Ghana's anti-LGBTQ+ bill to be scrutinised before approval, president says
Summary
Ghana’s parliament passed a bill that would criminalize LGBTQ+ activities and require people to report such acts to the police. President John Mahama said his legal team will review the bill carefully before it is officially approved, noting that there were some procedural issues in how it passed.Key Facts
- The bill would punish people identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer with up to three years in prison.
- The law includes a duty for citizens to report LGBTQ+ activities to police.
- Health workers, media, and legal professionals are exempt when providing services or covering LGBTQ+ topics.
- Supporters ("allies") of LGBTQ+ people could face prison under the bill.
- The bill was passed by parliament as a private members' motion, not a government bill.
- President Mahama said the bill will be reviewed by his legal council and could be referred to his advisors if needed.
- Rights groups say the bill violates the rights of sexual minorities and have called for it to be dropped.
- Similar laws have been passing in other African countries like Senegal and Uganda, with harsh penalties for same-sex acts.
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