Ghana lawmakers pass legislation imposing tough sanctions on LGBTQ+
Ghana’s parliament has approved stringent new legislation that mandates a prison term of up to three years for individuals found to be identifying as LGBTQ+.
The legislation also seeks to enforce a maximum five-year jail sentence for those involved in forming or financially supporting LGBTQ+ organizations in the country.
Efforts to substitute prison sentences with community service and counseling were dismissed by lawmakers.
The objective of the bill, according to lawmakers, is to provide for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian Family Values, which prohibit lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+), and related activities.
The bill currently proscribes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activities and criminalises their promotion, advocacy, and funding.
The legislation, supported by Ghana’s two main political parties, will only come into effect upon approval by President Nana Akufo-Addo.
President Akufo-Addo had previously stated his willingness to sign it into law if it aligns with the desires of the majority of Ghanaians.
Lawmakers in Ghana earlier said the bill was drafted in response to the opening of Ghana’s first LGBTQ+ community centre in the capital, Accra, in January 2021, leading to opposition by the Christian Council of Ghana and the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council.
In a statement last month, Amnesty International cautioned that the bill “poses significant risks to the basic rights and freedoms” of LGBTQ+ people.
