Ghana’s Parliament has passed a bill criminalising identifying as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
The bill also builds on a previous law criminalising gay sex and relationships, putting it in the same legal category as bestiality.
A previous attempt to pass similar measures stalled because the then-President did not sign it into law.
Human rights groups have warned that, if it passes into law this time, the bill will further endanger the country’s already marginalised communities.
Context
MPs first proposed the bill in 2021 after the opening of an LGBTQIA+ resource centre in Ghana’s capital city sparked backlash from religious groups, traditional leaders and community organisations.
It passed Parliament in 2024, but then-President Nana Akufo-Addo didn’t sign it into law before his term ended.
He was unable to run again, and MPs reintroduced the bill to Parliament after the latest presidential election, held in 2024.
New bill
Here is what the bill criminalises:
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- “holding out as” a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, or an ally
- supporting, advocating for, or in any way promoting the LGBTQIA+ community, with a penalty of up to 10 years in prison
- performing or receiving gender affirming care, or identifying as transgender
being in a same-sex relationship, with a penalty of up to three years in prison - sexual activity with someone of the same sex
- sexual activity with an animal
Criticism
The African Human Rights Coalition, which supports LGBTQIA+ communities across the continent, condemned the bill “in the strongest possible terms”.
The Coalition urged the President not to sign it into law, calling it a “sweeping and dangerous assault on human rights”.
Executive Director Melanie Nathan said the bill would “continue to embolden and enhance the already pervasive harms suffered by LGBTQI+ Ghanaians”.
