On Wednesday, the country’s parliament approved a contentious bill that would significantly hinder LGBTQ rights.
The leader must also ratify the bill before it becomes law, which is, according to experts, unlikely before a December general election.
The “Human Sexual Rights and Family Values” act has been criticized as a loss for individual rights and called for President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration to back down.
However, the act has a lot of support in Ghana, where Akufo-Addo has stated that gay marriage will never be permitted while he is in power.
The radical legislation, which is frequently referred to as the anti-gay bill, was supported by a coalition of Christian, Muslim, and traditional African leaders and passed in an unopposed voice vote.
Gay sex is already prohibited in the spiritual West African country, but unlike the colonial era laws, prejudice against LGBTQ people is still prevalent.
Same-sex relationships could face sentences of up to three years according to the bill’s rules.
Those who support transgender rights face harsher sanctions, with possible prison sentences of three to five years.
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Volker Turk, the UN’s representative for rights, blasted the passage of the bill.
He said, “I demand that the bill not become law.” Same-sex sexual behavior should never be criminalized.
He urged the government to “ensure everyone can live free from violence, shame, and bias, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” and warned that such measures could expose people to hate crimes.
The US State Department in Washington stated that the legislation would “threaten all Ghanaians’ constitutionally protected freedoms of speech, press, and assembly.”
According to company official Matt Miller, “Limiting the rights of one group in a society undermines the rights of all.”
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The Big 18, an advocacy group of doctors and activists in Ghana, has also criticized the bill.
“You never criminalize a person’s identity, and that’s what the bill is doing and it’s completely wrong,” said Takyiwaa Manuh, a coalition member.
According to Manuh, “We want to impress on the leader that the act completely violates the individual rights of the Gay community,” he told AFP.
The bill’s major sponsor, opposition lawmaker Sam George, requested that Akufo-Addo give his assent.
“Nothing else addresses LGBTQ issues more effectively than the act that has been passed by the legislature. We anticipate the leader to speak up and speak his mind,” George said.
People of Ghana’s Gay community are concerned about the impact of the bill.
“The passage of this act will further marginalize and harm LGBTQ people in Ghana,” according to Alex Donkor, founder and director of the organization LGBT+ Rights Ghana.
He claimed that it not only legalizes bias but also creates a climate of fear and persecution.
This act threatens the health and well-being of an already vulnerable group by severe penalties for both LGBTQ people and activists.
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Association (ILGA) claims that around 30 African countries currently outlaw homosexuality.
Those accused of violating same-sex relationships in Uganda, Mauritania, and other northern African states are subject to a severe death penalty.
South Africa is the only country on the continent that permits gay marriage, which was legalized in 2006.
Only in a few countries, including Cape Verde, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Mozambique, and the Seychelles, have same-sex ties been decriminalized, according to the ILGA.
