Ghana's Parliament Passes Anti-Gay Bill



On Wednesday, Ghana passed a bill that imposes a prison sentence of up to three years for anyone convicted of identifying as LGBTQ+.

The bill also imposes a jail term of up to 5 years for forming or funding LGBTQ+ groups. 

The bill was introduced in the Ghanaian parliament in 2021. Sam George, one of the main sponsors of the bill posted on X: 

"After three long years, we have finally passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Act."

Many African nations continue to outlaw same-sex relationships, largely due to laws inherited from the colonial era. However, there has been a surge of new bills and legislative proposals in Africa aimed at clarifying and, in certain instances, toughening these regulations.

Gay sex is already illegal in Ghana- it carries a three-year prison sentence.  

The drafters of the bill say the bill seeks to promote proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values and criminalize LGBTQ activities and their sponsors. 

The bill has however attracted criticism from several quotas.

The United States has said it is 'deeply troubled' by the passing of a strict anti-LGBTQ+ law in Ghana, stating that it jeopardizes constitutional liberties. 

"The bill would also undermine Ghana's valuable public health, media and civic spaces, and economy," said the US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller in a statement. 

It has called for the "review of the constitutionality of the bill."

Last month Amnesty International warned that the bill "poses significant threats to the fundamental rights and freedoms" of LGBTQ+ people. 

Winnie Byanyima, head of the UN body tackling AIDS said: "If Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill becomes a law, 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."  

She said that it will "obstruct access to life-saving services, undercut social protection, and jeopardize Ghana's development success."

Volker Türk, the United Nations human rights chief, described the approval of the bill by parliament as "profoundly troubling" and appealed to the government to refrain from enacting it into law.

"The bill broadens the scope of criminal sanctions against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transexual and queer people - simply for being who they are - and threatens criminal penalties against perceived allies of LGBTQ+ people," he said.

The bill awaits to be presented to President Nana Akufo-Addo who will then have seven days to either sign it into law or refuse to assent to it as per the constitution of Ghana. 




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