Ghanaian lawmakers debate anti-LGBTQ bill

July 5, 2023 Elwin Mandowa

Ghanaian lawmakers on Wednesday started debating an anti-LGBTQ bill that is meant to tighten restrictions around gay activities and rights.

The promotion of proper sexual human rights and the Ghanaian family values bill, is being sponsored by some Members of Parliament and not the government but has support of religious bodies.

Should the bill be passed in to law it would criminalize all same sex related activities including activism.

Various human rights activists have expressed their displeasure at Ghana’s lawmakers to pass such a law.

Parliamentary debate on the bill is now taking place as the lawmakers prepare to pass the bill into law in the coming months.

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The second-reading of the bill on Wednesday is part of the parliamentary procedures required to ensure its eventual passage.

Defending the bill

A male MP, Bernard Ahiafor, during the debate said the passing of the bill will not violate any international treaty.

“The bill under reference if passed into law will not violate article 108 of the 1992 constitution of Ghana,” Mr Ahiafor said, adding if this bill is passed into law there is no provision in any international treaty or convention that will be violated,” Ahiafo said.

Meanwhile a female lawmaker, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has urged women who are also coerced by their husbands into engaging in oral and anal sex to report those incidents to the police.

She expressed concern that some wives have faced threats of divorce from their husbands for refusing to participate in such sexual acts. She highlighted the importance of the proposed bill to address those issues.

“For the avoidance of doubt and the information of all Ghanaians, oral sex, anal sex regardless of whether it is between woman and man, man and man or woman and woman is illegal under our law and so if there is anybody who is practising oral sex or anal sex please note that what you are doing is against the existing law of this country,” she said.

“And so I will urge any woman or young girl being subjected to any such practice under the guise of heterosexual sex to know that what they are being asked to do is against and law and must seek help from the Police. Anal sex is unnatural carnal knowledge, use of sex toys is unnatural carnal knowledge.”

The issue of homosexuality is very controversial in most African countries, where there is very little support for such rights.

Uganda recently passed an anti-LGBTQ law considered one of the world’s harshest which allows for death penalty for persons considered serial offenders.

It also imposes a life sentence for same-sex intercourse and a 20-year sentence for promotion of homosexuality.