Ghana has passed a restrictive, anti-LGBTQ bill that can jail any gay people for up to ten years for promoting ‘LGBTQ activities’.
The West African nation has also renewed a three-year sentence for anyone found guilty of ‘same-sex relationships’.
The terrifying bill targets anyone who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.
The bill will be signed into law by President John Dramani Mahama after a campaign from church groups and activists across the country.
Campaigners for the bill say it protects ‘family values and cultural norms’.
Though it does include exemptions for journalists, lawyers and medical professionals, there are wider risks.
Journalist Caleb Ahinakwah told the Telegraph: ‘These exemptions do little to address the broader concern that the bill could embolden members of the public to target, harass or attack people perceived to be queer.’
Human Rights Watch slammed the bill, saying it put gay people’s lives at risk while ‘encouraging citizens to surveil and denounce one another’.
Ghana isn’t the only nation to criminalise homosexuality.
Join Metro’s LGBTQ+ community on WhatsApp
With thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community.
Simply click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in! Don’t forget to turn on notifications!
A bill was passed in Uganda that would put people in jail for up to 10 years for merely identifying as LGBTQ in 2023.
The bill gives authorities broad powers to target gay Ugandans who already face legal discrimination and mob violence.
The 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Bill confirms an already existing punishment of life in prison for same-sex conduct, while also increasing to 10 years the sentence for an attempt at same-sex conduct.
Violations draw severe penalties, including death for ‘aggravated homosexuality’ and life in prison for gay sex.
‘Aggravated homosexuality’ involves gay sex with people under the age of 18 or when the perpetrator is HIV positive, among other categories, according to the law.
It also creates new offences that will further curtail any activism on LGBTQ+ rights, which supporters say threaten traditional values in the conservative and religious nation.
Anyone advocating for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, or financially supporting organisations that do so, could face up to 20 years’ imprisonment.
The bill also criminalises any person who fails to report someone they suspect of participating in same-sex acts to the police, calling for a fine or imprisonment for six months.
Effectively, this targets families or friends of LGBTQ+ people failing to report their loved ones.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.