Ghana’s parliament passes strict anti-LGBTQ bill

Ghana’s parliament on Wednesday, passed a new strict anti-LGBTQ bill after months of debate and opposition by pro-gay groups and the international community.

The legislation known as the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values bill, is one of the toughest pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation in Africa, was introduced by Sam Nartey George, the MP for Ningo-Prampram, and will become law if President Nana Akufo-Addo assents to it.

The bill prohibits LGBTQ activities and makes it illegal to promote, advocate, or fund them, and anyone caught engaging in any homosexual activity could face a jail sentence ranging from six months to three years, while those who support or promote the activity may be sentenced to three to five years in prison, local media reports.

The passage of the anti-gay bill is coming after years of the legislation being in parliament and going through various stages, facing backlash and efforts by opponents to block it or make changes.

The approval of the bill has however elicited diverse views with human rights groups condemning the parliament.

The Big 18 & Human Rights Coalition, an umbrella group of lawyers and activists in Ghana, at a press conference, said the bill “criminalizes a person’s identity and strips away fundamental human rights” and urged the president to reject it.

A senior fellow at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development, Takyiwaa Manuh, who spoke against the bill, said:

“I am sad, disappointed and surprised that our commitment and democratic principles in this country appear to be so shallow.

“This bill represents a real danger to our country, and we are looking to the president to uphold the values of our country and constitution,” she told journalists, while vowing that Ghanaian civil society organizations were ready to file legal challenges against the bill.

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