnesty International as part of Zinegoak, the Bilbao International Festival of LGBT film and performing arts.

On display until February 29, the exhibition features 27 photographs. Some of them have been shot by Kenya-based photographer Peter Muller, and others by activists such as Kasha Nabagesera, who claimed the International Nuremberg Human Rights Award in 2013.

The images capture activists fighting homophobia and transphobia "in countries where love is a crime," Aimar Rubio, one of the show's organizers, told HuffPost Spain.

"It's about highlighting the fight of these activists and citizens who are not necessarily associated with an NGO, and who jeopardize their lives and freedom every day," Rubio said.

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"I am a lesbian and the mother of a son. I love art. With my partner's help, I have designed many mats, which have been my source of livelihood." -- Kenya, May 2013.

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"I am very vocal in the media. I have received countless death threats by email, phone and Facebook.” — Denis, a gay activist and an editor at Identity Kenya, a news agency. Kenya, May 2013.

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"People describe me as a young, soft-spoken boy, but I have never hesitated to publicly express my sexual orientation.” — George, former model and leader of the LGBTI organization Out in Kenya, in the center of Nairobi. Kenya, May 2013.

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In 2011, 24-year-old lesbian activist Noxolo Nogwaza was brutally murdered on her way home after spending the night with friends. Her perpetrator(s) raped her, tortured her and beat her to death before throwing her body in a sewer. The reason that spurred the attack was apparently her sexual orientation. Five years later, there has been no progress in her death's investigation, and her murderer(s) remain at large. -- KwaThema, South Africa, April 24, 2011.

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A year after the brutal murder of Noxolo, Bontle Kahlo, an activist and member of EPOC, reads one of the hundreds of support messages demanding justice for Noxolo, as part of a campaign led by Amnesty International. -- KwaThema, South Africa, September 2012.

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In February 2015, Amnesty International sent hundreds of support messages to Noxolo's family. In the picture, Noxolo's grandmother reads one of the letters sent by activists and citizens from across the world. --KwaThema, South Africa, March 2015.

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A young man leans against a wall in his neighborhood, where he has been frequently beaten and humiliated, due to his sexual orientation and gender identity. He was also expelled from his home. -- Center of Yaundé, Cameroon, May 2013.

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An LGTBI activist from Cameroon, who was jailed for eight years for having sex with another man, sits on a bench at sunset. He was subjected to a humiliating medical examination to prove the existence of anal intercourse. The rectal exam was finally declared inconclusive, so he was released a year later. --Cameroon

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Alice Nkom, a tireless activist and defender of human rights for sexual minorities in Cameroon. She works as a lawyer, defending people arrested and convicted because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. She is the founder of the Association for the Defence of Homosexuals (ADEFHO), an NGO.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Jean-Claude Roger Mbédé, 34, hid from the authorities until his death to avoid going back to prison. A prisoner of conscience and an icon in the fight for the human rights of the LGBTI community in Cameroon, he died on January 10, 2014, in his hometown, Ngoumou. Mbédé died alone, shunned by his family.

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In accordance with Section 155 of the Zambian Penal Code, James Mwape (left) and Philip Mubiana (right), both 22, were arrested in April 2013 for having "mutual carnal relations." Amnesty International called for their immediate release. Both men denied the charges, and they were released on July 1, 2014, after spending more than a year in custody. -- Zambia, August 2013

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Since 2001, Bishop Christopher Senyonjo has served as counselor and advocate for the LGBTI community in Uganda. His spiritual support in favor of people harassed by the Church is invaluable in a country where the Evangelical Church promotes homophobia. -- Uganda

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Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera is a Ugandan LGBTI activist, the founder and executive director of Freedom and Roam Uganda organization. She was the winner of the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in 2011, an annual prize given awarded by the 10 leading human rights NGOs, including Amnesty International. Her passion for promoting equality and her tireless work to end the despicable climate of fear inspire LGBTI activists around the world who suffer threats, violence and imprisonment because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. -- Uganda, August 2011

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Kasha and other Ugandan LGBTI activists celebrate the annulment of the Anti-Gay law outside the Ugandan Constitutional Court. According to the law, among those who could be accused of "aggravated homosexuality" are "repeated offenders" and any person living with HIV who maintains homosexual relations, including consensual and protected relations. This law included the criminalization of the "promotion" of homosexuality, mandatory HIV testing in certain circumstances, and life imprisonment for marrying a person of the same sex. -- Ugandan Constitutional Court, Kampala, August 1, 2014

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Keem Love, Franco and Princess Emilia, Ugandan LGBTI activists proudly claiming their right to be who they are. In Uganda, transgender people are routinely discriminated against, harassed, and humiliated. --Uganda

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"I've been harassed and attacked many times in Kampala. Downtown is the scariest place. However, last month, I was walking in the area and for the first time nothing happened to me." —Pepe Julian Onziema, a prominent Ugandan LGBTI activist since 2003. Uganda

This post first appeared on HuffPost Spain. It has been translated into English and edited for clarity.

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