Daughter of Cameroon’s president comes out and hopes to change country’s anti-LGBTQ laws
"There are plenty of people in the same situation as me who suffer because of who they are," Brenda Biya told French newspaper Le Parisien
By Dale Fox
Brenda Biya, the 27-year-old daughter of Cameroon’s long-serving President Paul Biya, has come out publicly as lesbian.
The announcement, made via Instagram on 30 June, has sent shockwaves through the Central African nation where same-sex relations remain illegal.
Biya shared a photo of herself kissing her girlfriend, Brazilian model Layyons Valença, captioning it: “I’m crazy about you & I want the world to know.”
Speaking to French newspaper Le Parisien, Biya expressed hope that her public declaration could catalyse change in Cameroon’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
“If I can give them hope, help them feel less alone … I’m happy ” – Brenda Biya on sharing her journey
“There are plenty of people in the same situation as me who suffer because of who they are,” she told the paper. “If I can give them hope, help them feel less alone, if I can send love, I’m happy.”
Cameroon’s penal code currently punishes same-sex relations with up to five years in prison.
“It may be too soon for it to disappear completely, but it could be less strict. We could first eliminate the prison sentence,” Biya suggested.
The revelation has sparked mixed reactions within Cameroon. LGBTQ+ activists have praised Biya’s courage, while conservative groups have called for her prosecution.
“Anti-LGBT laws in Cameroon disproportionately target the poor” – LGBTQ+ rights activist Bandy Kiki
Bandy Kiki, a Cameroonian LGBTQ+ rights activist based in the UK, pointed out that while Biya’s status may protect her, others face severe consequences.
“Anti-LGBT laws in Cameroon disproportionately target the poor,” Kiki stated in a Facebook post (via BBC News). “Wealth and connections create a shield for some, while others face severe consequences.”
President Paul Biya, 91, has yet to comment publicly on his daughter’s revelation.
Brenda Biya told Le Parisien that she hadn’t informed her family before making the post, and while her parents initially called asking her to delete it, “Since then, it’s been silence.”
Cameroon ranks in 184th place in the LGBT Equality Index with a score of just 9, compared to the top-ranking nation of Iceland’s score of 93 and the UK’s 71.
Last year, a donation from the Attitude Magazine Foundation (AMF) to the organisation Erasing 76 Crimes helped release a lesbian couple who were jailed in Cameroon after being reported to police by neighbours, who had discovered the pair’s relationship.