A bill in Ghana that would make it a crime to be gay, bisexual or transgender has shocked the local LGBTQ+ community and raised fears over a possible surge in discrimination and violence against sexual minorities in the West African country.
Gay sex is already punishable with up to three years in jail in Ghana, where homophobic persecution is widespread, but the draft law would go much further – making it illegal to be LGBTQ+ or advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and imposing longer sentences.
“This bill is a homophobe’s dream law,” said Danny Bediako from Rightify Ghana, a local LGBTQ+ group, in reference to the proposal submitted to parliament last month.
“The community is shocked at how wide-ranging it is. People are even scared to go out now and some members say they will leave the country if the bill is passed into law. Even those who want to help us will be afraid,” he added.
There is cross-party support in the largely conservative Christian nation for the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021, which some political analysts said could win enough backing to become law.
If approved, the legislation would make it a crime punishable with up to five years imprisonment to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, pansexual and non-binary – someone who does not identify as male or female.
Anyone advocating for their rights or helping them could get 10 years in jail. Online platforms or media companies publishing information deemed to support LGBT+ people or challenge traditional binary gender identity could be prosecuted.
On the other hand, the draft law promotes so-called conversion therapy by allowing flexible sentencing for an LGBTQ+ person if they request “treatment”, and encourages parents of intersex children to have them undergo surgical “realignment”.
Other articles include outlawing “intentional cross-dressing” and making it a citizen’s duty to report any LGBTQ+ persons or activities to authorities.
Ghana’s parliament has to appoint a committee to review the draft legislation and then it will be subject to various amendments before it can be passed into law.
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