Ghana Anti-Homosexuality Bill, What does it say?

I am a Ugandan.., one of the lessons I have learnt with my country’s endless debates about my poor, personal sexuality is that details and specifics are important. Boring but important. Partly because I have to expect a lot of parsing, and frank lies, in the debate about homosexuality.
Not from me…, which is the whole problem. I expect the nasty, dirty, bad and evil homosexual to lie. Not the Saints of Anti-Homosexuality in Holy Africa.
But, I digress.

The anti-homosexuality bill in Ghana’s Parliament is a Private Member’s Bill that was introduced by Member of Parliament Sam Nartey George in 2022. Ghanaians being very proper people, the proper name for the bill is:

 

““Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2022””

 

The aims of this anti-LGBTQ+ legislation are not hidden…, if they are, it is in plain sight. Same sex intercourse is already criminalised in Ghana. So, this is ‘enhancement’ of the criminalisation sought. Here is a proper summary picked from a Ghanaian publication

 

 “The bill, when passed into law, seeks to provide a proper framework to sanitizing the Ghanaian society of the practices and ills of the LGBTQ+ community.”

and specifically

“aims to criminalize LGBTQ+ activities, prohibit the promotion or advocacy of such activities, and ensure the protection and support of children and individuals affected by LGBTQ+ issues.”

 

July 5^th, 2023 was the 2^nd reading of the Bill. And apparently amendments were made and accepted to the original. The amendments were approved to the original text unanimously.

 

““.., approved by all 275 lawmakers (present) on Wednesday after months of public debate and revisions to the 36-page document, introduced in 2021.””

 

The bill needs a third reading, and then accent by the President of the Republic to become the law of Ghana as reported here.

 

 “For it to come into force, it must still pass at least a third reading in the House and be signed into law by Ghanaian President”

 

So, what details, what does this newer anti-homosexuality legislation in Ghana say should be done?
I don’t have the text, so I had the pick of articles available, and remember, this was the second reading, not the final bill assented to by the Parliament of Ghana.

Details, details please;

·         Identity is criminalised.., I remember that was also in the original Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 in Uganda. To identify as homosexual is criminalised…!

“.., amendment to an anti-gay bill that would make identifying as LGBT punishable by a three-year prison sentence. “

·         Advocacy is criminalised. Why do the evil homosexuals need any sort of advocacy? This should be the dreaded ‘promotion of homosexuality’. Would be quite interesting to read the text.

“People who campaign for LGBT rights could also face up to 10 years in jail.”

 

·         Conversion therapy is in…, poor gay Ghanaians.

““… also validates "conversion therapy"”

 

And more to come.

·         criminalizes any form of LGBTIQ+ activism or support, as well as the dissemination of information.

·         It will punish homosexuals with a three-year prison sentence for identifying as such,
while LGBTQI+ rights advocates would face up to ten years in prison.

·         limits the provision of health services to this community, such as medication to treat HIV.

·         The proposed law encourages citizens to report neighbors who engage in homosexual relations to the authorities.

 

That is a quite substantive laundry list of demands of the law… Poor Ghanaian Kuchus, indeed.
I have also seen reference to this weird, more than weird provision.

 

“Moreover, the bill seeks to withdraw health services from this community, including HIV medication.”

 

That would be interesting. Ghanaians would rather have HIV spread rampart than have LGBTQ+ Ghanaians getting prevention, treatment and care?

Weird indeed.
But there are Ugandans, prominent and virulent anti-gay activists who would rather have had no HIV/AIDS aid from the US, if that was to be balanced against their anti-homosexuality bill. Of course it is more than likely those were not amongst the 1,2 Million Ugandans living with HIV. Anti-gay advocates are really fanatical about their demands.

 

gug