Ghana Parliament Passes Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill

The parliament in Ghana has approved a new bill criminalising homosexuality and the promotion of LGBTQ+ activities.

It proposes that identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer be punished by up to three years’ imprisonment. The bill also introduces a “duty to report” prohibited acts to police.

Religious leaders have pressured President John Dramani Mahama, who still needs to ratify the legislation, to strengthen anti-gay laws since he came to power last year.

The ban has been sharply criticised by international organisations, including Human Rights Watch, which said it placed LGBTQ+ peoples’ lives at risk while also “encouraging citizens to surveil and denounce one another”.

Same-sex relationships have been banned in Ghana under laws dating from the British colonial era.

In an address to parliament, the bill’s sponsor Reverend John Ntim Fordjour said it would protect Ghanaian family and cultural values, according to the BBC. He said the new bans would make existing laws “more robust, more encompassing and more stringent in dealing with the practices of LGBTQI”.

Anyone who identifies as an “ally”, a general term for a supporter of LGBTQ+ people, could also face a prison sentence.