The Parliament has approved the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, commonly referred to as the anti-LGBTQ bill. This legislation criminalizes LGBT activities, as well as their promotion, advocacy, and funding.
Individuals engaged in such activities could face imprisonment ranging from six months to three years, while those promoting or sponsoring such acts could be sentenced to three to five years in jail.
Prior to its passage, proponents of the bill initiated a motion for further consideration, seeking to subject clauses 10 and 11, which pertain to editorial policies of media organizations, to Article 12 of the 1992 constitution guaranteeing freedom of the media. These amendments were accepted by the House.
However, a motion filed by the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, to subject clause 12, which addresses the funding of LGBT activities, to constitutional scrutiny, was rejected by the House.
This legislative development occurred shortly after Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, the Board Chair of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), urged President Akufo-Addo to reject the bill. Prof. Gadzekpo argued that the bill violates fundamental human rights protected by the Constitution, including dignity, freedom of speech and association, academic freedom, equality, and non-discrimination.
She emphasized the importance of upholding these rights for Ghana’s constitutional democracy, warning that compromising them could undermine democratic principles.
The bill now awaits presidential assent to become law. However, President Nana Akufo-Addo has yet to confirm whether he will sign it.
In 2021, the United Nations expressed concerns that the proposed law would institutionalize discrimination and violence against sexual minorities.
Comparably, in May 2023, Uganda enacted stringent anti-LGBT legislation, including provisions for the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” leading to widespread abuse and a suspension of new funding by the World Bank.
