Anti-gay bill: Let’s be careful before we criminalise sex toys – Ursula Owusu-Ekuful

Minister for Communications and Digitalisation, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, urged parliament to tread cautiously as it considers the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill (anti-LGBTQ+ bill) to avoid unintended consequences.

Speaking on the floor of parliament during the consideration of amendments to the bill on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, Owusu-Ekuful, MP for Ablekuma West raised concerns about a proposed amendment to Clause 3 of the bill which suggests the criminalisation of sex toys.

She indicated that sex toys cannot be criminalised because they are also used by straight people to enhance sexual experiences.

“I think we raised this when the committee was considering it (the bill) that the proposed amendment in 3(c) may create unintended consequences because sexual intercourse between a man and an inanimate object or a woman and an inanimate object would necessarily include sexual intercourse with all manner of aids that couple use to enhance the sexual experience.

“And I’m not sure if that’s what the intention of this bill is. It would necessarily include sex toys and other aids that couples, heterosexual couples, also use to enhance the sexual experience,” she said.

The Minister continued, “So if that is what the house intends then we have to be clear in our minds that we may be criminalising activities which may not necessarily be limited to only those LGBTQI community that the target of this bill is, but it may also be targeting straight couples who use sex enhancement tools to enhance the sexual experience”.

The MP went ahead to propose the removal of the said amendment from the bill.

“So, we need to be mindful of the unintended consequences of 3(c) could be. And I’ll propose that 3(c) be deleted from this amendment.”