The Legislation was Sponsored by a Coalition of Christian, Muslim, and Traditional Leaders in Ghana.
On Wednesday, Ghana’s parliament approved legislation that further tightens restrictions on the rights of LGBTQ individuals and advocates for non-conventional sexual or gender identities in the West African nation.
Previously, engaging in homosexual activities carried a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment. The new bill extends this to include a prison term of up to five years for those found guilty of actively promoting, sponsoring, or supporting LGBTQ+ initiatives.
Described as one of the most severe of its kind in Africa, the bill has elicited strong reactions from various quarters.
“My heart is broken and devastated at the moment, that’s all I can say for now,” expressed Angel Maxine, Ghana’s first openly transgender musician and LGBTQI+ activist, to Reuters. She added, “My pronouns are She/her/hers.”
Spearheaded by a coalition of Christian, Muslim, and Ghanaian traditional leaders, the legislation has now passed through parliament. The bill will subsequently be presented to President Nana Akufo-Addo, who holds the authority to either assent to or reject it within seven days, as per Ghana’s constitution.
While President Akufo-Addo had refrained from direct involvement in the contentious debate surrounding the bill, he pledged to react once it was voted upon by parliament.
Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of the United Nations Aids agency UNAIDS, expressed grave concerns in a statement, noting that the bill, if enacted, would impact everyone. She emphasized that punitive laws, such as those outlined in the bill, pose obstacles to combating HIV/AIDS and undermine public health.
“It will exacerbate fear and hatred, could incite violence against fellow Ghanaian citizens, and will negatively impact on free speech, freedom of movement, and freedom of association,” Byanyima stated. She further warned that the legislation could hinder access to essential services, undermine social protections, and jeopardize Ghana’s developmental progress.
Ghana’s Opposition Leader Firmly Asserts Anti-LGBTQ Position Prior to December Elections
Critics and activists argue that passing the bill would exacerbate the erosion of freedoms in a nation where homosexual activity already carries a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment.
On Wednesday, Ghana’s former president and prominent opposition presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama, reiterated his stance against LGBTQ+ rights. However, he refrained from specifying whether he would endorse a bill intended to criminalize same-sex relations.
Last year, the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress, voted to maintain Mahama as its leader for the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
During a meeting with members of the clergy in eastern Ghana, the former president said gay marriage and being transgender were against his Christian beliefs.
“The faith I have will not allow me to accept a man marrying a man, and a woman marrying a woman,” Mahama said while responding to a church leader’s call against LGBTQ+ people.
“I don’t believe that anybody can get up and say I feel like a man although I was born a woman and so I will change and become a man,” he added.
Mahama, however, did not say whether he would sign the bill that would criminalize same-sex relations, being transgender and advocating LGBTQ rights, should he win December elections.
Lawmakers in the West African nation have been debating the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill since August 2021.
Passing the bill would further reduce freedoms in a country where gay sex is already punishable with up to three years in jail, critics and activists say.
https://www.dw.com/en/ghanas-parliament-passes-anti-lgbtq-law/a-68399863
