Report on anti-gay bill laid before Parliament

The Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee has laid before Parliament the report on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and the Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021.

The bill seeks to criminalize LGBTQ activities by establishing proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values, outlawing LGBT-related activities, and protecting and supporting children.

The private members’ bill is being championed by eight members of Parliament, led by Ningo-Prampram MP, Samuel Nartey George.

He says if the President fails to assent to the bill, two-thirds of the members of Parliament can vote in favour of the bill to be passed into law.
Among other things, the Bill proposes jail term for people who engage in same sex.
If the Bill becomes law, various forms of support for the LGBTQ+ community will also be criminalized.

While data indicates that most Ghanaians are in favour of the Bill, it has faced criticism from renowned artists and academics.

It has, however, generated some widespread conversation, with many expressing varied views about some clauses in the document.

But following the heated conversations amidst pressure on Parliament to pass the bill, there have been speculations that MPs who support the bill may be denied some privileges from members of the international community.

Many persons and institutions have filed memoranda in support of the bill and to help fine-tune it.

Several renowned legal, academic and civil society professionals have also filed documents challenging the legislation.

In the memorandum, they contend that the Bill is an “impermissible invasion of the inviolability of human dignity.”

They further argued that pushing through the Bill will be to challenge Ghana’s constitution and democracy.