The controversial bill to make the promotion of homosexual and same-sex sexual preferences criminal in Ghana has been completed and is set to be passed soon, Whatsup News can report.
The Bill which has the full support of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Bagbin was sponsored by eight legislatures who maintain that they were prompted by the need for “proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values”.
The 36-page bill primarily seeks to “criminalise the promotion, advocacy, funding and act of homosexuality.”
Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, one of the eight legislators backing the bill, claimed that “homosexuality is not a human right. It is a lifestyle choice, a sexual preference.”
A copy of the draft bill sets out legislation to “…proscribe LGBTQ+ and related activities, proscribe propaganda of, and promotion of LGBTTQQIAAP+ and related activities.”
However, the bill is not seeking to witch-hunt closet LGBTQ++ practitioners as it sets out modalities to protect them from attacks on suspicions over their sexuality.
The bill states that it will “provide for the protection of and support of children, persons who are victims or accused of LGBTTQQIAAP+ and related activities….”
However, LGBTQ and human rights advocacy groups such as Rightify Ghana, are uncomfortable with the legislation, saying it could erode progress in the fight against HIV / AIDS.
“Our concern is that access to HIV services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people will be severely affected by the anti-LGBTQ bill -– further criminalizing LGBTQI people, organizations and activities as well as people who support them. When such a homophobic bill is passed, people who have been exposed to HIV, may be discouraged from visiting clinics for fear of discrimination and arrests.” The group wrote in a statement.
“Service providers may also be threatened with the law and this may negatively impact their work and service delivery,” Rightify feared.
The group quoted a statement from the UN anti-AIDS program: “Laws that criminalize same-sex sexual relations undermine the basic human rights of LGBTI people and increase their vulnerability to HIV. LGBTI rights are human rights. They must be protected!”
Meanwhile, The Speaker of Parliament is the biggest fan of the bill, saying the practice of homosexuality, which is strongly abhorred by Ghanaians will not be allowed to take root in the country because it threatens the family values in Ghana.
“I am very clear in my mind that the Parliament of Ghana will pass this Bill [to criminalise LGBTQ]. I have gone through it and I will confirm that the Bill will be a reference point for many countries. It has gone through all the provisions of the constitutions, laws, and international obligations,” the Speaker was quoted as saying.
‘I want to assure all of you that we will create room for the Bill to be presented to Parliament officially. We will refer it to the appropriate committee and take it through all the stages of processing a Bill, and it shall be passed this year,’ he said.
Describing LGBTQI activities as a pandemic, Alban Bagbin said it “must be fought by all of us.”
“I can tell you that it is more than COVID-19, and I am happy that our beloved country, Ghana, is together in this. The President has spoken, our traditional leaders have spoken, our religious leaders have spoken together, and Ghanaians have spoken with one voice, and we don’t want to do anything that has to do with LGBTQ activities. I will always do what is right because good will always triumph over evil,” he fired.