“People used to throw stones and bottles, but it’s getting better now,” Leondro said. “They are getting used to us, and also we got used to the abuse. The more people were swearing at us, the more we felt comfortable because we felt used to it.”

In Bissau, palm trees dot streets that are lined with faded pink and orange colonial-era houses. During Carnival, in February, some of those streets shut down so revelers can walk easily together, strutting through the city in colorful attire: wigs, bright plastic glasses and face paint. The costumed participants would fit right in at a Pride parade.

But for the Big Mamas every day is an occasion to express themselves through clothing, and they do so without restraint.

The relative acceptance of L.G.B.T.Q. people in Guinea-Bissau stands in stark contrast to the strict laws and social conventions in other West African countries and across the continent. More than half of the countries in Africa outlaw homosexuality, and it is punishable by death in some areas, according to Amnesty International.