LONDON (
Thomson Reuters Foundation-
Gay Africans fleeing abuse from their home country face a "no-believe culture" that has scarred their experience of seeking asylum in the UK, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in Nigeria (LGBT)
Activists say.
Aderonke Apata, 50, who fled persecution in Nigeria, said there was a problem in assessing African sexual orientation based on Western standards.
"They want gay, bisexual and transgender people to use sex toys and go to gay clubs," Apata, an asylum seeker who created the African LGBT charity Rainbow Family in Africa, told Thomson Reuters
Apata has been trying to seek asylum in the UK for 13 years, but her case was rejected several times after a judge ruled that she pretended to be gay.
She works with several gay rights groups across the UK and helps other gay, bisexual and transgender people who are going through the same process.
African countries have some of the world's most gay laws. same-
In most parts of the continent, sexual relations are a crime that can lead to imprisonment or death.
In Nigeria, former President Goodluck Jonathan signed a bill in 2014.
Despite Western governments calling for gay rights, they still have sex.
The bill contains penalties for up to 14 years in prison and prohibits same-sex marriage
Members of sexual "love relationships" and gay rights groups.
Referring to the rights of LGBT people, Apata believes that Nigeria has not changed since she was bullied as a lesbian girl about 30 years ago.
When she finished her studies, under the pressure of getting married, she chose a husband she soon tried to get rid --
She was sentenced to death by the Islamic law court for adultery and witchcraft.
The short break at trial meant Apata was able to hide before leaving Nigeria for London, where she first applied for asylum in 2004.
She said that her own experience of applying for asylum in the UK was a "painful" experience, which led to her being sent to the wood women's immigration relocation center in Yarr, what she called a "concentration camp"
"There, she went through more abuse while in detention with many other Nigerian women who were" hostile "to LGBT people, she said ".
Yarl's Wood is one of the 11 centres used by the UK to detain asylum seekers who are waiting to be sent home or to check their case.
Human rights groups called for the closure of the center in their latest protests last week, after several investigations revealed that women detained over the years had been abused and abused, many of whom were survivors of sexual violence.
"My personal experience has actually triggered radicalism," Apata said . ".
"I know what it is for a persecuted gay, bisexual and transgender person.
I do not think this injustice should continue.
"She has been working to repeal the same bill --
Prohibition of same-sex marriage law (SSMPA)
In Nigeria, 90% of the population thought it would be better for countries without LGBT people.
Still, Apata hopes attitudes will change.
"I know that the public opinion will eventually change.
But attitude will not change overnight . "