LGBTQ+ activities ‘worse than Covid-19’
GHANA’S speaker of parliament has condemned attempts to “promote” LGBTQ+ activities in the country, calling these acts “worse than the Covid19 pandemic” and that they must be fought by all.
Speaker Alban Bagbin made the comments in parliament yesterday.
According to a report by online news website News Ghana.com, the speaker was quoted as saying: “I am happy our beloved country Ghana is together on this. The faint-hearted would soon be strengthened to come back to join the fold.”
He was speaking at a meeting attended by a coalition of members of parliament, religious and traditional leaders and civil society at which they discussed LGBTQ+ promotion.
The parties also discussed the proposed introduction of a Private Members’ Bill on Homosexuality, which would seek to criminalise and prohibit the promotion of homosexuality in all its forms, said the report. Ghana has been in the spotlight recently for its treatment of LGBTQ+ people after authorities raided the office of an LGBTQ+ advocacy and support group on February 24.
Same-sex sexual acts between males are illegal in Ghana, with a punishment of up to three years in prison if found guilty.
Furthermore, rights groups have condemned the arrest of 21 people by Ghanaian police for “unlawful assembly” and promoting an LGBTQ+ agenda in May, wrote the Guardian Nigeria. According to Human Rights Watch, LGBTQ+ people in Ghana are very frequently victims of physical violence and psychological abuse, extortion and discrimination in many different aspects of daily life due to their sexual orientation and gender identity.