Last Updated on September 21, 2024 by Kittredge Cherry
FannyAnn Eddy was a major activist for LGBTQ rights in her native Sierra Leone and the rest of Africa. She was murdered on Sept. 29, 2004. Nobody was ever convicted of the crime.
She founded the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association in 2002 and advocated for LGBTQ rights at the United Nations, telling them, “Silence creates vulnerability.” Her organization documented harassment, beatings and arbitrary arrests of LGBTQ people in her country.
In her testimony at the U.N Commission on Human Rights in April 2004, she affirmed that there are LGBTQ people throughout Africa, but they live in fear.
Eddy’s life story is told in in the illustrated book “Heavenly Homos, Etc.: Queer Icons from LGBTQ Life, Religion, and History” by Jan Haen, a Dutch artist and Roman Catholic priest in the Redemptorist order. He includes scenes that are rarely if ever portrayed by artists, such as Eddy addressing the United Nations (pictured above).
“Silence creates vulnerability”
With tragically prophetic words, she told the U.N, “We live in fear within our communities, where we face constant harassment and violence from neighbors and others. Their homophobic attacks go unpunished by authorities, further encouraging their discriminatory and violent treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.”
Eddy was working alone at night in the Freetown offices of the Sierra Leone Lesbian and Gay Association when one or more attackers broke in and killed her. She was survived by her 10-year-old son and her girlfriend, Esther Chikalipa.
FannyAnn Eddy speaks to the United Nations in an image from “Heavenly Homos, Etc.: Queer Icons from LGBTQ Life, Religion, and History” by Jan Haen.
Eddy’s final words to the United Nations still resound today: “Silence creates vulnerability. You, members of the Commission on Human Rights, can break the silence. You can acknowledge that we exist, throughout Africa and on every continent, and that human rights violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity are committed every day. You can help us combat those violations and achieve our full rights and freedoms, in every society, including my beloved Sierra Leone.”
Related books:
“Kenyan, Christian, Queer: Religion, LGBT Activism, and Arts of Resistance in Africa” by Adriaan van Klinken
“Christianity and Controversies over Homosexuality in Contemporary Africa” by Ezra Chitando and Adriaan van Klinken (Editors)
“Heterosexual Africa?: The History of an Idea from the Age of Exploration to the Age of AIDS” (book) by Marc Epprecht
“Freedom To Love For ALL: Homosexuality is not Un-African” (book) by Yemisi Ilesanmi
“American Culture Warriors in Africa: A Guide to the Exporters of Homophobia and Sexism” by Rev. Dr. Kapya Kaoma
“Boy-Wives and Female Husbands: Studies of African Homosexualities” (book) by Will Roscoe
Q Spirit Links related to FannyAnn Eddy and LGBTQ Africa
Uganda Martyrs raise questions on homosexuality, religion and LGBTQ rights
David Kato: Ugandan LGBTQ rights activist (1964-2011)
Saint Walatta Petros: African nun shared a lifetime bond with a female partner in 17th-century
Trinidad Jerry / Chriton Atuhwera: LGBTQ Ugandan activist killed by homophobic attack
Patrick Leuben Mukajanga (Mleuben Maccarthy): Ugandan pastor and LGBTQ activist
Black Madonna of Czestochowa becomes lesbian defender Erzuli Dantor
___
Top image credit:
FannyAnn Eddy (Wikipedia)
___
This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series by Kittredge Cherry. Traditional and alternative saints, people in the Bible, LGBTQ martyrs, authors, theologians, religious leaders, artists, deities and other figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies are covered.
This article was originally published on Q Spirit in September 2017, was expanded with new material over time, and was most recently updated on Sept. 21, 2024.
Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
Qspirit.net presents the Jesus in Love Blog on LGBTQ spirituality.
Hi Kitt: I just wanted to say thank you for continuing to remember this brave woman. In our personal correspondence I had mentioned working on a montage-homage series for the international LGBT Civil Rights movement. Although I have wanted to keep the focus predominantly pre-Stonewall but thanks to this site (and Fanny) I also have incorporated pieces/oppressive countries where a Stonewall milestone has yet to be documented but souls like Fanny have made the ultimate sacrifice in the fight. One of the Fanny images I was inspired to make is in the link below.
Best to you as always,
Stephen