Online and on the street, Cameroon observers cheer anti-gay attack
Neighbors in Cameroon accused the victim of propositioning another man
By Steeves Winner
When a young gay man was violently targeted in Cameroon in mid-August, the event was chronicled on social media, attracting a stream of hateful homophobic comments.
The comments mixed mockery and calls for violence, reflecting a social climate where homophobia is normalized and publicly encouraged.
The incident occurred on Aug. 16 in Yaoundé, when Dominique (a pseudonym used here for his safety) was accused by his neighbors of having made advances toward another young man, Lou (another pseudonym).
The accusation against Dominique triggered a brutal attack: He was beaten, insulted, and publicly humiliated by a small crowd — all of which was captured on video and published on Facebook.
During the attack, passersby uttered homophobic remarks, which were amplified by homophobic online commenters.
Some of the comments criticized Lou for wearing his hair in curls:
- “When you yourself wear curls first, what do you expect?”
- “He mistook you for a homosexual because he saw you with curls.”
Others called for more violence:
- “He needs to be corrected.”
- “He’s not bleeding yet, how come? He’s even got condoms.”
The attack could have escalated further except for the intervention of some of Dominique’s friends who were in the neighborhood. Alerted to what was happening, they intervened to negotiate with the attackers. Thanks to their mediation, the attack was stopped and Dominique was pulled from the crowd. He immediately ran away.
Steeves Winner, the author of this article, is a Cameroonian journalist who writes under a pseudonym. Contact him at steeves.w@yahoo.com.
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