Humanist Association of Ghana a pressure group promoting the rights of gays and lesbians in Ghana has prevailed on parliament to suspend the anti-LGBTQ+ bill before the house.
As Parliament nears resumption on October 26, issues around the controversial bill have regained steam.
In its current state, the bill seeks to criminalize the activities of LGBTQI+ as well as individuals and organizations that advocate or promote the activity in the country.
The 36-page Private Member’s Bill provides for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values, proscribe LGBTQI+ and related activities, propaganda of, advocacy for or promotion of LGBTTQI+ and related activities.
However, a series of memoranda have been presented to the Committee in opposition to the legislation.
Persons behind these memos seeking a retraction of the bill in its entirety include renowned lawyer Mr Akoto Ampaw; author, scholar and former Director of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, Prof. Emerita Takyiwaa Manuh; a communication and media expert, Prof. Kwame Karikari; the Dean of the University of Ghana (Legon) School of Law, Prof. Raymond Atuguba, and the Dean of the University of Ghana School of Information and Communication Studies, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo.
The Director of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Professor Dzodzi Tsikata; the Executive Director of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, and a former Executive Director of CDD-Ghana, Prof. Kofi Gyimah-Boadi, are also members of the group.
Many of them say the bill is backward and connotes state-sponsored violence against persons who identify as LQBTQ+.
According to the Humanist Association of Ghana, the bill will put the lives of persons in that bracket at risk.
Organizing Secretary of the group Angela Datsi provided justification of the bill.
