Baileys used as evidence in Cameroon homosexuality trial

YAOUNDE, Cameroon, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- A Cameroon lawyer said a man convicted of homosexuality was accused of drinking Baileys Irish Cream, which the judge considered feminine.

Michel Togue, who has defended dozens of accused homosexuals in Cameroon, where homosexuality is punishable by a prison term of up to five years, said one of his clients was accused of having "feminine mannerisms" and was convicted by a judge who said the defendant's fondness for Bailey's Irish Cream was proof that he failed to conform to gender roles.

Togue said his clients also include two women jailed for nine months without a single piece of physical evidence and three men accused of having a sexual encounter in a car whose allegedly feminine mode of dress was used to convict them.

Togue said evidence based on stereotypes of homosexuals is often used to convict those accused of violating the 1972 law against same-sex relations. He blamed religious leaders in the country for steering the country's anti-homosexual sentiments.