Brenda Biya, the 27-year-old daughter of Cameroon’s long-serving President Paul Biya, has publicly announced that she is a lesbian, drawing significant attention due to the country’s strict anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
The announcement, made via Instagram on 30 June, has sent shockwaves through the Central African nation where same-sex relations are 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+ legislation.
“If I can give them hope, help them feel less alone … I’m happy,” said Brenda Biya about sharing her journey. “There are plenty of people in the same situation as me who suffer because of who they are. 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.
Her revelation has sparked mixed reactions within Cameroon. LGBTQ+ activists have praised Biya’s courage, while conservative groups have called for her prosecution.
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 184th 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 their relationship.
