The sleepy coastal village of Hanuabada sits on the north western outskirts of Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby, and is probably best known for producing half of PNG's national cricket team.

What it is less known for is being a safe haven for Port Moresby's gay and transgender community.

Homosexuality is illegal in Papua New Guinea, punishable by up to 14 years in prison, but actual prosecutions are not common, and the laws are rarely enforced.

Instead, it is the hate crimes, violence and discrimination incited by the law that puts gay and transgender Papua New Guineans at risk.

Gay men walking the streets of Port Moresby are often targeted by local men, particularly those who hail from PNG's highland provinces, and have been raped, beaten and even murdered.

But in Hanuabada, things are different.

Documentary filmmaker and photographer Vlad Sokhin noticed this when he stumbled on the village during his travels.

"[It's] probably the only place in Port Moresby where they feel safe and many of them, they were born in different places so they moved to Hanuabada village because they are accepted by the local community there," Vlad said.

As he and his co-producer Roman Kalyakin got to know the gay and transgender people of Hanuabada, he learned that it was a safe space where people live openly, without fear of retaliation from locals.

"You can see many of them walking in the streets in Hanuabada and they, transgender people, they don't hide, they can wear women's clothes there," he said.

"Kids still chase them and call them names but at least they don't experience physical violence in the village which is quite common in Port Moresby.

"I heard about many cases where gay and transgender people were raped or were beaten and sometimes it was even by the police, so they feel safe in Hanuabada."

About 30 gay men, or 'Gelegele' in the local tongue, permanently live in the village, while others drift in and out.

In Papua New Guinea, the Gelegele tend to take traditionally female roles in society. They do the cooking, wash clothes and participate on the women's side in cultural rituals and traditional festivals.

One of the Gelegele featured in Vlad's documentary film Guavas and Bananas: Living Gay in PNG, is Haraga, known to locals as 'Speedy'.

Speedy has lived in Hanubada village for 22 years, moving there at the age of 15.

He says over that time, the village has changed from a place that would broach him with hostility to one where he commands respect.

"It's OK in the village now, not like before. Before when [men in the village would] see us they used to hurt us or beat us, but nowadays, change is happened," he said.

"Boys can understand the situation here so that's OK now, and also they're likely to come and hear what's happening in the village.

"When they see us they say 'ah, Gelegele' that's it. When they grow a bit bigger, 13 or 14, when they are used to us, they respect us, so that's how the village is nowadays."

'Straight' men seek gay sex

Hanuabada is a known homosexual hub amongst locals, with many 'straight' or bisexual men and boys travelling to the village seeking sex with the men there.

Vlad says some teenage boys come to gay men seeking their first sexual experience because they are too shy to approach girls.

Openly gay PNG musician Moses Tau said in the documentary, that in PNG, most gay men go with straight or bisexual men.

"I don't know the ideas of how or why they want to do it, could be maybe they say 'just try'," Tau said.

Speedy talks of his straight lover, who visits him in Hanuabada regularly.

"He has a girlfriend, but he doesn't enjoy [sex with her]," Speedy said.

"He has sex with me and he enjoys it to the fullest, so as for me, when I'm with a straight guy and a straight guy is with me we both love each other.

"Nowadays most of the people understand the situation."

Though locals call these men straight, Speedy says he has no doubt that there is a huge number of closeted gays in the capital.

Violence and stigma in the capital





Some of Port Moresby's nightclubs hold gay nights, attended by both Gelegele, often dressed in women's clothing, and straight or bisexual men from the capital.

Speedy says leaving the safety of the village to attend these nights is always a risk.

"When we are out of the village, going out clubbing, after the parties, when we're stranded of transport it's a risk," he said.

Story continues