FORMER Ghanaian president and opposition presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama has openly opposed LGBTQ+
rights during a meeting with clergy members in eastern Ghana. While affirming his Christian beliefs against gay marriage and transgender identity, Mahama, who was retained as the leader of the National Democratic Congress for the 2024 presidential election, did not specify his stance on the ongoing legislative debates surrounding the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill.
Mahama’s comments were made in response to a church leader’s call against LGBTQ+ people. He expressed, ‘The faith I have will not allow me to accept a man marrying a man, and a woman marrying a woman.’ Despite his strong opposition, Mahama did not provide clarity on whether he would sign the bill that seeks to criminalise same-sex relations, being transgender, and advocating LGBTQ rights, should he emerge victorious in the December elections.
Lawmakers in Ghana have been deliberating on the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Fa
mily Values bill since August 2021. Critics and activists argue that passing the bill would further curtail freedoms in a country where gay sex is already punishable with up to three years in jail.
