Cameroon: Church choir member suspended for a same-sex embrace
A second choir member was suspended for proposing forgiveness
For people’s safety, this article uses pseudonyms rather than real names.
By Steeves Winner
Esau is a young effeminate member of the choir Chant du Salut at an evangelical revival church in the Ahala district of Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. Aged 27, Esau is an active member of the church.
During the Aug. 15 celebration of the Feast of the Ascension, he was surprised hugging an older man.
He confessed to the pastor what had happened. Speaking before the entire choir, the pastor suspended Esau from the church for two weeks for the same-sex embrace.
A fellow choir member, Aldo, protested, telling the pastor than the church should forgive people and not condemn them. Everyone is a sinner, he said. Also added that Esau is also a child of the Lord and did not choose to be homosexual,
The pastor’s response was to suspend Aldo from church for two weeks, along with Esau. He reminded Aldo that the church does not tolerate homosexuality.
Editor’s note:
Is a two-week suspension for homosexuality rather than a permanent expulsion a hopeful sign that Cameroonian homophobia may be moderating?
Steeves Winner, the author of this article, is a Cameroonian journalist who writes under a pseudonym. Contact him at steeves.w@yahoo.com.
