Ghana gay activists mand release of 21 people arrted at LGBTQ nference | CNN

Contents:

• GAY ACTIVISTS GHANA MAND RELEASE OF 21 PEOPLE ARRTED AT LGBTQI NFERENCE
• EXPLAER: WHAT MAK GHANA’S ANTI-GAY BILL SO EXTREME?
• GHANA TOPS GAY LIST AI
• GHANA AND THE GAYS
• GAY LIFE GHANA--IN DANGER AND IN THE CLOSET
• GHANA'S SECRET GAY MUNY

GAY ACTIVISTS GHANA MAND RELEASE OF 21 PEOPLE ARRTED AT LGBTQI NFERENCE

If passed s current form, rights groups say uld spark a wch-hunt of sexual mori, advocy groups and “alli”, forcg the public to report on their are some of the ma measur, wh excerpts om the bill self:A clampdown on LGBTQ+ intyThe law would crimalise, wh up to five years prison, intifyg as a LGBTQ+ person, havg a gay relatnship or terurse. It may mean that there are plenty young men sperate enough to seek greener pastur elsewhere and who are veloped enough to have accs to the ter and a digal mera, ” Andy add., a homosexual onle se, provis rmatn about Ghanaian homosexuals to expatriat who seek black partners for fun, as well as ser relatnships. Right om the ‘illegal’ nature of the act the untry to the var sms that some ‘hopefuls’ engage to make quick money, the se prents expatriat all there is to know about the Ghanaian homosexual muny.

EXPLAER: WHAT MAK GHANA’S ANTI-GAY BILL SO EXTREME?

“Those who are promotg gays and lbians are not gog to have children at all, and wh a short time nobody should be surprised that Mlims will bee a majory this untry and clare an Islamic state, ” Archbishop Philip Naameh, the print of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, told CNN.

In a massive onle prayer rally March entled: “Homosexualy: a ttable s to God, ” pastors at the lns-strong Pentestal Church said was a matter of “natnal secury” to pass a law; they ntue to ph members of parliament to follow through wh their plans. Ghana’s 275 members of Parliament unanimoly passed the bill, known as the 2021 Promotn of Appropriate Sexual Rights and Fay Valu bill is set to crimalize the promotn, advocy, fundg and acts of homosexualy.

(Johannburg) – Arbrary arrts and tentn of lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people Ghana, and a proposed dranian anti-LGBT bill are g ser enomic hardship and psychologil strs for LGBT people, Human Rights Watch said today. The urt said that all Ghanaians, cludg lbians and homosexuals, are entled to eely exprs their views, to assemble and monstrate support of those views and to propagate those views.

GHANA TOPS GAY LIST AI

Introduce legislative and policy measur to prevent, punish, and provi effective remedi for vlence agast lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people on the basis of their real or imputed sexual orientatn and genr inty and ensure their nstutnal rights to equaly and non-discrimatn.

GHANA AND THE GAYS

Take necsary steps to protect lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people agast all forms of discrimatn, timidatn, and vlence, and amend sectn 104 of the Crimal Offenc Act, 1960, to ensure that sexual relatns between nsentg adults of the same sex are not nsired a mismeanour or punishable by law.

Provi more fancial and technil support to civil society anizatns providg servic to lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people who have suffered vlence, cludg domtic vlence, and discrimatn on the basis of their sexual orientatn and genr inty. The retentn of sectn 104(1)(b) – monly referred to as the anti-gay law – is often seen as tac state approval of discrimatn, and even vlence, on the basis of real or imputed sexual orientatn and genr inty. Lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr Ghanaians terviewed by Human Rights Watch said that the batn of the crimalizatn of adult nsensual same-sex nduct and the profoundly relig and socially nservative Ghanaian ntext has an sid effect on their dividual self-exprsn.

Many LGBT Ghanaians told Human Rights Watch that their liv have been torn apart bee of the stigma associated wh homosexualy; the fear of vlence perpetrated by fay members and others the muny and homelsns, should their sexual orientatn be disclosed. Felix, a young man om Kumasi told Human Rights Watch that 2016 he was raped by a man he had met on social media, but did not report the rape to the police out of fear that he would be arrted for havg “gay sex”. In one high-profile se, Accra police arrted a spect a vic mob attack agast a gay man Augt 2015—but his se has still not gone to trial, leadg LGBT people to qutn whether is futile to seek jtice the aftermath of homophobic and transphobic vlence.

GAY LIFE GHANA--IN DANGER AND IN THE CLOSET

Christiany, the domant relign the south and Islam the north play a signifint role Ghanaian culture and society, and rm the view that homosexualy is an abomatn and ntrary to relig beliefs and teachgs. In Febary 2017, the Speaker of Parliament, Profsor Mike Ocquaye, referred to homosexualy as an “abomatn” and reportedly lled for stricter laws agast same-sex nduct and July 2017, durg a public discsn wh Amnty Internatnal about prospects for abolishg the ath penalty, he equated homosexualy wh btialy.

Homophobic statements, not only by lol and natnal ernment officials, but also lol tradnal elrs, and senr relig lears, ntribute to a climate of homophobia and some s, ce vlence toward people on the basis of real or imputed sexual orientatn or genr inty.

Ghana’s is also party to several regnal and ternatnal human rights treati, and has accepted procr for dividual plats but unfortunately this has yet to help lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr people realize equaly. Retentn of provisns prohibg “unnatural rnal knowledge, ” failure to proactively addrs vlence and discrimatn, and the role of some policians cg homophobia be to relegate LGBT Ghanaians to what n be scribed as send-class cizenship. Introduce legislative and policy measur to prevent, protect, punish and provi effective remedi for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr dividuals who are victims of vlence on the basis of their real or imputed sexual orientatn and genr inty and ensure enjoyment of their nstutnal rights to equaly and non-discrimatn.

GHANA'S SECRET GAY MUNY

Take necsary steps to protect lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr persons agast all forms of discrimatn, timidatn and vlence and amend sectn 104 of the Crimal Offenc Act, 1960, to ensure that sexual relatns between nsentg adults of the same sex are not nsired a mismeanor and not punishable by law. Increase fancial and technil assistance to civil society anizatns providg servic to lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr people who have suffered vlence, cludg domtic vlence, and discrimatn on the basis of their sexual orientatn and genr inty. The spg missn cid wh a five-day nsultative meetg, which brought together 33 lbian and gay activists to intify trends human rights ab and velop ncrete strategi for rpondg to them.

Relign, particularly Christiany, has strong fluence Ghana and sce the law do not operate a vacuum, the batn of strong anti-homosexualy relig beliefs and crimalizatn of nsensual adult same-sex nduct crease the vulnerabily of LGBT people to vlence the home and public spac. On numero ocsns sce 2010 and notably om Febary 2017, key opn lears cludg ernment officials, notably parliamentarians, lol officials and fluential relig lears, have ma remarks that ntribute to a climate of homophobia and some s, ce vlence towards LGBT people.

[14] Acrdg to the media report, durg an terview wh Joy News, Aidoo claimed to have tasked the Bure of Natnal Invtigatns and secury agenci to “smoke out persons spected to be engagg same sex” and further soliced the support of landlords and tenants to provi rmatn that would lead to arrts of homosexuals, statg “all efforts are beg ma to get rid of the people the society.