MP encourages LGBTQ+ community to join debate in parliament

Member of Parliament (MP) for the Oforikrom Constituency, Dr. Emmanuel Marfo says he wished the LGBTQ+ community will appear in parliament to debate their stance on the bill.

He added that he expects their argument against the anti-LGBTQ+ bill to go beyond the case of human rights.

During an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show, he said, “What has human rights got to do with the anti-gay bill. You cannot put a right on something that does not exist. What If I also declare that I have an orientation to kill people and I get my joy from that so accept it, will they do so?"

"When the debate comes to parliament, they should join us to debate. Unfortunately, they can’t join us during the debate. When the memorandum is opened and there is public consultation, probably, we can have the opportunity to engage some of them.”

He urged Ghanaians not to blindly copy the culture of the West. He stated that if an anti-gay bill goes against the rights of the Western people, then a law promoting LGBTQ+ goes against our culture as Ghanaians.

The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021 was introduced into parliament earlier this year.

This bill is seeking to expand on the current law that provides up to three years in prison for same-sex activity.

The new bill when passed will prohibit and criminalize advocacy, funding and act of LGBTQ+ while promoting conversion therapy programs seeking to “convert” people from homosexuality to heterosexuality.

Meanwhile, a group of academics and lawyers have filled a memorandum challenging the anti-gay legislation submitted to Parliament.

In the memorandum, they contend that the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, which seeks to criminalize LGBTQ+ and adjacent activities, is an “impermissible invasion of the inviolability of human dignity.”

Some Christian leaders, on the other hand, have submitted a memorandum to Parliament on the Proper Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, endorsing the bill.