Supporters and opponents of Ghana's new anti-LGBT bill faced off parliament on Wednday the first public heargs to the proposed legislatn that would make a crime to be gay, bisexual or transgenr.
Contents:
- EXPLAER: WHAT MAK GHANA’S ANTI-GAY BILL SO EXTREME?
- GAY ACTIVISTS GHANA MAND RELEASE OF 21 PEOPLE ARRTED AT LGBTQI NFERENCE
- HOW 2 GAY MEN LIVE A COUNTRY WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS ILLEGAL
- GAY LIFE GHANA--IN DANGER AND IN THE CLOSET
- GHANA AND THE GAYS
- ANTI-GAY BILL: THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE MATTER — TAKYIWAA ON DISMISSAL OF JUNCTN APPLITN
- GHANA'S SECRET GAY MUNY
EXPLAER: WHAT MAK GHANA’S ANTI-GAY BILL SO EXTREME?
A recent march by over a thoand Ghanian Mlims agast “the growg activi of gays and lbians” this Wt-Ain untry * gay in ghana *
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. “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.
Some 37 Ain untri crimalize homosexual relatnships, wh penalti rangg om mismeanors to ath sentenc, acrdg to a Human Rights Campaign Foundatn and Human Rights First report released Tuday. “In Ghana, everybody is culturally and religly bld, ” says Fred K., an openly gay man livg the Ghanaian pal of Accra who didn’t want to share his last name for fear of crimal and social repercsns.
Over a thoand protters Ghana have staged a massive monstratn amidst a heavy downpour the oil cy, Sekondi -Takoradi the Wtern regn to exprs their opposn to the growg activi of gay and lbians that part of Wt Ain untry.
GAY ACTIVISTS GHANA MAND RELEASE OF 21 PEOPLE ARRTED AT LGBTQI NFERENCE
Psssst... Hey Ghana, e over here, I've got a ltle secret to tell you. You know me and Jürgen, the guys you weled so warmly to your untry for three months? To whom all of your people were so pole and iendly? The guys who had such a wonrful time visg your villag, explorg your nature, and meetg your cizens? Yeah, . Well, we didn't want to say anythg until now... but we're gay. Acrdg to your laws, we're not allowed. * gay in ghana *
The protters fied to engeer their displeasure as they went through the prcipal streets of the metropolis wieldg plards followg an alleged report that close to 60 gays and lbians om the Eastern, Ashanti and Central regns of that untry, have attend a get-together held Tanokrom and other suburbs of the cy.
The Lear of the monstrators, Saeed Hamid, told AiNews that the monstratn was meant to draw ernment’s attentn to the nduct of the gays and lbians the untry, particularly the Wtern Regn. Acrdg to the anti-gay and Lbians group, even though people had the right to choose var sexual orientatns and associate wh whatever group they sire, the nstutn also owns on the activi of gays and lbians. A recent march by over a thoand Ghanian Mlims agast “the growg activi of gays and lbians” this Wt-Ain untry, uld hamper iativ that target Men havg sex wh Men (MSM), such as HIV and Aids terventns, activists have warned.
Mac-Darlg Cobbahof the Centre for Popular Edutn and Human Rights Ghana, an anisatn that also ters for the MSM muny said, followg a march that went through prcipal streets of the Metropolis agast homosexualy, after an alleged report that close to 60 gays and lbians om eastern, Ashanti and Central regns of that untry were attendg a get-together held Tanokrom.
HOW 2 GAY MEN LIVE A COUNTRY WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS ILLEGAL
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. * gay in ghana *
He poted out that the growg visibily of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and tersex (LGBTI) muny many parts of Ghana and the sudn “ep tert” by the media to “dig” for lbian and gay issu uld have sparked the anti-gay march. The Ghanaian nstutn affirms and protects all human rights for Ghanian cizens and this ntradicts the Crimal Co 1960 – Chapter 6, Sexual Offenc Article 105, which crimalis homosexual behavr amongst gay men. 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.
GAY LIFE GHANA--IN DANGER AND IN THE CLOSET
* gay in ghana *
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”.
GHANA AND THE GAYS
An advote agast the anti-gay bill, an Emera Profsor, Takyiwaa Manuh has said she was disappoted the dismissal of the junctn applitn agast Parliament relatn to the bill. * gay in ghana *
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. 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.
ANTI-GAY BILL: THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE MATTER — TAKYIWAA ON DISMISSAL OF JUNCTN APPLITN
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. 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.
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.
GHANA'S SECRET GAY MUNY
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.