Brenda Biya, the openly lesbian daughter of Cameroon’s long-standing president, Paul Biya, is urging the people of Cameroon not to re-elect her father — citing his regime’s harsh treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals and its broader failures to serve the nation.
In a viral TikTok video, Brenda—also known by her rap alias King Nasty—denounced the 92-year-old leader, who has held power since 1982 and is currently the world’s oldest elected head of state.
“Do not vote for Paul Biya,” she pleaded in French, according to a widely shared translation. “Not because of me, but because he has made too many people suffer. I hope we will have another president.”
“He Makes His Family Suffer Too”
Brenda’s message was deeply personal. While criticising her father’s political record, she also revealed the toll his leadership and views have taken on her personally.
“Unfortunately, he also makes his family member suffer,” she said, suggesting that her own experience as a queer person has been marked by hostility even within her family.
She shared that one of her uncles once told her he hoped she would die of a drug overdose. Brenda added that she has completely cut ties with her parents and issued an apology to the Cameroonian people if she had ever “done harm or been a bad person.”
“I will not vote for Paul Biya,” she repeated.
A Dangerous Country for LGBTQ+ People
Cameroon remains one of the most hostile environments in the world for LGBTQ+ individuals. Same-sex relationships are criminalised and punishable by up to five years in prison. There are no anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people, and legal gender recognition is not permitted.
In March 2025, LGBTQ Nation contributor Daniel Anthony reported a “severe crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights” in Cameroon. Authorities, he wrote, had intensified arrests, harassment, and violence against suspected queer people, forcing many to flee their homes, schools, and workplaces out of fear.
Brenda came out publicly on Instagram in 2024, a move that dramatically altered her public stance toward her father. In contrast, just a year earlier in 2023, she posted a photo of him on social media with the caption: “My Everything, my king, my daddy!”
Viral But Vanished
Brenda’s video calling out her father is no longer available on her TikTok account. It’s unclear whether she removed it herself or if the platform took it down, but clips and screenshots continue to circulate widely across social media.
Her rare and courageous public rejection of her father’s leadership is sparking global conversations—especially in light of Cameroon’s political climate and the dangers LGBTQ+ people face for simply existing.
