IN a contentious session on Wednesday, Ghana’s parliament took a significant stride towards voting on a bill aimed at further curbing the rights of LGBT individuals, rebuffing proposals for milder penalties. The legislation, spearheaded by a coalition of Christian, Muslim, and traditional Ghanaian leaders, enjoys widespread support among lawmakers despite vehement opposition from activists.
Ruling-party lawmaker Alexander Afenyo-Markin withdrew his proposed amendment, which suggested replacing jail terms for gay sex with non-custodial sentences like counselling, following its rejection. Afenyo-Markin contended that imprisoning individuals for LGBT-related offences might exacerbate the issue, contrary to the bill’s purported goal.
‘This decision will further deepen the panic within our community,’ remarked a 27-year-old lesbian and LGBT activist who requested anonymity. ‘We would now have to be extra careful with our way of life,’ she told Reuters, reflecting the heightened fears among LGBT individuals as the bill edges closer to enactment.
The bill, formally titled The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, is among the most stringent of its kind in Africa. If passed, it would criminalise the advocacy of rights for lesbian, gay, or other non-conventional sexual or gender identities, punishable by up to a decade in prison. Presently, gay sex in Ghana carries a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment, which would increase to five years under the proposed law.
However, the bill’s advancement has triggered concerns both domestically and internationally. Activists warn of exacerbating abuse and hostility towards the already vulnerable LGBT community. The United Nations cautioned in 2021 that the legislation would institutionalise discrimination and violence against sexual minorities.
President Nana Akufo-Addo’s stance on the bill remains uncertain, as he has yet to confirm whether he would endorse it into law. The legislation, now slated for further refinement before a parliamentary vote, requires presidential assent to become enforceable. Promoters of the bill aim to push it through by March, intensifying the debate over LGBT rights in Ghana.
This move echoes similar controversial legislation in other African countries, such as Uganda’s stringent anti-LGBT laws enacted in 2023, which included provisions for the death penalty in certain cases. Such measures have drawn condemnation from human rights groups and international organizations, prompting concerns over the well-being and safety of LGBT communities across the continent.
