Ghana Considers Sweeping New Anti-LGBTQ+ Law
LGBT+ rights are under significant threat in Ghana. (Wikimedia)
The Ghanaian legislature officially commenced a months-long debate over LGBTQ+ rights on October 21. The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill reached Parliament a month ago after its conception in August. This proposed law would introduce harsher penalties for LGBTQ+ citizens in Ghana and would impose a “duty to report” the criminalized behavior for all citizens.
The bill introduces a sentence of up to five years of imprisonment for being LGBTQ+ and up to ten years of imprisonment for those who either advocate for LGBTQ+ rights or abstain from reporting. Furthermore, the legislation addresses the possibility of conversion therapy, clarifying that there may be “flexible sentencing” for arrested LGBTQ+ individuals who request “treatment” to change their identity or orientation. The law will also make cross-dressing and “public displays of affection” illegal, with violators subject to fines or detention.
Gay sex is already prohibited in the state, where around 70 percent of the population is affiliated with a Christian denomination, and where roughly 90 percent of the country supports statutes that criminalize same-sex relations. The proposed measures seize on these public sentiments in a society where members of the LGBT+ community have long faced harassment and discrimination.
International condemnation came swiftly in response to news of the bill. Idris Elba and Naomi Campbell are among the most prominent celebrities to express their disapproval. Within the church community itself, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby spoke out this past week, proclaiming his “grave concern” over the law and reiterating that the church’s mission is the “same in every culture and country.” This law will explicitly violate previous agreements made by all Anglican churches to prohibit discriminatory legislation.
Ghana’s first LGBTQ+ support center opened in Accra in January, with diplomats from several European states and Australia present for the monumental occasion. Retaliation came instantly, and the center eventually closed after public demonstrations. This was just another reminder that support for LGBTQ+ rights in the West African state is still low. Ghanaians who support LGBTQ+ rights blame the recent rise in hate on Western actors—specifically the World Congress of Families, a far-right social advocacy group based in the United States that supports discriminatory policies such as this bill. The organization, founded in the 1990s in collaboration with right-wing U.S. citizens and Russians, hosted a conference in Accra in 2019, advocating for the exact “family values” that are addressed in the bill’s title and text.
The bill will undergo months of debate in Parliament, where it is expected to pass with a clear majority, before going to Ghanaian President Nana Afuko-Addo’s desk. Though Akufo-Addo ideologically aligns with the proposed law and recognizes the vast support domestically for its passage, he will be forced to weigh this with the international consequences sure to follow. Many Ghanaian politicians are already fearing the bill’s effect on tourism and economic development.
Successful ratification of “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values” will situate Ghana closer to other African countries such as Chad and Burundi, which have cracked down on LGBTQ+ rights in recent years.