Board member of the LGBTQ+ community in Ghana, Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi
Board member of the LGBTQ+ community in Ghana, Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi, says the debate on the anti LGBTQ+ bill before the country’s parliament is only creating more hate and disgust against them.
She made this assertion in an interview with Sefah-Danquah via phone on the Happy Morning Show (#HappyHMS) aired on e. TV Ghana and Happy 98.9FM. “Parliament is passing a hateful bill to criminalize people’s existence and this shouldn’t be.”
According to her, Ghanaians are hospitable and do not discriminate no matter your gender or origin but this seems to be changing against the LGBTQ+ community.
To her, the creation of the anti LGBTQ+ bill will just create hatred amongst Ghanaians. “Ghanaians are caring that even if you fall on the street people will run to your rescue before they even think of who you are, your colour sexuality, and gender,” she said.
She lamented how hate is being created amongst individuals without realizing the great impact it may be having on people in society.
“Hate can be so packaged that you do not necessarily feel that it’s going to be hateful until it begins to create chaos and violence. If you listen to people’s reaction to what they’ve heard already about the bill it is not good. It has created some kind of sensitization that people do not understand what it means to belong to the LQBTQ+ community,” she said.
Background
Earlier this year, the Speaker of Parliament received a private member bill from some MPs that would expand on the current law that provides up to three years in prison for same-sex activity.
Reports have it that the new bill when passed will prohibit and criminalize advocacy, funding, and an act of LGBTQ+ while promoting conversion therapy programs seeking to “convert” people from homosexuality to heterosexuality.
Meanwhile, fifteen renowned legal, academic and civil society professionals have filled a memorandum challenging the anti-gay legislation submitted to Parliament.
In the memorandum, they contend that the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, which seeks to criminalize LGBTQ+ and adjacent activities, is an “impermissible invasion of the inviolability of human dignity.”
Some Christian leaders, on the other hand, have submitted a memorandum to Parliament on the Proper Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, endorsing the bill.