The Parliament of Ghana has approved the bill on Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, also known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill. The bill criminalizes LGBTQ+ activities, including their promotion, advocacy, and funding.
Ahead of the passage, sponsors of the bill filed a motion for a further consideration stage. The lead sponsor, Samuel Nartey George, proposed amendments to clauses 10 and 11 of the bill, which deal with the editorial policies of media firms, to ensure they align with Article 12 of the 1992 constitution, providing for freedom of the media. These amendments were approved by the House.
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However, the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, filed a motion for clause 12 of the bill, which addresses the funding of LGBTQ+ activities, to be subjected to the constitution, but this was negated by the House.
The passage of the bill by Parliament comes after Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, the Board Chair of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), called on President Akufo-Addo to reject the bill. Prof. Gadzekpo argued that the bill undermines fundamental human rights protected by the Constitution, including dignity, freedom of speech and association, academic freedom, equality, and non-discrimination.
The bill will now require presidential assent to come into force. President Nana Akufo-Addo has not confirmed if he would sign the bill into law.
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The United Nations expressed concerns in 2021, stating that the proposed law would create “a system of state-sponsored discrimination and violence” against sexual minorities.
This development in Ghana follows Uganda’s signing of one of the world’s toughest anti-LGBT laws in May 2023, which included the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” leading to a wave of abuse and the suspension of new funding by the World Bank to the country.
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