The Private Member's Bill on Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021 was laid before Parliament on Monday, August 5.

The document, brought before Parliament for the first time for discussion, seeks to outlaw the involvement, promotion, propagation, advocacy, support or funding for its related activities.

The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament Andrew Asiamah Amoako, referred the bill to the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee

The Committee is expected to produce a report on the Bill after its deliberation.

“The Bill is read for the first time and is referred to the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee for consideration and report,” Mr Amoako said.

Proper Human Sexual and Ghanaian Family Bill

The recent anti-LGBT bill drafted by some eight Ghanaian legislators has created several controversies since it was sighted on social media.

The discussion as to whether the 36-page bill indeed seeks to infringe on the human rights of citizens as well as silence free speech has been ongoing since Thursday, July 22.

Portions of the Bill state that individuals of the same sex who engage in sexual intercourse are; “liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than seven hundred and fifty penalty units and not more than five thousand penalty units, or to a term of imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than five years or both.”

This encompasses any person who holds out as a lesbian, a gay, a transgender, a transsexual, a queer, a pansexual, an ally, a non-binary or any other sexual or gender identity that is contrary to the binary categories of male and female.

Also, the proposed anti-LGBT bill states that “a person who, by use of media, technological platform, technological account or any other means, produces, procures, markets, broadcasts, disseminates, publishes or distributes a material for purposes of promoting an activity prohibited under the Bill, or a person who uses an electronic device, the Internet service, a film, or any other device capable of electronic storage or transmission to produce, procure, market, broadcast, disseminate, publishes or distribute a material for purposes of promoting an activity prohibited under the Bill, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction, to a term of imprisonment of not less than five years and not more than ten years.”

The eight legislators spearheading the fight against same-sex relationships in the country through this bill are; MP for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George, Ho West MP, Emmanuel Bedzrah, MP for Kpando, Della Adjoa Sowah, and John Ntim Fordjour, the MP for Assin South.

The rest are MP for Tamale North, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, La Dadekotopon MP, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, the MP for Krachi West, Helen Adjoa Ntoso, and Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, the MP for South Dayi.