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Daughter Of Cameroon’s President Faces Calls For Prosecution After Coming Out As Gay On Instagram

The Voice Of America reports: Mixed reactions are swirling in Cameroon since Brenda Biya, the daughter of President Paul Biya, declared she is a lesbian. While LGBTQ activists see her declaration as an opportunity to push for greater rights in a country where same-sex relations are outlawed, anti-gay groups say they want Brenda Biya prosecuted. … The post Daughter Of Cameroon’s President Faces Calls For Prosecution After Coming Out As Gay On Instagram appeared first on Joe.My.God..

Mark

Jul 10, 2024 - 20:00

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Daughter Of Cameroon’s President Faces Calls For Prosecution After Coming Out As Gay On Instagram

The Voice Of America reports:

Mixed reactions are swirling in Cameroon since Brenda Biya, the daughter of President Paul Biya, declared she is a lesbian. While LGBTQ activists see her declaration as an opportunity to push for greater rights in a country where same-sex relations are outlawed, anti-gay groups say they want Brenda Biya prosecuted.
Brenda Biya, the 26-year-old daughter of Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, said she has received what she calls tons of insults as well as congratulatory messages in the past seven days.
The president’s daughter set off a firestorm of reaction in Cameroon last week when she shared pictures on social media of herself kissing her girlfriend and expressing her wish for them to live in harmony as a couple. She said LGBTQ people in Cameroon should be spared violence and brutality.

Reuters reports:

Brenda Biya, who lives between the United States and Switzerland, came out in an Instagram post on June 30.In an interview with the French newspaper Le Parisien published on Tuesday, the 27-year-old said she had not come out to her family before she publicly posted a photo of her 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.

Cameroon, population 30 million, gained independence from France in 1960 after colonial rule by both France and Britain. Cameroon is about one-third Catholic, one-third Protestant, and one-third Muslim.