Regions  ▸  Africa  ▸  Cameroon

LGBT Rights in North Region

North is governed by federal Cameroon law. Learn more
    Homosexuality
    ⚢
    ✖ Illegal (imprisonment as punishment)
    Gay Marriage
    ⚭
    ✖ Banned
    Censorship
    ✖ State-enforced
    Changing Gender
    ✖ Illegal
    Gender-Affirming Care
    ✖ Banned
    Non-Binary Gender Recognition
    ✖ Not legally recognized
    Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Employment Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Housing Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Adoption
    ✖ Illegal
    Intersex Infant Surgery
    ✖ Not banned
    Military
    ✖ Illegal
    Donating Blood
    Unknown
    Conversion Therapy
    ✖ Not banned
    Age of Consent
    N/A
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Public Opinion

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History

Homosexual activity in North

?

Homosexual activity in North is illegal (imprisonment as punishment).

Current status
Since Nov 12, 1967
Illegal (imprisonment as punishment)
Up to 5 years imprisonment and/or 200,000 franc fine.
Details
Sources:
glapn.org/sodomylaws/world/…
thenation.com/article/17863…
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Same-sex marriage in North

?

Same-sex marriage in North is banned.

Current status
Since Nov 12, 1967
Banned
Homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon.
Details
Sources:
glapn.org/sodomylaws/world/…
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Censorship of LGBT issues in North

?

Censorship of LGBT issues in North is state-enforced.

Current status
Since 2016
State-enforced
Section 264 of the Penal Code (2016) criminalises the public utterance of any “immoral speech” and the drawing of the public’s attention to any “occasion of immorality”. In light of the criminalisation of same-sex intimacy, a legal scholar has suggested that a publicly uttered speech advocating “unnatural sexual indulgence” would be considered “immoral”.
Details
Sources:
ilga.org/downloads/ILGA_Wor… (page 146)
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Right to change legal gender in North

?

Right to change legal gender in North is illegal.

Current status
Illegal
Gender marker change is not possible in Cameroon. Transgender and gender diverse people are de facto criminalised.
Details
Sources:
ilga.org/downloads/ILGA_Wor… (page 27)
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Gender-affirming care in North

?

Gender-affirming care in North is banned.

Current status
Banned
Gender-Affirming Care in Cameroon is banned
Details
Sources:
hrw.org/news/2022/05/11/cam…
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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in North

?

Legal recognition of non-binary gender in North is not legally recognized.

Current status
Not legally recognized
The option of identifying as “non-binary/intersex/gender non-conforming” is not available.
Details
Sources:
state.gov/reports/2022-coun…
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LGBT discrimination in North

?

LGBT discrimination in North is no protections.

Current status
Since Jun 2, 1972
No protections
Details
Sources:
confinder.richmond.edu/admi…
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LGBT employment discrimination in North

?

LGBT employment discrimination in North is no protections.

Current status
Since Jun 2, 1972
No protections
No protections because homosexuality is still illegal.
Details
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LGBT housing discrimination in North

?

LGBT housing discrimination in North is no protections.

Current status
Since Jun 2, 1972
No protections
Homosexuality is illegal there.
Details
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Same-sex adoption in North

?

Same-sex adoption in North is illegal.

Current status
Illegal
No laws in place for same sex couples.
Details
Sources:
glapn.org/sodomylaws/world/…
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Intersex infant surgery in North

?

Intersex infant surgery in North is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
There is no ban on surgeries performed on intersex infants in Cameroon.
Details
Sources:
database.ilga.org/cameroon-lgbti
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Serving openly in military in North

?

Serving openly in military in North is illegal.

Current status
Illegal
Homosexuality is currently illegal.
Details
Sources:
(See sources listed for homosexual activity.)
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Blood donations by MSMs in North

?

Blood donations by MSMs in North is unknown.

Current status
Unknown

Conversion therapy in North

?

Conversion therapy in North is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
According to the ILGA World, there's no ban on conversion therapy in Cameroon.
Details
Sources:
ilga.org/downloads/ILGA_Wor… (page 325)
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Equal age of consent in North

?

Equal age of consent in North is n/a.

Current status
N/A
Homosexuality is illegal.
Details
Sources:
Homosexuality is illegal.
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Equality Index ?
9 / 100
Legal Rights
5 / 100
This region's Equality Index is based on legal rights alone. Please submit survey results that show the public opinion of LGBTQ+ issues in North to help improve its accuracy.

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Alternative names: Bénoué

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