A migrant who was granted asylum in Britain after coming out as gay has admitted leaving a wife and child behind in his homeland Cameroon.When 35-year-old Marius Kamana first traveled to Britain from Cameroon on a temporary visa to attend the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, few would have expected him to seek asylum. Instead of contributing to the discussion on environmental issues, he applied for refugee protection, saying he was gay. He later settled in Wales and got a job as a heavy goods vehicle mechanic.Kamna’s claim of homosexuality was accepted by the British asylum panel and she was granted refugee status. However, when he applied for asylum he did not mention that he had a wife and son in Cameroon. It was later revealed that he knew about them at the time but decided not to tell the authorities.Thousands of asylum seekers have based their claims on their sexual orientation, and in some cases may involve people exploiting the system. In the case of Kama, the wife’s revelation may fit this pattern. But Kamna still says that her situation is more complex.
‘Always been gay’
Speaking to the Daily Mail in Cardiff, where he works, he explained that he “has always been gay” and that his marriage in Cameroon was an attempt to escape homophobia in his home country. Cameroon is known for its harsh treatment of the LGBTQ+ community, where discrimination, stigma, and legal punishment are still common.Kamna initially described herself as bisexual. He later corrected that statement: “No, that’s not true, I’m gay. I’ve been like that since I was 15 or 16.” Kamna said that she spent many years hiding her true identity.Kamana said her marriage was arranged in Cameroon to regain the respect of her parents, who had disowned her when they discovered her sexuality. “My parents threw me out of the house and the marriage was arranged to regain their respect,” he said. He said he apologized and even bribed an officer to complete the paperwork. Although she is gay, Kamana admits that she married, which led to the birth of her son Emmanuel, now seven years old.Although she has not seen her son since leaving Cameroon, Kamana said she keeps in touch by phone and sends money to her child’s mother to help her. Kamna said that when she was invited to the Glasgow conference, she got the chance to stay in Britain legally and start a new life, even if it meant leaving her family behind.Kamna said that an argument with neighbors in their shared house led to the police being called and he has now moved to a new house in Newport. She said her current partner is a gay man from Africa and she is happy living in Britain. “When you come here you have to do everything right because you don’t want to go back,” he said.