The Anti-Gay Bill was approved by the Parliament a short while ago.
The measure outlaws LGBTQ advocacy, funding, and promotion, and it also outlaws their actions.
Promoters and sponsors of the act face sentences ranging from three to five years in prison, while those caught in the act might face a sentence of six months to three years in prison.
The measure’s sponsors made a move for the bill to be given additional consideration before it was passed.
The pioneer for the Bill, Samuel Nartey George, suggested that the 1992 constitution’s article 12—which guarantees media freedom—be applied to the anti-LGBT articles 10 and 11, which deal with the editorial practices of media companies.
The House gave its approval to the amendments as part of the measure.
On his side, Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin also submitted a proposal to subject the bill’s clause 12, which addresses funding for LGBT activities, to the constitution, but the House rejected it.
A day after Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, the board chair of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), urged President Akufo-Addo to veto the bill, Parliament passed it.
According to Prof. Gadzekpo, the measure infringes against fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Constitution, such as the freedom of expression and association, academic freedom, participation in processions, equality, and nondiscrimination.
Prof. Gadzekpo stressed that protecting rights and freedoms is essential to constitutional democracy during a press conference on human rights and a rights-based strategy for assisting sexual minorities in Ghana.
She emphasized the importance of the matter for all Ghanaians and cautioned that changing these rights could imperil the country’s democratic values.
Now, the Bill would need the president’s approval to become law. The bill’s potential for ratification has not been confirmed by President Nana Akufo-Addo.
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