Cameroon president’s lesbian daughter refuses to vote for him
Brenda Biya has become a face of resistance to Cameroon’s state-sponsored homophobia
Commentary
In a TikTok video that has gone viral, Brenda Biya, daughter of Cameroonian President Paul Biya, announces that she will not vote for her father in the Oct 15 presidential elections. But behind this political gesture, a deeper rupture is at play: that of a queer woman facing a regime that criminalizes her existence.
A Queer Voice in a Homophobic State
Brenda Biya doesn’t just disavow her father. She exposes, in a few words, the systemic violence experienced by LGBTQI+ people in the West African state—including in the most privileged circles. By evoking death threats, family pressure, and orders to remain silent, she reveals what so many young queer people experience in the shadows: exclusion, fear, and institutionalized rejection.
Power Faces Its Own Hypocrisy
The Biya regime, which has reinforced the criminalization of homosexuality and tolerates violence against sexual minorities, finds itself confronted with a contradiction here: Biya’s own daughter embodies what it represses. This is not just a family matter; it is a brutal exposure of state-sponsored homophobia. The silence of institutions in the face of this video is revealing: they prefer to ignore the fact that even within the palace, queer love exists—and suffers.
A Mirror of Queer Youth
Brenda becomes, in spite of herself, the reflection of Cameroonian queer youth who refuse to remain silent. Her refusal to vote for her father is an act of resistance, a rejection of policies that condemn love, diversity, and freedom. She says out loud what many whisper: that Cameroon does not protect its children, especially when they are LGBTQI+.
And now what?
Paul Biya, 92, has ruled Cameroon since 1982 and was prime minister for seven years before that. His successive re-elections have been subject to allegations of voting irregularities and fraud, and one of the leading opposition figures was barred from the ballot in this year’s election.
The regime can lock down the ballot boxes, censor the media, and repress the body—it won’t be able to contain the voices that are being raised for long. Because if even the children of those in power denounce homophobia, then the entire system is faltering.
When the president’s daughter dares to say what so many young people have never been able to shout without risking prison or death, it’s because the wall of silence is beginning to crack. And we will widen this crack, until the light shines through!
