Explaer: what mak Ghana’s anti-gay bill so extreme? | Global velopment | The Guardian

Contents:

• EXPLAER: WHAT MAK GHANA’S ANTI-GAY BILL SO EXTREME?
• MORE PHOTOS AND VIO OF AI’S BIGGT GAY PARTY HELD IN ACCRA OVER THE WEEKEND
• LBIANS AND GAYS PARTY HARD ACCRA
• GAY LIFE GHANA--IN DANGER AND IN THE CLOSET
• 30 LGBTI PERSONS RELEASED ON BAIL, AFTER HOMOPHOBIC MEN WHO STORMED THEIR PARTY TO BEAT AND ROB THEM TOLD POLICE ’S A ‘GAY PARTY’
• GHANA'S SECRET GAY MUNY

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

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. But what one Ghanaian activist lls a “homophobe’s dream bill” has ep roots Ghana’s relig muny. 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.

This draft “Fay Valu” bill seems to be one more eratn of the homophobic iativ emanatg om their nferenc, ” he says.

MORE PHOTOS AND VIO OF AI’S BIGGT GAY PARTY HELD IN ACCRA OVER THE WEEKEND

“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. Joe, the gay Ghanaian who was beaten and thrown out of his home, spent jt a few days at the safe hoe Accra before movg on.

LBIANS AND GAYS PARTY HARD ACCRA

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. (A) person ms an offence if the person holds out as a lbian, a gay, a transgenr, a transsexual, a queer, a pansexual, an ally ….

GAY LIFE GHANA--IN DANGER AND IN THE CLOSET

A duty to reportAnyone ma aware of gay acts who fails to report them uld also be crimalised.

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. Both are active Ai and other parts of the world fightg agast abortn rights and gay rights.

READ ALSO: Gays In Ai Held Party In Accra Over The Weekend.

30 LGBTI PERSONS RELEASED ON BAIL, AFTER HOMOPHOBIC MEN WHO STORMED THEIR PARTY TO BEAT AND ROB THEM TOLD POLICE ’S A ‘GAY PARTY’

play vioSome gays ptured on mera at the event. has tercepted a vio rerdg of spected gays and lbians who recently anized a massive weekend party exclively for persons of their ‘kd’. This at a time sectns of Ghanaians are still batg on whether or not to crimalize homosexualy the untry.

Recently, Flagbearer hopeful of the opposn Natnal Democratic Congrs (NDC), Profsor Joshua Alabi, chastised Brish Prime Mister, Thera May for her gay remarks directed at Ghanaian Print Akufo-Addo and Ghanaians general. The csa for gay rights and acceptance of homosexualy as a practice Ghana is, therefore, sufferg major setbacks over the partnership as he has joed the ay outrightly rejectg . What we need om them is fair tra, rpect and regnn if somebody rpects you and his untry, he do not talk about brgg a law to legalized homosexualy but you are tryg to import what’s yours, don’t show rpect.

GHANA'S SECRET GAY MUNY

Cam is a South ain who travels to Ghana on bs and had this to say about gay life there. “I had vised Ghana six tim ( the last five years), on bs and pleasure, and had never really explored gay life that untry, bee of my mandg bs schle.

I had, however, munited by e-mail wh a young gay Ghanaian man over the last year. On my vis to Ghana June 2003, I fally met wh my “new” young gay Ghanaian iend, who then troduced me to the “not so closeted” gay Ghanaian life.

So what is gay life like Ghana? “There are no gay clubs Ghana, as there are South Ai. Gay life is mostly private and most gay people meet at hoe parti anised by iends all around the untry.