- Title: CAMEROON: Cameroon gay community front fight against homophobia.
- Date: 13th December 2011
- Summary: DOUALA, CAMEROON (RECENT) (REUTERS-ACCESS ALL) VARIOUS OF ERIC FEUZEU WALKING IN CROWDED MARKET FEUZEU SHOWING SYNTHETIC HAIR PIECES THAT HE SELLS IN THE SHOP AND BRAIDING WOMAN'S HAIR (SOUNDBITE) (French) ERIC FEUZEU, HAIR DRESSER SAYING: "Those who are close to me love me as I am,, girls and boys alike. Even my customers, when I am doing a woman's hair, she knows tha
- Embargoed: 28th December 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Cameroon, Cameroon
- Country: Cameroon
- Topics: Legal System,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAEA7XBCDXSXZWW8JVZ0JLGD0Z
- Story Text: Activists call for better rights for homosexuals in Cameroon, after three Cameroonian men were sentenced in July to five years in jail for 'engaging in gay sex'.
Hairdresser Eric Feuzeu defiantly and proudly walks through a crowded market of Cameroon's capital of Yaounde, bravely ignoring the catcalls and taunts that follows him wherever he goes.
Feuzeu, dressed in a skirt and blouse is openly gay, a taboo in Cameroon, where being homosexual is a crime, punishable by five years in prison.
But Feuzeu, who is often ridiculed and subjected to verbal abuse has decided to come out in the open to reveal his sexuality, despite the discrimination he faces regularly.
"Those who are close to me love me as I am,, girls and boys alike. Even my customers, when I doing a woman's hair, she knows that I made it this way. I don't like people who talk about me, I like people to discover the real me," he said.
Like many countries on the African continent, Cameroon is a conservative society where homosexuality is frowned upon, but the sentencing of three men accused of "homosexual acts" to five years in jail last July, and a campaign by tabloid news papers to "out" personalities they say are gay has sparked a national debate in the country.
Ngasa, also known as the Chinese woman, is a gay man, who has at times has been accused of practicing "deviant bahaviour", is amongst a few gay people who have decided to defy the status quo.
"In my neighbourhood, at first people are a bit distant, but they always end up by accepting me. I don't ask them, but I always end up making them like me, and they also end up accepting me as I am. Sometimes I even find my friends defending me in my own neighbourhood," Ngasa said.
Alice Nkom is a Cameroonian barrister, and has been an outspoken activist for gay rights and the sole lawyer to undertake cases of gay men who are persecuted.
Speaking on the case of the recent sentencing of three young gay men, Nkom accuses the judge of peppering the cases with homophobic and sexist innuendoes.
"Because they have feminine mannerisms, so the judge dared to say that when they talk, they use a feminine vocabulary, according to him. For the judge, only women can use certain expressions. Because they drink a drink which according to the judge is a drink only for women - Baileys. So the judge quickly realised that it would be ridiculous to say that they were homosexual based on this, so he disqualified these facts and said that they had gay tendancies. Why? Because according to the judge, as long as they have those mannerisms, it's only a matter of time before they commit a homosexual act," she said.
Gay rights activists say the government is preparing to toughen its laws on homosexuality and condemn judges of violating the law.
Marc Lambert Laba is an activist working for the Association for the Defense of Homosexuals (ADEFO), created by Nkom.
In 2006, he was jailed for a year, after he was accused of looking homosexual.
"Most of the arrests that are made against homosexuals in Cameroon, in reality have nothing to do with homosexuality, or what is stipulated in the penal code. There are many violations, and in many cases, it's people who spread malicious rumours, as it was in our case," said Laba.
In her bid to try and raise awareness against homophobia, Nkom has created the pro-gay advocacy organisation ADEFO and is determined to fight to ensure that people's civil rights are respected.
"A judge has to make sure that he applies the law before he removes your rights, and he has to make sure that conforms to the law and does not violate other laws or international treaties or conventions. Even in article 45 in the constitution of Cameroon we have decided that the treaties and conventions that were legally ratified and signed by Cameroon are beyond our constitution," she said.
In recent years in Africa, the trend has been to toughen penalties against homosexuals, with 38 African countries currently have laws banning homosexuality.
In 2009, Burundi introduced laws to punish sexual relations between members of the same and in Malawi a gay couple was sentenced to 14 years in prison after they held a traditional wedding, but were later pardoned by president Bingu Wa Mutharika, after strong international condemnation. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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