The Straight Hero of Cameroon’s Gays

Contents:

• INSI THE STGGLE FOR LGBT RIGHTS CAMEROON: 'IT'S NORMAL TO KILL SOMEBODY FOR BEG GAY'
• SECRET VIO CLUB GIV RPE TO GAY MEN CAMEROON
• A HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP SAYS IT’S NOT SAFE TO BE GAY IN CAMEROON
• THE STRAIGHT HERO OF CAMEROON’S GAYS INSPIRATNSWHY HAS 69-YEAR-OLD ALICE N’KOM RISKED EVERYTHG TO FEND GAYS A UNTRY WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS ILLEGAL? BEE ‘SOMEONE HAS TO DO THIS.’QUOMUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 1:18PM EDT / PUBLISHED DEC. 18, 2014 3:25PM EST AFP/GETTYIN THE JEWISH MUNY, CHRISTIANS WHO SAVED JEWS OM THE HOLOT ARE KNOWN AS “RIGHTEO GENTIL.” THANKS TO THE FILM BEARG HIS NAME, OSKAR SCHDLER IS PROBABLY THE MOST WELL-KNOWN OF THE, BUT THERE ARE MANY OTHERS.WHEN THE HISTORY OF THE TERNATNAL LGBT STGGLE FOR DIGNY AND EQUALY IS WRTEN, ALICE N’KOM—ONE OF THE SPEAKERS AT THIS WEEK’S QUOM EVENT, PRENTED BY THE DAILY BEAST—WILL BE REMEMBERED AS A “RIGHTEO ALLY.” A VIBRANT FRENCH-SPEAKE WHO EQUENTLY APPEARS LORFUL TRADNAL CAMEROONIAN ATTIRE, SHE IS A STRAIGHT WOMAN WHO HAS RISKED HER OWN LIFE ON BEHALF OF GAY PEOPLE TARGETED BY STATE AND STATE-SANCTNED VLENCE.IN THE WT AIN NATN OF CAMEROON, AS OVER 70 OTHER UNTRI AROUND THE WORLD, SAME-SEX TIMACY IS ILLEGAL—AND ‘OUT’ GAY PEOPLE ARE OBV TARGETS OF PERSECUTN. IT IS LERALLY ILLEGAL TO BE GAY, AND SO TO SELF-INTIFY IS TO RISK IMPRISONMENT. INED, SAID N’KOM THROUGH HER TRANSLATOR, “MEN HAVE BEEN ARRTED AND IMPRISONED FOR HAIRSTYLE AND FOR DRKG BAILEY’S IRISH CREAM. THE CRIM OF FASHN PROVED THE MEN WERE FEME AND TH GAY AND THEREFORE WORTHY OF RCERATN. PERCEPTN IS EVERYTHG.”EVEN WORSE THAN STATE VLENCE, THOUGH, IS STATE-SANCTNED VLENCE. ONE OF CAMEROON’S LEADG LGBT ACTIVISTS, ERIC OHENA LEMBEMBE, WAS TORTURED AND KILLED ON JULY 15, 2013. THE CRIME WAS NEVER SOLVED, OR EVEN SERLY VTIGATED. POLICE DIDN’T PRERVE THE CRIME SCENE, ONLY QUTNED OTHER GAY ACTIVISTS, AND DROPPED THE SE WHOUT EXPLANATN. I MET SEVERAL CAMEROONIAN LGBT ACTIVISTS SHORTLY AFTER LEMBEMBE’S MURR, AND THEY WERE UNRSTANDABLY TERRIFIED. (COURAGE, ONE RELLS, IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF FEAR BUT THE ABILY TO ACT THE FACE OF .) ONE OF THEM TOLD ME, “I DON’T KNOW WHAT WILL BE WAG FOR ME WHEN I GET OFF THE PLANE.”HOW, THEN, ARE LGBT PEOPLE TO ADVOTE FOR THEIR RIGHTS (CIVIL, HUMAN, OR OTHERWISE) IF THEY NNOT EVEN INTIFY THEMSELV?IN S LIKE CAMEROON, STRAIGHT ACTIVISTS LIKE ALICE N’KOM ARE OFTEN THEIR ONLY HOPE. N’KOM IS MOSTLY SAFE OM LEGAL PROSECUTN (THOUGH NOT OM ACTS OF VLENCE, OF URSE) AND TH HAS WHAT MIGHT BE TERMED STRAIGHT PRIVILEGE. SHE N SPEAK FOR THOSE WHO NNOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELV.BORN 1945, N’KOM HAS BEEN A LAWYER FOR 46 YEARS—SCE 1969. SHE WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO BEE A LAWYER CAMEROON, AND HAD A LONG REER AS A CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY. HER CLIENTS HAVE CLUD VICTIMS OF POLICE VLENCE AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS TARGETED BY THE STATE.IN THE LAST , SHE HAS BEE FAMO FOR FENDG PEOPLE ACCED (AND SOMETIM NVICTED) OF HOMOSEXUALY—CLUDG, FOR EXAMPLE, JEAN-CL ROGER MBE, WHO SPENT THREE YEARS JAIL ON THE BASIS OF TEXT MSAG SENT TO ANOTHER MAN.IN 2003, N’KOM FOUND ADEFHO, THE ASSOCIATN FOR THE DEFENSE OF HOMOSEXUALY. “TRADNALLY, LAWS HAVE BEEN ED AGAST THE LGBT MUNY MANY AIN UNTRI AND NTRIBUTED TO THEIR PERSECUTN,” SHE SAID THROUGH HER TRANSLATOR. BUT AS A LAWYER, SHE LAW TO NTRIBUTE TO THEIR PROTECTN.NEEDLS TO SAY, THIS DO NOT ENAMOR HER TO THE POWERS THAT BE CAMEROON. SHE HAS BEEN THREATENED WH DISBARMENT, IMPRISONMENT, AND WORSE. N’KOM WAS ALMOST ARRTED 2011. IT IS LIKELY THE SE THAT ATTENTN AND OUTRAGE OM OVERSEAS SAVED HER OM THIS FATE.“THREATS LIKE THE SHOW THAT THE FIGHT MT NTUE,” SHE SAID AT THE TIME.IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT N’KOM’S WORK IS NOT AS HOPELS AS MIGHT APPEAR. EVEN IF HER CLIENTS ARE NVICTED—AND SHE DO HAVE MANY NOW JAIL—SHE AT LEAST BRGS ATTENTN TO THEIR S. IT IS A NEAR CERTATY THAT JAILED GAYS AND LBIANS FACE HORRIFYG VLENCE PRISON. BUT BEE THEY ARE NOT FOTTEN, THEY NNOT PLETELY BE ABANDONED. AFTER ALL, SMALLER VELOPG NATNS LIKE CAMEROON OFTEN PEND ON TRA WH AND AID OM THE WT. THEIR LEARS OFTEN BLAME GAYS FOR EVERY KD OF PROBLEM (CLUDG, NEARBY LIBERIA, EBOLA), AND CLAIM, LUDICROLY, THAT HOMOSEXUALY IS A KD OF WTERN PLOT. BUT THEY ARE ALSO SENSIVE TO PRSURE AND ATTENTN OM THE WT.IN LIGHT OF THIS SEEMG NTRADICTN—THE WT IS EVIL YET IS ALSO NECSARY—I ASKED ONE OF THE CAMEROONIAN ACTIVISTS I MET LAST YEAR WHETHER WTERN ATTENTN WAS HELPG OR HURTG. TO MY SURPRISE, HE TOLD ME THAT WAS KEEPG HIM ALIVE.THE SUATN MAY ED BE CHANGG. THE YEAR 2013 SAW WHAT N’KOM LLED AN “ANTI-GAY CRACKDOWN,” WH 10 PEOPLE ARRTED FOR HOMOSEXUALY AND NUMERO CINTS OF HOMOPHOBIC VLENCE. BUT THE WAKE OF LEMBEMBE’S MURR, ARRTS ARE DOWN 2014. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT ATTENTN OM WTERNERS—WHO, LET’S FACE , PROBABLY N’T FD CAMEROON ON THE MAP—IS FACT MAKG A DIFFERENCE.BUT NO WTERNER IS RISKG WHAT N’KOM HAS RISKED, AND SPE MANY OBSTACL, SHE HAS STEADFASTLY REFED TO CLOSE HER PRACTICE. WHY? WHY IS A STRAIGHT GRANDMOTHER THE LEADG ADVOTE FOR GAYS CAMEROON?“SOMEONE HAS TO DO THIS,” SHE SAID. QUOM

INSI THE STGGLE FOR LGBT RIGHTS CAMEROON: 'IT'S NORMAL TO KILL SOMEBODY FOR BEG GAY'

DOUALA, April 14 (Rters) - Cameroon secury forc have arrted, threatened or asslted at least 24 people sce Febary a ramped-up crackdown on lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT+) people, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on rights group said recent documented acunts of abe, cludg that of a 17-year old boy, pot to an overall rise of police actn agast LGBT+ people Cameroon, where same-sex relatns are crimalised. 8 for wearg women's clothg while eatg at a rtrant Douala, Cameroon's largt Njkam, a lol social media celebry known as Shakiro, and Roland Mouthe were charged urt on Monday wh "attempted homosexualy". 24 and arrted 13 people on charg of spected homosexualy, HRW said.

Several other mass arrts have been ma the last two years, cludg those of 53 people for homosexualy-related offens at a meetg of another HIV anizatn May mpaign group said several people have been subjected to forced anal examatns as part of efforts by secury forc to nfirm accatns.

Tchante had been workg as a peer unselor tor and HIV preventn tn ordator at Cameroon’s first center for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people – a dangero job a untry where homosexualy is punishable by up to five years prison. “It’s normal to kill somebody for beg gay or lbian Cameroon and you will have no problem wh the police of the urts, ” Tchante, now 30, tells PEOPLE. Acrdg to Amnty Internatnal, Cameroon is one of 38 Ain natns where homosexualy is illegal.

SECRET VIO CLUB GIV RPE TO GAY MEN CAMEROON

In the Central Ain natn, homosexualy is wily stigmatized and cizens are often arrted, charged and sentenced whout a sgle piece of evince. Born This Way is a documentary that tells the story of Tchante and three other young, gay Cameroonians forced to hi a untry that ref to accept them. “It’s one of the only spac Cameroon where gay and lbian people n e together and feel safe, ” filmmaker Shn Kadlec, 37, tells PEOPLE.

A HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP SAYS IT’S NOT SAFE TO BE GAY IN CAMEROON

“To see a ln people the streets and a mix of gay, lbian, trans, queer and heterosexual together and happy and havg fun – I don’t have a word to scribe that feelg. “Now, they’re tryg to make the law more [strict] wh 15 or 13 years as punishment [for beg homosexual], ” he says. Still, he holds out for a future wh more openly gay and lbian Cameroonians who n change the hearts and mds of the people around them.

THE STRAIGHT HERO OF CAMEROON’S GAYS INSPIRATNSWHY HAS 69-YEAR-OLD ALICE N’KOM RISKED EVERYTHG TO FEND GAYS A UNTRY WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS ILLEGAL? BEE ‘SOMEONE HAS TO DO THIS.’QUOMUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 1:18PM EDT / PUBLISHED DEC. 18, 2014 3:25PM EST AFP/GETTYIN THE JEWISH MUNY, CHRISTIANS WHO SAVED JEWS OM THE HOLOT ARE KNOWN AS “RIGHTEO GENTIL.” THANKS TO THE FILM BEARG HIS NAME, OSKAR SCHDLER IS PROBABLY THE MOST WELL-KNOWN OF THE, BUT THERE ARE MANY OTHERS.WHEN THE HISTORY OF THE TERNATNAL LGBT STGGLE FOR DIGNY AND EQUALY IS WRTEN, ALICE N’KOM—ONE OF THE SPEAKERS AT THIS WEEK’S QUOM EVENT, PRENTED BY THE DAILY BEAST—WILL BE REMEMBERED AS A “RIGHTEO ALLY.” A VIBRANT FRENCH-SPEAKE WHO EQUENTLY APPEARS LORFUL TRADNAL CAMEROONIAN ATTIRE, SHE IS A STRAIGHT WOMAN WHO HAS RISKED HER OWN LIFE ON BEHALF OF GAY PEOPLE TARGETED BY STATE AND STATE-SANCTNED VLENCE.IN THE WT AIN NATN OF CAMEROON, AS OVER 70 OTHER UNTRI AROUND THE WORLD, SAME-SEX TIMACY IS ILLEGAL—AND ‘OUT’ GAY PEOPLE ARE OBV TARGETS OF PERSECUTN. IT IS LERALLY ILLEGAL TO BE GAY, AND SO TO SELF-INTIFY IS TO RISK IMPRISONMENT. INED, SAID N’KOM THROUGH HER TRANSLATOR, “MEN HAVE BEEN ARRTED AND IMPRISONED FOR HAIRSTYLE AND FOR DRKG BAILEY’S IRISH CREAM. THE CRIM OF FASHN PROVED THE MEN WERE FEME AND TH GAY AND THEREFORE WORTHY OF RCERATN. PERCEPTN IS EVERYTHG.”EVEN WORSE THAN STATE VLENCE, THOUGH, IS STATE-SANCTNED VLENCE. ONE OF CAMEROON’S LEADG LGBT ACTIVISTS, ERIC OHENA LEMBEMBE, WAS TORTURED AND KILLED ON JULY 15, 2013. THE CRIME WAS NEVER SOLVED, OR EVEN SERLY VTIGATED. POLICE DIDN’T PRERVE THE CRIME SCENE, ONLY QUTNED OTHER GAY ACTIVISTS, AND DROPPED THE SE WHOUT EXPLANATN. I MET SEVERAL CAMEROONIAN LGBT ACTIVISTS SHORTLY AFTER LEMBEMBE’S MURR, AND THEY WERE UNRSTANDABLY TERRIFIED. (COURAGE, ONE RELLS, IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF FEAR BUT THE ABILY TO ACT THE FACE OF .) ONE OF THEM TOLD ME, “I DON’T KNOW WHAT WILL BE WAG FOR ME WHEN I GET OFF THE PLANE.”HOW, THEN, ARE LGBT PEOPLE TO ADVOTE FOR THEIR RIGHTS (CIVIL, HUMAN, OR OTHERWISE) IF THEY NNOT EVEN INTIFY THEMSELV?IN S LIKE CAMEROON, STRAIGHT ACTIVISTS LIKE ALICE N’KOM ARE OFTEN THEIR ONLY HOPE. N’KOM IS MOSTLY SAFE OM LEGAL PROSECUTN (THOUGH NOT OM ACTS OF VLENCE, OF URSE) AND TH HAS WHAT MIGHT BE TERMED STRAIGHT PRIVILEGE. SHE N SPEAK FOR THOSE WHO NNOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELV.BORN 1945, N’KOM HAS BEEN A LAWYER FOR 46 YEARS—SCE 1969. SHE WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO BEE A LAWYER CAMEROON, AND HAD A LONG REER AS A CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY. HER CLIENTS HAVE CLUD VICTIMS OF POLICE VLENCE AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS TARGETED BY THE STATE.IN THE LAST , SHE HAS BEE FAMO FOR FENDG PEOPLE ACCED (AND SOMETIM NVICTED) OF HOMOSEXUALY—CLUDG, FOR EXAMPLE, JEAN-CL ROGER MBE, WHO SPENT THREE YEARS JAIL ON THE BASIS OF TEXT MSAG SENT TO ANOTHER MAN.IN 2003, N’KOM FOUND ADEFHO, THE ASSOCIATN FOR THE DEFENSE OF HOMOSEXUALY. “TRADNALLY, LAWS HAVE BEEN ED AGAST THE LGBT MUNY MANY AIN UNTRI AND NTRIBUTED TO THEIR PERSECUTN,” SHE SAID THROUGH HER TRANSLATOR. BUT AS A LAWYER, SHE LAW TO NTRIBUTE TO THEIR PROTECTN.NEEDLS TO SAY, THIS DO NOT ENAMOR HER TO THE POWERS THAT BE CAMEROON. SHE HAS BEEN THREATENED WH DISBARMENT, IMPRISONMENT, AND WORSE. N’KOM WAS ALMOST ARRTED 2011. IT IS LIKELY THE SE THAT ATTENTN AND OUTRAGE OM OVERSEAS SAVED HER OM THIS FATE.“THREATS LIKE THE SHOW THAT THE FIGHT MT NTUE,” SHE SAID AT THE TIME.IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT N’KOM’S WORK IS NOT AS HOPELS AS MIGHT APPEAR. EVEN IF HER CLIENTS ARE NVICTED—AND SHE DO HAVE MANY NOW JAIL—SHE AT LEAST BRGS ATTENTN TO THEIR S. IT IS A NEAR CERTATY THAT JAILED GAYS AND LBIANS FACE HORRIFYG VLENCE PRISON. BUT BEE THEY ARE NOT FOTTEN, THEY NNOT PLETELY BE ABANDONED. AFTER ALL, SMALLER VELOPG NATNS LIKE CAMEROON OFTEN PEND ON TRA WH AND AID OM THE WT. THEIR LEARS OFTEN BLAME GAYS FOR EVERY KD OF PROBLEM (CLUDG, NEARBY LIBERIA, EBOLA), AND CLAIM, LUDICROLY, THAT HOMOSEXUALY IS A KD OF WTERN PLOT. BUT THEY ARE ALSO SENSIVE TO PRSURE AND ATTENTN OM THE WT.IN LIGHT OF THIS SEEMG NTRADICTN—THE WT IS EVIL YET IS ALSO NECSARY—I ASKED ONE OF THE CAMEROONIAN ACTIVISTS I MET LAST YEAR WHETHER WTERN ATTENTN WAS HELPG OR HURTG. TO MY SURPRISE, HE TOLD ME THAT WAS KEEPG HIM ALIVE.THE SUATN MAY ED BE CHANGG. THE YEAR 2013 SAW WHAT N’KOM LLED AN “ANTI-GAY CRACKDOWN,” WH 10 PEOPLE ARRTED FOR HOMOSEXUALY AND NUMERO CINTS OF HOMOPHOBIC VLENCE. BUT THE WAKE OF LEMBEMBE’S MURR, ARRTS ARE DOWN 2014. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT ATTENTN OM WTERNERS—WHO, LET’S FACE , PROBABLY N’T FD CAMEROON ON THE MAP—IS FACT MAKG A DIFFERENCE.BUT NO WTERNER IS RISKG WHAT N’KOM HAS RISKED, AND SPE MANY OBSTACL, SHE HAS STEADFASTLY REFED TO CLOSE HER PRACTICE. WHY? WHY IS A STRAIGHT GRANDMOTHER THE LEADG ADVOTE FOR GAYS CAMEROON?“SOMEONE HAS TO DO THIS,” SHE SAID. QUOM

“The small hope is for the new generatn, ” he says, “that the youngt boy or girl Cameroon n have a new ia if they have iends who are gay or lbian – they’ll be ls homophobic and more open.

The flickerg light of a vio screen illumat fac of young men stg on bench -- members of a vio club terg exclively for gay men, a haven a society where is perilo to be same-sex attracted. "In the afternoon, we show documentari about the gay muny, wh edy seri the eveng and later the night, films of a sexual nature, " he, 30, and his pann e several tim a week. Convictns are rare, but illegaly mak gays easy prey for racketeers and homophob.

"They told me, 'nfs you're the queers' godfather, you homo, ' and beat me on the sol of the feet wh the flat of a machete bla, " he says. Crimals claimg to be pla-cloth police sometim show up to extort gays, Jean-Pierre says.