Parliament in Ghana has passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, also known as the anti-LGBTQ bill, which proscribes LGBTQ activities and criminalizes their promotion, advocacy, and funding.
The bill imposes jail terms ranging from six months to three years for individuals caught engaging in LGBTQ activities, with promoters and sponsors facing even harsher penalties of three to five years in prison.
Ahead of the bill’s passage, sponsors of the legislation filed a motion for further consideration, during which amendments were proposed and approved by the House. One significant amendment proposed by lead sponsor Samuel Nartey George was to subject clauses 10 and 11 of the bill, which pertain to editorial policies of media firms, to Article 12 of the 1992 constitution, guaranteeing freedom of the press.
However, a motion filed by Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin to subject clause 12 of the bill, concerning the funding of LGBTQ activities, to constitutional scrutiny was rejected by the House.
The passage of the bill by Parliament follows calls from various quarters, including the Board Chair of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, for President Akufo-Addo to reject the bill.
Prof. Gadzekpo argued that the legislation undermines fundamental human rights protected by the Constitution and warned against jeopardizing Ghana’s democratic principles.
The bill will now require presidential assent to become law, although President Nana Akufo-Addo has not indicated whether he intends to sign it. International bodies, such as the United Nations, have criticized similar laws, warning that they could institutionalize discrimination and violence against sexual minorities.
The passing of this bill in Ghana follows similar controversial legislation in other African countries, such as Uganda, where stringent anti-LGBT laws have sparked international condemnation and led to the suspension of aid by organizations like the World Bank.