LONDON – Ghana's parliament has passed a controversial new anti-LGBTQ law after months of debate that could make it illegal to identify as an LGBTQ citizen in the West African country.
The bill, called the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, was passed by the national legislature on Wednesday in a unanimous vote of lawmakers.
The proposed law, sent to ABC News, says it aims to “ensure adequate sexual human rights and Ghanaian family values.”
It now awaits signature by Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo.
The bill is one of the toughest of its kind in Africa and, if enacted, could affect people who identify as “gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, non-binary, queer… or any other sexual or gender identity.” identify that contradicts the binary categories of man and woman, sentenced to a prison sentence of up to three years.
Those found guilty of “promoting, sponsoring or supporting LGBTQ+ activities” also face up to five years in prison.
Homosexual sexual acts are already illegal in the West African country and a conviction for the crime carries a prison sentence of up to three years.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, condemned the passage of the law and called for it not to be brought into force.
“The bill expands the scope of criminal sanctions against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, transsexuals and queer people – simply because they are who they are,” Türk responded to the bill. “I demand that the bill not become law. I call on the Government of Ghana to take action to ensure that everyone can live free from violence, stigma and discrimination, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Consensual same-sex behavior should never be criminalized.”
The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill was first tabled in Parliament in 2021 after sparking a wave of anti-LGBTQ sentiment following the opening of Ghana's first LGBTQ+ community center.
“We did not expect such an uproar,” Alex Kofi Donkor, director of LGBT+ Rights Ghana, which hosted an inaugural event in Ghana’s capital Accra in 2021, told Portal.
“We expected that some homophobic organizations would use the opportunity to exploit the situation and incite tensions against the community, but the hateful reaction against homosexuals was unprecedented,” Donkor said.
A total of 31 of the 54 African countries criminalize homosexuality, and the passage of the law in Ghana follows Uganda's passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Law in Uganda in 2023.
The United States said it was “deeply disturbed” by the passage of the law, saying it posed a threat to “Ghanaians' constitutionally protected freedoms of expression, press and assembly.”
“Ghana's tradition of tolerance, peace and respect for human rights is a source of stability and prosperity that has long served as a model for countries around the world. This legislation contradicts those values and, if it becomes law, will undermine them.” “A laudable tradition,” the US State Department said.
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