Ghana’s bill that seeks to criminalise LGBT+ activities and advocacy will reach Parliament for a first reading on Monday, August 2, 2021.
One of the champions of the bill, Sam Nartey George, MP for Ningo-Prampram, revealed in a Twitter post that the bill has been gazetted to be laid before legislators.
“The Bill has duly been gazetted and sent to the Business Committee of the House. It is great to see the Bill has been programmed to be laid for first reading on Monday, 2nd August. Our eyes remain fixed on the prizs,†he said in the tweet.
The bill prescribes severe sanctions against various activities of the LGBT+ community.
Although the bill was co-sponsored by legislators such as Emmanuel Bedzrah, MP, Ho West; Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, North Tongu; Andy Appiah Kubi, Asante Akim North; John Ntim Fordjour, Assin South; and Kwaku Asante-Boateng, Asante Akim South, Sam George has become the poster boy for the bill for being the most vocal among the anti-LGBT legislators.
The bill when passed into law will punish a person who willfully commits a “grossly indecent act†with summary conviction, to a term of imprisonment of not less than six months and not more than one year.
According to the bill, a “grossly indecent act†is a misdemeanour and it means:
“A public show of amorous relations between or among persons of the same sex;
“A public show of amorous relations between to among persons where one or more of the persons have undergone gender sex reassignment, or
“Intentional cross-dressing to portray that person is of a gender different from the gender assigned at birth with intent to engage in an act prohibited under the act.
The proposed bill could see LGBT+ community members in Ghana imprisoned between five to 10 years for identifying as a member or advocating for the community.