Gay Life Ghana--In Danger and In the Closet

Contents:

• EXPLAER: WHAT MAK GHANA’S ANTI-GAY BILL SO EXTREME?
• GAY LIFE GHANA--IN DANGER AND IN THE CLOSET

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

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. Shone Apong, a paralegal and advote for mori Ghana, says the bill is an attack on the existence of anyone believed to be gay or queer. It was put forward by a cross-party group of MPs led by Sam Gee, an opposn MP and one of the most proment anti-gay figur parliament.

Tucked away a neighborhood of Accra, off Aflao Road, a group of Ghanaian gay activists e the hoe to gather secret and provi shelter to LGBTQ people need. Vio after vio show Ghanaians – mostly men perceived as beg gay – beg harassed and beaten on mera, sometim stripped naked by their assailants. Jt a short drive om parliament, we meet a proment gay activist at Accra’s Black Star Square, where an arch memoratg Ghana’s pennce celebrat “Freedom and Jtice.

Bediako, who ns the NGO Rightify Ghana, nounced the claim that homosexualy is a Wtern import or that LGBTQ activists were out to rec and nvert straight Ghanaians. “The same people they claim to have brought homosexualy to Ai are the same people who told them to have this hate they are g agast , ” he says.

GAY LIFE GHANA--IN DANGER AND IN THE CLOSET

“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.

”The “anti-LGBT bill” troduced Ghana last Augt and currently unr review by a parliamentary mtee, would be one of the harsht and most sweepg of such laws current draft of the bill, proposed by opposn MPs and publicly backed by officials Print Nana Akufo-Addo’s ernment and lg New Patrtic party, crimalis gay and queer acts or intifyg as a LGBTQ+ person, punishable by up to five years’ also crimalis any form of advocy for LGBTQ+ people wh up to 10 years prison. Campaigners have scribed the bill as seekg to extguish and erase gay and queer inty Ghana, and create the ndns for heightened vigilance and targetg of sexual mori.

Public hysteria over LGBTQ+ people and those advotg for their rights has bee tense over the past 18 Febary last year, a muny centre offerg support for gay and queer people and a place for them to meet was forced to close amid attacks om policians, civil and relig groups and the media.

While was not the first ameny of s kd, was the most high profile, as was announced whout the ual discretn that LGBTQ+ rights groups typilly e to operate wh prence of foreign and European diplomats at the openg of the centre was also seen as provotive as is often claimed that gay and queer inty is agast Ain culture and is beg promoted by the Donkor, who found the LGBT+ Rights Ghana group, which opened the centre, said reported attacks had creased, pecially outsi Accra, wh regular raids on spected gathergs of LGBTQ+ people. The Lol Council of Church Elma, loted the Central Regn of Ghana, llaborated wh the Natnal Coaln for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Fay Valu and the Ghana Pentestal and Charismatic Council a monstratn to register their vehement opposn to the acceptance of homosexualy the untry.

Apostle William Thomas Essilfie, Head Pastor for Good Shepherd Bible Mistry and Vice Chairman for the Central Regnal Council of Church, labelled homosexualy as a vilish act. The monstratn served as a clear statement of the muny's stance on the matter, reflectg their termatn to stand agast the practice of homosexualy Ghana. (Accra) – Ghanaians who are lbian, gay, bisexual, or transgenr (LGBT) suffer wispread discrimatn and abe both public and fay settgs, Human Rights Watch said a report released today.

“Homophobic statements by lol and natnal ernment officials, tradnal elrs, and senr relig lears foment discrimatn and some s, ce vlence. The Ghana Police Service has at tim rpond appropriately to ab agast LGBT people, for example s of false accatn and blackmail of gay men Tamale. But Febary 2017, Mike Ocquaye, the parliament speaker, referred to homosexualy as an “abomatn” and lled for stricter laws agast same-sex nduct.

In Augt 2015, Nima, a town the Accra regn, members of Safety Empire, a vigilante group, btally asslted a young man they spected was gay. When activists Ghana opened a support centre for the lol gay muny, they expected some phback a religly nservative Wt Ain untry where homosexualy is ls than a month after s openg, the centre was forced to close and s founrs driven were unrground after a wave of homophobia swept the untry. "A wave of homophobia was expected, but not on such a large sle, " Abdul-Wadud Mohammed, munitns director of LGBT Rights Ghana told AFP.

Durg the uproar Genr Mister Sarah Adwoa Safo said the ntug crimalisatn of homosexual practic was "non-negotiable" while another mister lled for tighter legislatn to sanctn even those advotg and promotg LGBT, Mohammed says he remas optimistic. "- 'Season of homophobia' -In Ghana, 87% of the populatn supports the ban on LGBT people holdg public meetgs, and 75% approve of homophobic statements by state officials and relig lears, acrdg to a survey by the Ai Center for Internatnal Law and Acuntabily, ACILA.

I am ed to beg mocked bee I am effemate, but now I am aaid of beg targeted and beaten up, " one young homosexual man told AFP askg his name not be ed. " Last week, six MPs took steps to sponsor a bill Parliament aimed at proscribg and crimalizg the advocy and practice of Kwame Edw Otu, profsor at the Universy of Virgia, who specialis LGBT issu Ai, "homosexuals make ial spegoats" pecially tim of, which rerd among the hight growth rat the world last year, has slumped to s first recsn 37 years bee of the panmic, and has stggled wh a perd of polil tensn sce Akufo-Addo's re-electn was challenged by the is "the season of homophobia", Otu said. The Mister-signate of Genr, Children and Social Protectn, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has oped that acrdg to the laws of Ghana, lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) is prohibed.