By Melanie Nathan, Nov 4, 2024
Traditional people worry about Ghana's anti-gay bill impacting tradition. The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, (Family Values Bill) passed Parliament in February 2024, and is pending attestation by the President or a ruling by the Supreme Court under a constitutional challenge. The leaders are worried that the new law will target their Indigenous identities. This very assertion is proof that its an out and out lie to accuse the West of "exporting homosexuality to Africa" and that invoking gender non-binaries is not UN-AFRICAN - the latter serving to justify the harsh anti-LGBTQI+ measures invoked by the new Anti-Homosexuality legislation, now popular in several African countries to include Ghana:
Traditional healer Naa Busuafi says that he used to feel empowered when leaving tribal ceremonies held on the outskirts of Accra, proud to be living out practices that colonists sought to eradicate. But that pride has been replaced by fear and dread as a government bill intended to stamp out homosexuality has contributed to a violent backlash against LGBTQ+ people.
Busuafi’s peers connect people with spirits or with long-lost relatives. In TikTok videos of ceremonies, bare-chested women channelling male spirits chant and dance. Men wear a long dress with jewelry when the spirit dominating them is female.
These ceremonies would likely be banned under the proposed bill, which would criminalize cross-dressing. MPs tabled the legislation in June 2021 as a “family-values” bill.
It was approved by Ghana’s parliament this past February, but has been tied up in court challenges ahead of the Dec. 7 national election.
There are many more criticisms of the law qas reflected more fully in previous articles.
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