Ghanaian lawmakers have passed a bill that would punish people found promoting “LGBTQ activism” or defending LGBTQ rights with up to 10 years in prison.
The bill, which is expected to be signed into law by President John Dramani Mahama, prohibits funding for LGBTQ organizations and activities, as well as the “promotion, sponsorship, or advocacy” of LGBTQ acts. Associated Press.
The law also imposes three years in prison for those who engage in homosexual acts and five years in prison for those who operate brothels for prohibited sexual acts.
Additionally, the bill would require anyone with knowledge of homosexual activity or LGBTQ-related advocacy to report it to police or other authorities, and failure to do so could result in up to three years in prison.
Same-sex relationships are already criminalized in Ghana under colonial-era laws that prohibit “unnatural sexual knowledge.”
The new law expands on these restrictions by criminalizing any activity or speech that could be interpreted as advocating for LGBTQ people or encouraging or condoning same-sex behavior, even from a public health perspective.
Previous version of the law passed It came into force in 2024, but was never signed by then-President Nana Akufo-Addo. At the time, the country’s Ministry of Finance warned that enactment of the bill could cause a loss of international financing and jeopardize up to $3.8 billion in World Bank funds and a $3 billion International Monetary Fund loan package needed to help Ghana recover from the economic crisis.
Despite the setback, however, religious groups continued to push for the bill’s passage, arguing that the restrictions were necessary to protect Ghana’s family values ​​and cultural norms, positions that assume homosexuality is “contagious” or that same-sex attraction can be acquired through indoctrination.
More than 30 of Africa’s 54 countries have laws criminalizing same-sex acts, with penalties ranging from fines and prison terms to life imprisonment and the death penalty. Countries such as Somalia, Uganda, Mauritania and parts of Nigeria provide for the death penalty for certain same-sex crimes.
Critics say the law would violate constitutional rights and encourage persecution and discrimination against sexual and sexual minorities. Human Rights Watch condemned the bill and called on the government to “uphold international legal protections that guarantee equality, non-discrimination, freedom of expression, and the right to privacy for all Ghanaians.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
