Human rights are on the line – why I’m speaking out on the situation in Ghana

In these uncertain times, there are plenty of issues to be worried about, so I apologise now for drawing attention to another worrying matter but honestly, the potential consequences are too great for me not to highlight this.

Over recent weeks several high-profile politicians in Ghana have given interviews talking of their confidence that a draconian anti-LGBT+ Bill will pass soon. This is ominous mood music. Alongside the Ghanaian LGBT+ community and many others who advocate for the human rights of LGBT+ people around the world, ever since the draft Bill was introduced into the Parliament of Ghana last year, I’ve been holding my breath, hoping that it would disappear or be vastly changed. To hear prominent politicians speaking so positively about the Bill’s progress fills me with dread and means I can’t stay silent.

Already LGBT+ people in Ghana face high levels of violence and discrimination. This report from CNN shows not only the dire experiences of Ghanaian LGBT+ people but also the millions of pounds of foreign money that is funding churches that are openly extremely homophobic and transphobic. It is often these churches that are leading the call for further criminalisation of LGBT+ people to ‘protect’ Ghanaian society.

I was gratified to recently see the wonderful Michaela Coel talking about playing a queer character in the new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever film and the importance of this for her as someone of Ghanaian descent. But it will take more than one actor speaking out to stop this Bill.

Now is the time for EVERYONE who cares about human rights in Ghana to speak out about the unimaginable harms caused by this Bill.

What would the Bill do?

The passage of the anti-LGBT+ Bill, or, to give it its official name the ‘Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill’, would make Ghana one of the most hostile countries in the world for LGBT+ people and their allies. A reminder: same-sex sexual relations are already illegal in Ghana (the legacy of discriminatory British colonial laws) but this Bill would go much further. To put it bluntly, it would criminalise LGBT+ people, as well as anyone who supports them, purely for existing.

Think that’s an exaggeration? The Bill proposes 5-10 years imprisonment for anyone who produces, procures, or distributes material deemed to be promoting LGBT+ activities – so, if it passes, anyone sharing this article within Ghana could be jailed for up to a decade.

Under the current law, men can already be jailed for up to three years for having a sexual relationship with another man. The new Bill not only extends the criminalisation of sexual relationships to anyone having a same-sex relationship and extends the punishment to 3-5 years in prison, it also criminalises any public show of affection between people of the same sex or with someone who is transgender. This means that for something as simple as holding hands a couple could be jailed for up to a year.

Possibly even more grotesque, whilst instituting an absolute ban on gender affirmative treatment for trans people, the proposed law would also allow the Government to force intersex people to undergo surgery so that they align with the gender binary, allegedly to protect those who may ‘become easy prey’.

Why is the Bill being proposed?

Proponents of this Bill claim that it is needed as being LGBT+ is ‘un-African’ and a result of malevolent influences from the West. In fact, LGBT+ people have always lived in Africa, as they have everywhere in the world, and many traditional African communities recognised our lives and loves in ways which colonists did not approve of. The laws which already criminalise LGBT+ people in Ghana were introduced through British colonial rule, partly in response to that reality.

The current uptick in anti-LGBT+ sentiment in Ghana and elsewhere in the continent is being fuelled in part by Christian Right groups from the US. These groups vehemently oppose LGBT+ and abortion rights and have reportedly spent at least $20 million US in sub-Saharan Africa since 2015.

Ghana’s economy is currently in freefall, with inflation at 40% and the Cedi devaluing daily. The focus of the Government should surely be on addressing this situation rather than persecuting an already discriminated-against minority group. There are allegations that anti-LGBT+ sentiment is being whipped up to act as a distraction from the catastrophic economic circumstances.

How can you support LGBT+ people in Ghana?

At Kaleidoscope Trust, we work with and support organisations that advocate for LGBT+ people’s rights or seek to provide support to LGBT+ people across the Commonwealth. Through our recently announced capacity development programme we are providing expert training and advice to five LGBT+ rights organisations in Ghana. I have nothing but admiration for the brave staff and volunteers who run these organisations, who, if the Bill passes, will face up to a decade in jail just for trying to uphold the human rights of some of Ghana’s most vulnerable citizens.

If you do business in Ghana or work for a company that operates there, use Open For Business’s suggestions for how companies can promote LGBT+ inclusive societies to think about how you may be able to influence. If you have Ghanaian friends or family, speak to them about the potential impact of the Bill and ask them to contact their elected representatives, if they feel safe to do so.

And even if you can’t do either of the above, you can raise awareness of the situation in Ghana by following and resharing posts from organisations that are fighting for the rights of LGBT+ people in Ghana, like LGBT Rights Ghana, Rightify Ghana, and the Centre for Popular Education and Human Rights, Ghana or even just by sharing this article. You can also support Kaleidoscope Trust to continue to work with those on the frontline of the struggle for LGBT+ rights in Ghana and beyond by donating here.