BY LUSY LIMA
In a trendsetting and fearless step, Brenda Biya, daughter of Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, publicly came out as gay, challenging the country’s deeply rooted anti-LGBT laws. Brenda’s statement has resonated across the nation, where same-sex relationships are not only taboo but criminalized, with severe penalties under Cameroonian law. Her proclamation has initiated debate across social media and among international human rights groups, yet life for LGBT individuals in Cameroon remains unsafe.
Cameroon’s penal code, which classifies same-sex conduct as a criminal offense, condemns LGBT individuals to a life of fear, secrecy, and marginalization. Same-sex conduct is punishable by up to five years of imprisonment and fines of up to 200,000 CFA francs (US$330). This law, combined with strong societal disapproval, has led to extensive harassment, physical and verbal abuse, and even torture for those perceived as LGBT. Reports of arbitrary arrests continue to rise, and Brenda’s public stance, though empowering, is yet to provoke substantial change.
Those suspected of homosexuality risk imprisonment, arbitrary arrests, physical and verbal abuse, and even torture. Human rights groups have recorded a rise in the targeting of LGBT individuals.
For LGBT Cameroonians like Mambe Njikofore Mande, a 27 year old lesbian living in Limbe, the law has denuded the right to live openly and freely. Her story reflects the lifelong trauma inflicted on individuals forced to hide who they are.
Mande’s story is one of heartbreak and resilience. She described how at 14, confiding in her best friend about her feelings led to betrayal and alienation. “She looked at me like I had gone crazy, like I was an animal, a danger, and she started avoiding me. This broke me because I couldn’t talk to anyone about it,” she said. As Mambe pursued her studies at the University of Buea, she found love but faced intense scrutiny and fear for her safety, keeping her relationship with her girlfriend Raïssa hidden. This secrecy, heightened by her family’s pressure to marry, eventually led to deep depression. “Being a lesbian makes me a criminal for as long as I live in Cameroon, and that scares me more than anything. I want to be free,” Mande shared.
Brenda Biya’s coming out could be seen as an act of solidarity with people like Mande who have had to live in fear and isolation. Despite her status, however, her choice is not without risks. Brenda, too, has faced public condemnation, in a country where any divergence from heteronormativity is widely stigmatized “I received a lot of negative comments… insults, a lot of criticism, but I also received a lot of support from LGBTQ communities, and from organisations or people who didn’t feel represented in Cameroon,” she said in a later TikTok video.
She has also found herself threatened with legal action for “inciting homosexuality”.
For many, Brenda’s decision represents a brave step toward change. “We’ve waited so long for someone in power to recognize us as human beings,” says Justine Makou, a gay rights activist in Douala. “For Brenda Biya to come out so publicly is monumental—it challenges every hateful law, every oppressive tradition.”
Yet, some wonder whether her father’s government will respond with empathy or repression. President Paul Biya, who has led the country for more than four decades, has presided over a legal system that consistently punishes LGBT individuals. Human rights advocates note that without active support from the government, Brenda’s statement may only be symbolic.
For Cameroon’s LGBT community, the existing laws create a prevalent climate of fear and self-censorship. Even those suspected of being gay are subjected to arbitrary arrests and violence, with cases of public humiliation and intimidation becoming all too common. Mande recalls the trauma following the public arrest of Shakiro, a transgender YouTuber, in 2021. “I was totally traumatized and couldn’t even go to a restaurant for months,” she explains. “Even the law cannot protect us.”
For Mambe and countless others, Brenda Biya’s public stance is a bold statement of solidarity but falls short of creating substantial change. The government has made no indication that it will amend the penal code, and the overwhelming stigma against LGBT individuals remains unchanged. “Being a lesbian makes me a criminal for as long as I live in Cameroon,” Mambe admitted. “That scares me more than anything. I want to be free.”
Brenda Biya’s coming out has brought about an unparalleled wave of conversation across the country. Yet, without legislative reform and a drift in societal attitudes, the LGBT community remains trapped in fear and discrimination. Brenda’s voice, though powerful, is just one among many who seek the freedom to live freely in a country that criminalizes who they are. For now, Cameroon’s LGBT citizens continue to live in isolation, hoping that one day, their lives will be met with compassion instead of damnation..