Parliament postpones approval on anti-LGBTQ+ bill approval to Feb 27

Ghanaian

Parliament has postponed the approval of the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values,” bill to Tuesday, February 27, 2024.

The decision follows the house's standing orders, which require a one-sitting day gap before the third reading of a bill.

This delay comes after the second review of the bill, which seeks

Read full articleto criminalize and penalize LGBTQ+ activities, promotion, advocacy, and funding.

Notably, Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin withdrew proposed amendments after the House rejected two suggestions, including replacing imprisonment with community service for those found guilty of engaging in LGBTQ+ activities.

Afenyo-Markin also withdrew an amendment proposing mandatory counseling on human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values as a post-conviction sentence. The bill has faced controversy, with human rights groups arguing that it infringes on the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in Ghana.

Earlier in February, Parliament approved a three-to-five-year jail term for intentional promotion or sponsorship of LGBTQ+ activities, with a minimum of six months and a maximum of three years in prison for those caught in the act.

Afenyo-Markin, during the amendment process, expressed concerns about the country's prisons' ability to rehabilitate offenders and proposed replacing a minimum two-month imprisonment sentence with a minimum one-month community service for those found guilty of LGBTQ+ activities.