On Wednesday, Ghana’s former president and prominent opposition presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama, voiced his opposition to LGBTQ+ rights during a meeting with clergy members in eastern Ghana.
However, Mahama did not explicitly state whether he would support a bill aimed at criminalizing same-sex relations.
Addressing the issue, Mahama stated, “The faith I have will not allow me to accept a man marrying a man, and a woman marrying a woman.”
He emphasized that gay marriage and transgender identity conflicted with his Christian beliefs, remarking, “I don’t believe that anybody can get up and say I feel like a man although I was born a woman and so I will change and become a man.”
Despite his stance on LGBTQ+ issues, Mahama refrained from confirming his position on the bill currently under consideration in Ghana’s parliament.
The bill, titled the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill, proposes criminalizing same-sex relations, being transgender, and advocating LGBTQ rights.
However, Mahama did not explicitly state whether he would sign the bill into law if elected president in the December elections.
Critics and activists have raised concerns about the bill, arguing that it would further restrict freedoms in Ghana, where gay sex is already punishable by up to three years in jail.
The bill has been a topic of debate among lawmakers in the West African nation since August 2021.
