By Colin Stewart and Erin Royal Brokovitch Sexual minorities from French-speaking Africa at a networking workshop in Cameroon denounced several lesbian associations’ call for a boycott of the Feb. 21-24 workshop, which was aimed at bolstering the activism of lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. The four organizations of lesbian, bisexual and queer women that boycotted … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Humanity First Cameroon
Why lesbian groups boycotted African LBT workshop
By Colin Stewart and Erin Royal Brokovitch Four organizations of lesbian, bisexual and queer women last week boycotted a workshop in Cameroon organized by two LGBT associations — one based in France and the other in Cameroon. Their objections, which were rejected by workshop participants, were “the imperialist, paternalistic and patriarchal nature of this project” … Continue reading
Cameroon: Thugs attack 2 friends; widespread trauma
A gang of homophobic thugs assaulted and robbed two young men in Cameroon, claiming that they were homosexuals who needed to be scared straight. It’s an all-too-familiar story in Cameroon, where such attacks lead to depression and passivity in the LGBTI community: Continue reading
12 arrested in Cameroon for possessing condoms
By Erin Royal Brokovitch Police in Cameroon arrested 12 people on homosexuality charges on the night of Nov. 29 in Yaoundé for having condoms and lubricating gel in their possession at a video club. The arrests complicate Cameroon’s fight against AIDS among MSM (men who have sex with men) because, although use of materials such … Continue reading
Cameroon: Homophobic attacks disguised as burglary
By Jean Marc Yao Two burglaries and a threatening note that the burglars left behind, stating, “Dirty little fag, be wise … .” Those happened in the space of one month to Jules Eloundou, an LGBT activist in Cameroon. The events were made public in a press release from Humanity First Cameroon, the Yaoundé-based advocacy … Continue reading
Support for imperiled LGBTI activists in Cameroon
The Cameroonian LGBTI rights group Camfaids today vowed its support for the threatened LGBTI activists of Humanity First Cameroon and urged action to put an end of all violence against human rights defenders. This is the statement from Camfaids (the Cameroonian Foundation for Aids), translated from French: Representatives from LGBTI rights organizations in Yaoundé, Cameroon, … Continue reading
LGBTI activists challenge Cameroon police harassment
By Erin Royal Brokovitch Since April 4, the Cameroonian anti-Aids pro-LGBTI rights organization Humanity First has been under pressure from Emombo district police after advocating for the release of a young man who was arrested in Yaoundé on homosexuality-related charges. Now, activists from LGBTI groups throughout the city and from the commercial capital of Douala … Continue reading
LGBTI rights leader faces Cameroon police shakedown
The president of the LGBTI rights group Humanity First Cameroon returned from a trip yesterday to find a police sergeant waiting for him with death threats and a demand for money in exchange for his freedom. Returning shortly after midnight at the end of a trip to Europe, Jules Eloundou was accused of homosexuality. The … Continue reading
Cameroon: Accuser relents, but police won’t free alleged gay man
By Erin Royal Brokovitch The author of this article is an activist for LGBT rights in Cameroon who writes under a pseudonym. A 22-year-old Cameroonian man, identified here as A.H., was held in police custody from Nov. 17 to Nov. 20 after a Facebook correspondent entrapped him and denounced him to police as a homosexual. … Continue reading
Cameroon appeal: Concrete steps to fight anti-gay violence
Cameroon should combat recent outbreaks of anti-gay violence, starting by taking a public stand on the issue during next month’s United Nations review of the country’s human rights record, according to 12 local and international human rights groups who made that request in an open letter to President Paul Biya on Sept. 11. “The Cameroonian … Continue reading