Bill to criminalize LGBTQIA+ relationships and their supporters is called “Promoting Sexual Human Rights and Family Values Ghana”
Photo: iStock/Royal Graphics
The Ghanaian Parliament last Wednesday the 28th passed a bill that further restricts the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community. The bill would impose a prison sentence of up to three years for people in samesex relationships and transgender people, and up to five years in prison for anyone who defends the rights of LGBTQIA+ people.
Countries where homosexuality is a crime
The text of the “AntiGay Law,” officially called the “Ghana Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill,” was supported by a coalition of traditional Christian and Muslim leaders and introduced in June 2021.
With Parliament's approval, the law must now be signed by President Nana AkufoAddo, who has not yet confirmed whether he will sign the project. Nana will step down as president in December after two terms in office.
According to the Accra News Agency, the day before the bill was passed by Parliament, the CEO of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD), Audrey Gadzekpo, demanded that the country's president not assent to the law.
According to her, “human rights do not depend on the consent of the majority” and hopes that the law can be repealed in the future if approved by Nana AkufoAddo.
“Ghana is a secular and multireligious country with over 50 ethnic groups with different cultural practices and beliefs. Any attempt to create a single cultural value system for Ghana erases the beautiful cultural mosaic that makes us a unique people,” he told Audrey Gadzekpo.
According to CBS, attacks against the LGBTQIA+ community have increased in recent weeks due to debate over the bill. The broadcaster revealed that activists reported people being robbed and threatened with exposure. In addition, students were attacked and expelled from schools.
The United Nations (UN) said in 2021 that the bill restricting the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community would “create a system of statesponsored discrimination and violence.”
Source: Redação Nos