The question of gay rights remain anathema in deeply religious Ghana, and there’s no question public opinion is deeply entrenched against even raising the issue.

Those caught for committing the ‘crime’ of being gay face a raft of social punishments including lynching, prosecution or at the very least alienation from society.

Despite all these, there exists a gay community in the country who go about their lives. Ghanaian born photo journalist Eric Gyamfi has documented their lives with a touching photo story for the New York Times.

The piece, “Photos That Celebrate Ghana’s LGBT Community”- “offers rare everyday images of  lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in a country where it remains illegal.”

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Check out the photos below….names of the subjects have been abbreviated to protect their identities.

Photos credit: The New York Times