Rev. John Ntim Fordjour
Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has indicated that the recently passed Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill is to protect Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) promoters.
According Rev Fordjour who is a consistent leading sponsor of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, the amendments made to the Bill created exemptions that would allow certain groups to advocate for LGBTQ rights without facing sanctions under the proposed law.
Speaking on a weekend show on the passage of the Anti-LGBTQ Bill and its various provisions, Rev. Ntim Fordjour said changes made to Clause 9 of the bill weakened its original intent.
“Clause 9 which prohibits advocacy and promotion was amended to grant lawyers, medical doctors, journalists, NGOs, MPs, foreign donors, counselors etc. the free pass and exemption to promote and advocate freely for LGBTQ without being held liable,” he stated.
According to the Assin South legislator, the amendments introduced exceptions for several professional and institutional groups, effectively shielding them from prosecution for activities that could otherwise be considered advocacy or promotion of LGBTQ issues under the legislation.
He suggested that the revisions significantly altered the scope of the provision and rather grant the free pass to the exempted persons to openly promote LGBTQ acts without consequences.
The bill, formally known as the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, has generated extensive public debate in the country, with Minority Caucus insisting it was deliberately botched to avoid assent while Catholic Bishop Conference contend it was hollowed out of its content for a disfigured bill insisting on assent to the bill in its original form passed in 2024, without amendments.
A Daily Guide Report
