Ghana's Parliament adopts anti-LGBTQ+ Bill
Ghana's parliament has backed a proposed amendment to an "anti-gay" bill that would make identifying as LGBT punishable by a three-year prison sentence. People who campaign for LGBT rights could also face up to ten years in prison.
On Wednesday, Ghana's Parliament unanimously adopted the "Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2022" also known as anti- LGBTQ+ Bill.
The bill, a bi-partisan Private Members Bill, was introduced by eight Members of Parliament led by Mr Samuel Nartey George, National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Ningo-Prampram.
George, the lead sponsor of the Bill said: "The danger of homosexuality is grave, persons who are homosexuals or transgenders from statistics from the CDS have at least six times higher rate of obesity, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts than heterosexual people."
Bernard Ahiafor,MP for Akatsi South, said the passing of the Bill will not violate any international treaties.
The proposed legislation sets out to provide for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian Family Values. This legislation proscribes LGBTQ+ relations. The amendments were backed by a cross-party group of MPs, but will be scrutinized again before becoming law.
The Bill now moves to the consideration stage, after which it will go through the third reading before it is passed into law.
Ghana is the latest African country, alongside Kenya and Uganda to be in the news for harsh laws and violence against members of the queer community. Uganda has just signed into law what has been described as "the most extreme" legislation against the LGBTIQ+ community, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.