#Lesbians in Cameroon

[allwomenjointhe4bmovement]

[76crimes]

Here's how to help Sally and Martha, a lesbian couple imprisoned in Cameroon for whom they love. Please donate and share.

[makingqueerhistory]

"“Let my story change the law” COMING OUT | The daughter of Cameroon’s president, Brenda Biya, has sparked a storm by posting a photo of herself kissing her girlfriend. In her country, homosexuality is punishable by prison. Brenda Biya fiddles with her fingers. The idea of ​​speaking out makes her “anxious.” On Sunday, June 30, the 27-year-old posted on her Instagram account (@kingnastyy) a photo of herself kissing her girlfriend, Layyons, a 25-year-old Brazilian model. The caption in English confirms the coming out: “PS: I’m crazy about you and I want the world to know.” And Brenda is the daughter of Cameroonian President Paul Biya, 91, the oldest elected leader in office in the world. In the country he has ruled since 1982, as in twenty-six other African nations, homosexuality is illegal, punishable by five years in prison. About twenty people are currently incarcerated in Cameroon for having had relations with a person of the same sex."

[theanticool]

Cindy Ngamba guarantees the Refugee Olympic team their first ever medal by reaching semifinals of women’s 75 kg tournament in boxing! With her win today, she is guaranteed a bronze medal. She’ll fight for a shot at gold this Thursday (Aug 8)!

Originally from Cameroon, Ngamba was forced to flee in her early teens. She and her family sought asylum in the U.K. They’ve been unable to get citizenship there. At 18, Ngamba came out as lesbian which is illegal in Cameroon. Learn more from this profile on here.

[queerafricans]

The daughter of Cameroon's president has said she hopes that her coming out as a lesbian can help change the law banning same-sex relations in her country.

President's daughter hopes coming out will change anti-gay laws

[the-cimmerians]

Queer and trans folk around the world often take an interest in the athletes from our community, and Outsports even collects a database of all the the out LGBTQ competitors. While JK Rowling and 99 percent of conservative media were harassing two cis women boxers, 195 QT athletes represented 26 nations and none, but we’ll get to that. That makes this the queerest Olympics ever, beating out the total of 186 out athletes in Tokyo and, if Queer Nation granted citizenships, would be the 14th largest national contingent at the games. That hypothetical Queer Nation would also have placed sixth in the medal count, tying the Netherlands with 15 golds but falling neatly between the Dutch and host country France on the strength of silvers and bronzes.

One happy bit of news is that in both golds and overall medal count, Queer Nation beat out every single country in the world that criminalizes same-sex boinking. The only bad news seems to be that people competing in the men’s events seem a little underqueered compared to the women. Can’t we at least get a few interested in the Greco-Roman wrestling? Yr Wonkette is just asking.

...

Sure, justice in silver and gold for badass bisexual Black woman Sha’Carri Richardson, excluded from Tokyo on the basis of smoking legal weed in Eugene, Oregon, was as sweet as sativa; it was fun to see Diana Taurasi go out on the queer top with her sixth Olympic gold in a row (team USA’s eighth consecutive women’s basketball gold); and seeing the shoulders on those women rugby players was a dream come true. But we want to speak about someone who didn’t represent any country at all: Cindy Ngamba.

Ngamba is a middleweight (75kg) boxer originally from Cameroon. At 11 years old some family members fled to the United Kingdom as refugees, and brought Ngamba along. The family maintains it had the proper approval for Cindy, but that when her uncle returned to Cameroon it was lost. The UK Home Office has been threatening to deport her since the age of 16, when she was accepted to university and realized she couldn’t produce her visa for her college paperwork.

Despite the threats, Ngamba fought and won many times in the UK’s amateur boxing competitions, having started as a hobbyist in the local Bolton Lads and Girls Club program. She also went on to get an undergraduate degree with honors, all while threats of deportation hung over her head. After winning a UK national championship, she met then-PM Theresa May celebrating her win and the efforts of the Lads & Girls Club where she trained. One might think that the UK might eventually forgive an 11-year-old girl for not keeping track of her paperwork herself, but the Home Office has remained resolute denying Ngamba regularized status.

What makes all this both horrifyingly inhumane and also relevant to this article is that Ngamba is an out lesbian. She has been consistently denied a path to citizenship or even legal residency, only escaping deportation because of her ability to document horror after horror inflicted on queer residents of Cameroon. International law prohibits sending a refugee back to their nation of citizenship or previous residence if they would face persecution and risk of great harm, a crime called “refoulement.”

“If I was sent back, I can be in danger,” Ngamba said. “So, I was given the refugee status to be safe and protected."

Unable to represent the UK and unable to compete in qualifying competitions in Cameroon, Ngamba got an opportunity that no other stateless athlete had ever shared before 2016: she was named to the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. So far that team has only been allowed to compete in the summer games, and only in Rio, Tokyo, and this year in Paris. (They will be allowed to compete in the Winter Games for the first time in 2026.) Given the incredible barriers most refugees face, it is perhaps not surprising that no Refugee Team member has ever won a medal. But while Ngamba has faced incredible legal problems and a ruthlessly anti-immigrant government her entire time in the UK, she at least had better training facilities in her local Lads & Girls than most refugees can dream.

And the dreams paid off. Team Refugee got its first medal ever when Ngamba took home middleweight bronze. "I just want to tell every refugee out there, whether they are an athlete or not, to never give up,” she said after being asked to carry the Olympic flag at the opening of the games. When she won, the whole refugee team took to the internet to celebrate:

“The Refugee Olympic Team is incredibly proud of Cindy Ngamba, the first EOR athlete and the first-ever refugee medallist at the Olympics,” the team posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Today, we are speechless. Cindy did it. Refugees did it!”

Yes, yes you did.

[beardedmrbean]

Burkina Faso's military junta has announced a ban on homosexual acts, making it the latest African state to crack down on same-sex relations despite strong opposition from Western powers.

Homosexuality was frowned upon in the socially conservative West African state, but it was never outlawed.

Justice Minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala said the junta's cabinet had now approved legislation to make it a punishable offence, but he did not give further details.

The military seized power in Burkina Faso in 2022, and has pivoted towards Russia after drastically reducing ties with former colonial power, France.

Homosexual acts were decriminalised in Russia in 1993, but President Vladimir Putin's government has been cracking down on the LGBTQ community, including banning what it calls "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations".

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The Nigerian queer parties that offer liberation

Burkina Faso's decision to outlaw homosexual relations is part of an overhaul of its marriage laws.

The new legislation, which still needs to be passed by the military-controlled parliament and signed off by junta leader Ibrahim Traoré, only recognises religious and customary marriages.

"Henceforth homosexuality and associated practices will be punished by the law," the justice minister was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.

Capt Traoré took power in September 2022 after overthrowing another military ruler, Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba, accusing him of failing to quell an Islamist insurgency that has gripped Burkina Faso since 2015.

Burkina Faso was among 22 out of 54 African states where same-sex relations were not criminalised.

Unlike in many former British colonies, it did not inherit anti-homosexuality laws after independence from France in 1960.

Muslims make up around 64% of Burkina Faso's population and Christians 26%. The remaining 10% of people follow traditional religions or have no faith.

Many African states have been taking a tougher stand against the LGBTQ community in recent years.

Uganda is among those that have adopted legislation recently to further crack down on the community, despite strong condemnation from local rights groups and Western powers.

In May, its Constitutional Court upheld a tough new anti-gay law that allows for the death penalty to be imposed for “aggravated homosexuality”, which includes having gay sex with someone below the age of 18 or where someone is infected with a life-long illness such as HIV.

Activists said they would appeal against the ruling.

The World Bank has halted new loans to President Yoweri Museveni's government while the US has stopped giving Ugandan goods preferential access to its markets, following the adoption of the legislation last year.

Mr Museveni defended the legislation as preserving traditional family values, and said Uganda would not allow the West to dictate to it.

The daughter of Cameroon's president drew mixed reaction after she came out as a lesbian last week.

Brenda Biya, who lives abroad, said she hoped that her coming out would help change the law banning same-sex relations in the country.

Cameroon has been ruled with an iron-hand by her 91-year-old father, Paul Biya, since 1982.

In Ghana, parliament passed a tough new bill in February that imposes a prison sentence of up to three years for anyone convicted of identifying as LGBTQ+.

However, President Nana Akufo-Addo has not signed it into law, saying he will wait for the courts to rule on its constitutionality.

The finance ministry has warned him that if the bill became law, Ghana could lose $3.8bn (£3bn) in World Bank funding over the next five to six years.

Ghana is suffering a major economic crisis and received a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last year.

[mariacallous]

The Russian State Duma has introduced a bill to ban the adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender transitions are legal.

What countries would be affected?

The ban would affect not just E.U. member states but also countries like Bolivia, Bhutan, Kyrgyzstan, and Pakistan, among others. However, according to an explanatory note attached to the bill, the restrictions are primarily aimed at NATO countries.

What countries would be left?

Judging by a report from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), as of 2020, there were 39 countries whose laws would likely exempt them from Russia’s proposed ban. Most of these countries are in Africa, South America, and Asia.

Algeria

Benin

Burundi

Cameroon

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Egypt

Gambia

Liberia

Morocco

Nigeria

Rwanda

Tanzania

Tunisia

Uganda

Jordan

Myanmar

Brunei

Oman

Philippines

United Arab Emirates

San Marino

Bahamas

Belize

Dominica

El Salvador

Grenada

Haiti

Honduras

Nicaragua

Kiribati

Marshall Islands

Tonga

Vanuatu

Kuwait

Malawi

Indonesia

Malaysia

Lebanon

South Sudan

Do citizens of these countries currently adopt many Russian children?

None, at least according to official statistics. In 2023, foreign citizens are recorded as having adopted just six children from Russia; in five cases, the parents were Italian citizens, and in one case, they were French citizens. Both Italy and France allow gender transitions.

In its summary of last year’s adoptions by foreigners, the Russian Supreme Court mentions 16 cases; however, in the 10 cases not included in official statistics, the adopting parties were the children’s stepfathers. Their citizenship was not included in the summary due to privacy laws, but the proposed amendments would not affect them regardless of citizenship, because the process of adoption by stepparents is regulated by different legislation.

Only six in total? Were adoptions by foreigners more common before the war?

Yes, though the adoption rate of Russian children by foreign parents began to fall as early as 2012, when Russia banned the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens. In 2012, foreign citizens adopted 2,604 Russian children; in 2019, they only adopted 240.

[qnewsau]

Lesbian boxer Cindy Ngamba to become first Refugee Olympic Team athlete to win medal

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/lesbian-boxer-cindy-ngamba-to-become-first-refugee-olympic-team-athlete-to-win-medal/

Lesbian boxer Cindy Ngamba to become first Refugee Olympic Team athlete to win medal

Boxer Cindy Ngamba has made history by becoming the first athlete competing as a refugee to win an Olympic medal. The 25-year-old is originally from Cameroon and received refugee status in the UK because she could face imprisonment for being gay in Cameroon.

Ngamba’s victory at the Paris Games comes winning Sunday’s battle with French boxer Davina Michel in the women’s 75-kilogram quarterfinals.

Ngamba has scored at least a bronze medal as she advances to the semifinals where she will face Atheyna Bylon.

“It means the world to me to be the first ever refugee to win a medal,” Ngamba told reporters.

“I want to say to all the refugees around the world … keep on working hard, keep on believing in yourself.”

She was a flag bearer for the 37 athletes making up the biggest Refugee Olympic Team since the idea was born ahead of the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. The International Olympic Committee created the team as a way for displaced athletes and migrants to participate fully in the Olympics without help from national federations.

“Being a refugee to me means a life-changing opportunity,” she told the Olympics website.

“A lot of refugees out there all around the world have so many potentials, but they don’t have that the doors open for them yet. It’s a big family, all around the world.”

The match between Cindy Ngamba and Atheyna Bylon will be live at 5.48AM ACST on Friday morning. 

Read More: 

Tom Daley models jumper he’s been knitting at Paris Olympics

Sydney Olympics featured our own drag show 24 years ago

Rugby player Sharni Smale wore pride headgear at Olympics

Olympic pole vaulter’s bulge costs him a medal in Paris

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[kithj]

havent posted but i finished the first Murderbot book and loved it. i love Murderbot........... i picked up the next 2 in the series and plan to read the rest once i've finished the other 2 books i'm currently reading. i wasn't sure how i'd feel about it because generally comedy in books tends to be a miss for me (sorry i just don't find most book humor to be funny lol) but i did think Murderbot was very charming and funny, there was a humorous voice throughout but it didn't overdo it. reminded me of Alex Easton from What Moves the Dead.

also just finished These Letters End in Tears by Musih Tedji Xaviere. i have kinda mixed feelings about this book? i don't really know if i liked it? but i didn't hate it, either. i just didn't really connect with the main character, and not in a "relatable" way but i just felt like she was very flat. i think it was more of an issue with the writing style than the story itself... considering it was meant to be very emotional, i just didn't feel it. and it lost the letter format very quickly, but i don't really hold that against it, most books written in letter format are like that. i wonder if that actually hindered it & the writing style.... all that being said, i still felt that the book was a privilege to read, when you consider the reality of the characters and the many lgbt people in similar situations that never get to tell their stories. this was a debut, and i definitely would be interested to read something else from this author in the future. huge trigger warning for violent homophobia/lesbophobia, the title of the book is definitely a warning.

i'm now reading Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh, which was a coincidence (i was supposed to read and finish this book last month lol) but also an interesting read to follow These Letters End in Tears with. that one was about two lesbians in Cameroon, while this one is about a gay man in Nigeria, both places where "same-sex relationships" are criminalized. Blessings alternates between Obiefuna's and his mother's POV, who is very protective of him, and isn't told the real reason why his father sent him away to boarding school. i just started this one today so i'm not too far into it but i've liked what i've read so far.

i'm also still reading The Spear Cuts Through Water. honestly not gonna say much about this because i know i;m going to make a massive gushing post once i finish it because it is probably going to be my favorite read of the year 🙊

[rabbitcruiser]

Save The Rhino Day

Save the Rhino Day, celebrated globally on May 1, is a day centered around raising awareness of the rhino’s plight in the world, and highlighting ways to help this incredible animal. This day is especially important given the current devastating statistics — on average, one rhino is poached somewhere in the world every 22 hours. On this day, various animal rights organizations, non-profit companies, zoos, animal activists, and other concerned groups provide opportunities to encourage more rhino conservation efforts from people around the world.

History of Save The Rhino Day

To trace the origins of the Rhinoceros, we’d have to go back some millennia — almost 56 million years ago, to be precise. That’s when the first ancestors of the modern Rhinos roamed the planet. They were more horse-like in structure and had no horns. Old rhino bones found from this period in North America show a gradual evolution from this old horse-like structure into one more aligned with today’s rhino. Over these years, there were three distinct species that scientists think might be the ancestors of today’s rhinos. One of these was called the ‘running rhino,’ which was adapted for speed.

Another was more aquatic and resembled today’s hippopotamus. The last, most direct ancestors to the modern rhinoceros appeared approximately 25 million years ago and had multiple sub-species in their families. Of these, the wooly rhinoceros was one of the largest subspecies, weighing in at almost four times the size of the average African elephant, and boasting one-meter-long horns. This species inhabited a large area, from Siberia to the British Isles. These plant-eaters lived alongside the wooly mammoths, and have been found fossilized in ice and in cave paintings made during that period.

These rhinos only lived in Asia initially but began traveling to other places around 25 million years ago. Over time, these rhino ancestors roamed the continents, primarily living in Eurasia (Europe and Asia combined) and North America. However, the American rhinos went extinct sometime between 5.4 and 2.4 million years ago.

Rhinos have also featured in many Asian and African legends — they are the fire-stamping heroes in many stories from Burma, India, and Malaysia. According to these stories, rhinos appeared every time a fire was lit in the forest and would stamp out the flames. So popular is this tale that it even featured in a popular 1980 South-African movie named “The Gods Must Be Crazy.”

Unfortunately, these once-abundant creatures have lost out to human activity. Hunting, and now, poaching and habitat loss, have drastically reduced the number of rhinos across the world. Rhino horns are also integral to traditional medicine in many parts of Asia, with people believing it has mystical powers. Since 2007, there has been a sharp increase in poaching activity and illegal trade of rhino horns, to the extent that many subspecies of rhinos have been declared extinct and the entire rhino population is listed as ‘endangered’.

Save The Rhino Day timeline

1973

A Symbol of Queer Identity

Two Boston artists, Daniel Thaxton and Bernie Toale create a lavender rhinoceros as a symbol to increase awareness of gays and lesbians and put it in a series of subway posters.

2011

No More Black Rhinos

The Western Black Rhino — which used to live in Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and South Sudan — is declared extinct because of excessive poaching.

2012

A Ray of Hope

For the very first time, a Sumatran rhino — the smallest of the rhino family — is born in captivity in the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia; this miracle repeats in 2016, and then in 2022.

2018

A Sad Farewell

The world bids goodbye to the last known male northern white rhino; only two females survive to this day.

Save The Rhino Day FAQs

What day is World Rhino Day?

On September 22 each year, the global community celebrates the rhinoceros and explains what people can do to help them.

How many rhino species are there?

At present, there are five species of rhinos in the world — the white rhino and the black rhino (both found in Africa), and the Indian, Javan, and Sumatran (all found in Asia).

Are rhinos endangered?

The black, Javan, and Sumatran rhinos are still listed as ‘critically endangered,’ while the entire species is classified as ‘endangered.’

How to Observe Save The Rhino Day

Learn about the rhinoceros: Uncover more interesting information about this magnificent animal. Watch documentaries featuring the rhino, read books and other literature about them, and discover more studies and research that show just how the rhino lives.

Visit a rhino: Why not go see a rhinoceros in real life? Check out rhinos at a local zoo or plan a trip to visit rhinos in the wild.

Help save the rhino: Research the efforts various groups make towards saving the rhino, and check out what you can do to help. These could include online volunteering services, donations of funds, and more.

5 Fun Facts About The Rhinoceros

The rhino communication method: Rhinos make funny sounds — like snorting, sneeze-like sounds, and even honking — and use their bodily waste to 'speak' to other rhinos.

They don't have 20-20 vision: Rhino eyesight is notoriously poor, so much so that if an animal only 100 feet away — in an open space, too — stood motionless, the rhino wouldn't be able to spot them.

How the white rhino got its name: This rhino isn't actually white — English explorers mistook the Afrikaans 'wyd,' which refers to the huge girth of this animal, as 'white' and the name stuck.

Their horns are like our nails: Rhino horns are made up almost entirely of keratin, which is also the protein found in human hair and nails.

And still, people steal their horns: Even as rhino horns are proven to have no health benefits, signs in museums — like the National Museum of Scotland — notify visitors that the horn on display is a replica, as the real one has been stolen.

Why Save The Rhino Day is Important

It helps increase awareness: Rhinos are becoming increasingly rare in the wild, and only continuous efforts to raise awareness, like celebrating Save The Rhino Day, can help this endangered species. Do your bit today to support rhinos.

Creating safe havens for rhinos: The spike in awareness such days provide also subsequently raises the amount of help being offered to save the rhinos. These increased efforts could help secure various safe and protected spaces for the rhino to survive and thrive.

Building a rhino-loving community: Conservation efforts have had a significant impact in the past — various subspecies of rhinos have seen their numbers gradually increase over the years as a result of these activities. After these celebrations, we are left with a passionate and motivated global community that wants to see the rhinoceros flourish in the decades to come.

Source

[76crimes]

Easing the pain of homophobia: With donors' help, imprisoned lesbian has been set free in Cameroon.

[profiterole-reads]

These Letters End in Tears by Musih Tedji Xaviere

These Letters End in Tears by Musih Tedji Xaviere was very moving. In Cameroon, a country where same-sex relationships are punishable by law, Bessem writes letters to Fatima, her girlfriend who disappeared thirteen years before.

First, here are a few facts I've learnt about Cameroon: - From Wikipedia: Cameroon was a German colony from 1884 to WWI. - From the book (and Wikipedia): Cameroon has two official languages, French and English, as it was divided into two colonies, a French one and a British one, from WWI to the independence in 1960 and 1961. - From recent news: Brenda Biya, the daughter of the Cameroonian President Paul Biya (in power since 1982), has come out as a lesbian to help the LGBT people living in Cameroon. She does not live there any more, so she's safe.

Back to the book, the epistolary prose is beautiful, in 1st- and 2nd-person POV. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

This tragedy not only has butch/femme f/f, but also a major gay male character.

[theanticool]

Since people are talking about Olympic women’s boxing for all the dumb reasons, let’s try to talk about the cool stuff going on this year.

The best boxer on the women’s side at the 2024 Games is arguably Busenaz Surmeneli. A 2020 Olympic gold medalist, the 26 year old from Turkey is looking to join Claressa Shields and Nicola Adams as the only women to repeat gold medals at the Olympics. She’s a 2x world champion, a champion at the Euro Games, and Euro boxing champ. She’s set to fight in the quarterfinals against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng.

I said Surmaneli is the arguable best fighter at the games because there is another elite boxer competing - Ireland’s Kellie Harrington. Another gold medalist from the 2020 Games, Harrington is the heir to Katie Taylor’s amateur dominance for Ireland. Harrington is an accomplished amateur with world championship medals, euro championship medals, and euro games medals. She’s got wins over people like professional world champions like Caroline Dubois, Maiva Hamadouche, Beatriz Ferreira, and more. Fantastic boxer. Set to face off with Beatriz Ferreira on Saturday (Aug 3) in the semifinal for women’s 60 KG. Which is a fantastic fight.

This year, the Refugee Olympic Team’s flagbearer was a woman named Cindy Ngamba. Originally from Cameroon, the young woman lives in the UK. She was forced to flee Cameroon as a teenager and picked up boxing in the UK at 15. She’s been unable to secure citizenship or a VISA. After coming out as lesbian at 18, it was determined they couldn’t send her back to Cameroon because it is illegal in the country. While Cindy wasnt considered a big favorite, she won her round of 16 bout against 3rd ranked Tammara Thibeault of Canada. One more win would secure her a medal at women’s 75kg!

Over in women’s 57 kg, we have Ashleyann Lozada. Lozada is the first woman to make it to the Olympics from Puerto Rico! Nesthy Petecio became the first woman to ever medal at the Olympics for the Philippines in boxing (and 2nd ever) when she won silver back in Tokyo. She’s announced she will retire after this Olympic cycle and is looking to give the Philippines only its 2nd gold medal ever! There are so many personal stories that I could go into. Hell, everyone is talking about Imane Khelif but not her story. She grew up rural village in Algeria, selling scrap metal so she could get bus fare to make it to the gym. Marcelat Sakobi, of Congo, used her exit in the round of 32 to remind everyone that there is an ongoing genocide happening in Congo.

[anisioluiz]

Artigo: Cameroon priest says ‘homosexuality is a deviation’ after president’s daughter says she’s a lesbian

Cameroon priest says ‘homosexuality is a deviation’ after president’s daughter says she’s a lesbian https://flip.it/WMnDgP