Civil Society Groups threaten legal action if Akufo-Addo assents to anti-LGBTQ+ bill

Ghanaian

A coalition of 18 civil society groups has issued a warning of potential legal action should President Akufo-Addo give his assent to the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill, commonly known as the anti-LGBTQ bill.

The CSOs strongly oppose the bill, asserting that it infringes upon Ghana's diverse cultural and religious landscape.

The anti-LGBTQ+ bill, passed

Read full articleunanimously by Parliament on February 28 after nearly three years of deliberation, aims to criminalize activities related to the LGBTQ+ community. The legislation proposes a prison sentence of up to three years for those identifying as LGBTQ+ and a maximum five-year jail term for forming or funding LGBTQ+ groups.

Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, Board Chair of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) in an interview on JoyNews said: “It's an obnoxious bill. It's kind of like criminal libel, which the colonialists introduced, and we retained it. And it was used improperly against people, including journalists. We will come to find that this is like that.”

She emphasized the group's intention to present their concerns to President Akufo-Addo, urging him not to assent to the bill.

The coalition plans to continue their advocacy efforts, raising awareness about the perceived harm the anti-LGBTQ+ bill poses to the country's democracy and development.

Despite Parliament passing the bill, Professor Gadzekpo remains optimistic that the President will heed their plea, emphasizing the importance of protecting minority rights in a democratic society.

“So we will make representation to the President not to assent to the bill. I believe that this bill's proposal through enactment - even the argumentation has very little to do with wanting to safeguard Ghanaian family values because the present danger that endangers our family values was never addressed in this bill,” she noted.