Gertrude expected to return home to her partner Carine and their baby Princess soon after the California screening of “Born This Way.” But the film—about being gay in homophobic Cameroon—leaked on the Internet while she was still in the United States. Among those outed were Gertrude and Carine, whose silhouettes embrace on film before a flickering candle.
Carine and baby Princess, who turned six months old on the day of the screening, were back in Central Africa, and in mortal danger. (The women’s last names have been withheld and the baby’s name changed for safety reasons.) Only days before, in early July 2013, Cameroonian gay activist Eric Lembembe had been murdered at home, his feet broken and his face burned with a hot iron. Gertrude’s cellphone received hateful text messages (in French):
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law are third party online distributors of the broad collection of current and archived versions of ALM's legal news publications. LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law customers are able to access and use ALM's content, including content from the National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Legaltech News, The New York Law Journal, and Corporate Counsel, as well as other sources of legal information.
For questions call 1-877-256-2472 or contact us at [email protected]
