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Cameroon president's daughter challenges anti-LGBTQ laws with public coming out
In this file photo, Cameroon president Paul Biya waves as he leaves the Elysee Palace in Paris. Biya, is Africa's oldest and second longest-serving leader. Photo | AFP
What you need to know:
- In an interview with French newspaper Le Parisien published on Tuesday, Brenda Biya disclosed that she had not informed her family before sharing a photo of herself kissing her girlfriend.
Brenda Biya, the daughter of Cameroon's president, has publicly come out as a lesbian, aiming to challenge laws that criminalize homosexuality in the country.
Living between the United States and Switzerland, the 27-year-old revealed her sexual orientation in an Instagram post on June 30.
In an interview with French newspaper Le Parisien published on Tuesday, Brenda Biya disclosed that she had not informed her family before sharing a photo of herself kissing her girlfriend.
"There are plenty of people in the same situation as me who suffer because of who they are," she said. "If I can give them hope, help them feel less alone, if I can send love, I'm happy."
Same-sex relations are punishable by up to five years in prison under Cameroon's penal code.
Her father, Paul Biya, 91, who has led Cameroon for four decades, has not publicly commented on the matter.
Brenda Biya said the law punishing gay sex existed before her father came into power in 1982, and she hopes her story will lead to a change in the legislation.
"It may be too soon for it to disappear completely but it could be less strict. We could first eliminate the prison sentence," she said in the interview.
Bandy Kiki, a Cameroonian LGBT rights activist based in Britain, said she was happy for Biya, who she said had affirmed the existence of LGBT people in Cameroon.
"However, it highlights a harsh reality: anti-LGBT laws in Cameroon disproportionately target the poor," she said.
"Wealth and connections create a shield for some, while others face severe consequences."
