Ghana’s queer community is once again facing the threat of being jailed simply for identifying as LGBTQ+ after lawmakers revived the country’s extreme Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill.
The Return of a Draconian Bill
The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill was originally introduced in Parliament in 2021 and was passed by lawmakers in February 2024, despite widespread international condemnation.
However, outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo refused to sign the bill. Following the December 2024 national elections, newly elected President John Mahama declared that the bill had expired along with the dissolution of the previous Parliament.
MP and Reverend John Ntim Fordjour confirmed to GhanaWeb last week that he and several other MPs had reintroduced the private members’ bill in late February.
“We have signed the bill, and we have duly submitted it to Mr Speaker. We have submitted the same to the Clerk of Parliament. We have copied the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader, so it stands as submitted and reintroduced,” he said.
The Impact of Trump
Speaking to Reuters, Fordjour expressed confidence that Ghana would face less international pressure over the bill under the current global political climate.
“The global political climate is favourable for conservative values, as demonstrated in the bold conservative pronouncements of President Donald Trump,” he said, referring to the US president’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
Escalating Persecution of LGBTQ+ Ghanaians
Same-sex intimacy is already illegal in Ghana under colonial-era laws, but the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill would significantly increase the persecution of LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies.
The proposed law includes prison sentences of up to five years for same-sex intimacy and up to 10 years for advocating LGBTQ+ rights. It also criminalises gender-affirming healthcare, targeting both providers and recipients. Additionally, landlords who rent properties to LGBTQ+ individuals could face up to six years in prison.
Human Rights Violations and Opposition
A coalition of local human rights groups has warned that the bill violates key fundamental rights enshrined in Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, including the rights to dignity, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom to partake in processions, academic freedom, equality, and non-discrimination.
“These rights and freedoms constitute the bedrock of any constitutional democracy, and any attempt to tinker with them will set a dangerous precedent for our democracy and must be of great concern to all Ghanaians,” said Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, Board Chair of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development, last year.
