By Melanie Nathan, February 02, 2024
The Speaker of Ghana's Parliament promised to pass The Proper Human Sexuality and Family Values Bill by the end of last year. However as it continues to face criticism from abroad, and local human rights defenders, Parliamentarians are considering amendments in efforts to avoid the obvious unconstitutionality of the legislation.
The law known as The Family Values Bill, typical parlance for that which has been promoted by American Evangelicals infiltrating the Continent and Ghana, has a clause that says if you simply "hold out" to be LGBTQTTA ( "I" for intersex may have been removed) and which includes allies, (holding out to be an ally) you will be guilty of a crime and subject to 3-10 years in prison.
That means that if Tim Cook the CEO of Apple visits an Apple Store in Accra, he can be arrested and go to jail simply for having come out as gay. It also means that any lawyer about to defend him, could be perceived as holding out as an ally and also subject to arrest and charges. Not to mention the reprter for Ghana News who may write a sentence construed as promoting homosexuality and she too could land up in a Ghanaian prison for a long time. THAT is how ridiculous the reality of the law is - an abomination in the curbing of very basic freedoms. In light of a backdrop where the Family Values Bill has a one hundred percent parliamentary support rate, given votes in Parliamentary readings to date, as propped up by constituents fervent for its passage, Church and community groups are engaging in a push for its swift passage. The preachers and purveyors of the legislation are adopting the usual scapegoating and lies that serve to underpin a notion that such legislation is an imperative to save the children, the families and Ghana itself!
Rightify Ghana has reported that on January 1, 2024, " the founder and Leader of the Seventh Day Congregation of Theocracy, Apostle Kadmiel E. H. Agbalenyoh and his church organized an anti-LGBTQ seminar and protest at Achimota Girls' Guide in Accra. The seminar, which was also attended by other faith based leaders, was chaired by the Greater Accra Regional Chief Imam, Alhaji Sule Issa, and also attended by radio personality, Blakk Rasta. This is the first anti-LGBTQ event this year. And it was organized by a long time homophobe whose hate campaign is not new. Blakk Rasta believes that poverty and corruption pushes people into homosexuality. Whilst his bigotry and loud ignorance are not new, he attacked Angel Maxine, the transgender musician, by misgendering her.
Blakk Rasta (born Abubakar Ahmed (born 2 September 1974) is a Ghanaian reggae / Kuchoko artiste, dub poet and a radio presenter of Zylofon FM.
Here are some videos evidencing this:
Melanie Nathan, Executive Director of African Human Rights Coalition is a qualified country of origin expert witness in the United States and global immigration courts, providing expert written country conditions reports and testimony for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, non-binary, LGBTQI + asylum seekers from 20 African Countries, to include activists, allies and human rights defenders. Melanie also consults multinational corporations regarding briefings and policy for operations and issue impacted by anti-homosexuality laws and country conditions.
MORE HERE. Nathan@AfricanHRC.org
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