Anti-LGBT+ Bill passed

Parliament has passed the anti-gay bill.

The bill, known as the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, was a Private Members Bill led by Sam Nartey George, the MP for Ningo-Prampram.

It is now known as the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.

This follows years of the bill being in parliament, and having gone through several stages, amidst continuous backlash and attempts by anti-proponents of the bill to have it quashed, or at most, have portions of the bill revised.

Earlier, GhanaWeb reported that the Parliament of Ghana was set to pass the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, commonly known as the anti-gay bill.

This was after the House was done with the 3rd reading of the bill on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.

Earlier, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, was about to initiate the processes for the third reading of the bill on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, when the Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, requested for a break to discuss with the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson.

The Speaker, according to GhanaWeb’s Nimatu Yakubu Atouyese, proceeded to give a 5-minute break after which the 3rd reading of the bill is expected to be done.

It will be recalled that last week, the House concluded the proposed amendment to the anti-gay bill after its second reading.

With the amendments finalized, the bill was expected to undergo its third reading, and potential passage is imminent.

On that day as well, just before the third reading and potential passage of the bill, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, who was then the Deputy Majority Leader, filed a motion calling for a second consideration.

He opposed the provision that could result in the imprisonment of individuals accused of engaging in or promoting LGBTQ activities, thereby blocking the bill’s progress to the third reading.

“The essence of this motion is to afford this august house the opportunity to thoroughly consider amendments that are proposed in the bill with the view of substituting community service for incarceration,” he said.

“The issue before us is behavioural, and it is my humble view that in dealing with behavioural matters, incarceration is not the solution. It makes the matter worse,” the legislator added.

Afenyo-Markin withdrew his proposed amendment aimed at replacing imprisonment with community service this week paving the way for the bill to be passed.