LGBTQI+ Bill: Joe Appiah backs pastors

A former Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ablekuma North constituency, Justice Joe Appiah, has said he supports pastors who presented a memorandum to parliament in support of the bill to criminalize LGBTQ+.

Four churches and four Christian organizations presented a memorandum to parliament in support of the bill to criminalize Lesbians Gays Bisexual Transgender Queer (LGBTQI+) in the country.

The churches were the Apostolic Church Ghana, Church of Pentecost, Methodist Church Ghana, and Christ Apostolic Church Ghana.

The Christian organizations were Christian Council Ghana, Ghana Congress Evangelism, Women Ministry National Clergy Association, and the National Association of Charismatic and Christian Churches.

At 11:00 am, the men of God, including Apostle Eric Nyamekye, Chairman of the Church of Pentecost; the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Most Reverend Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo; President of the Apostolic Church Ghana, Apostle Dr. Aaron Ami-Narh arrived at the forecourt of parliament for the presentation.

Presenting six memoranda with 15,000 signatories from pastors, youth workers of the church, children ministry and pastors wives, Apostle Eric Nyamekye said the church was fully in support of the bill before parliament.

He said the issue at hand was not a matter of rights, but morality.

Speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show Ghana Nie with Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu, Joe Appiah said it had become important to make laws on LGBTQI despite practising democracy.

He said looking at what happened in the Bible, LGBTQI+ is not something that Ghanaians have to accept.

He said when a law on LGBTQI+ is passed, it will help the country progress.

“Imagine having a male child who grows and tells you he wants to marry and you tell him to introduce his partner and he brings another man to introduce to the whole family, no!” he said.

Mr. Joe Appiah asked if Lawyer Akoto Ampaw, the lead advocate against the Bill would be happy if any of his sons comes out as gay.

“He is looking at the Constitution but this is not a matter of fundamental human rights. You will never do that because God in his own wisdom designed everything in a way that a man and a woman will marry, but if you send a man to the altar as your bride, it does not make sense”, he said.