Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has indicated that he is not in support of the ideals of the LGBTQ Community in the country.

According to him, he agrees with the principles of the proposed Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill that seeks to criminalise same-sex activities.

Speaking on JoyNews' PM Express on Wednesday, he said: "I'm not opposed to the principle of the bill. I cannot be. The principle of the (Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill ) I do applaud."

Interacting with Evans Mensah, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noted that such principles he values include the Ghanaian cultural values and the conventional marriage that exists between a man and a woman.

"The constitution provides that if there are traditional cultural practices that are injurious, we as Parliament should pass legislation to cut them out. I'm not too sure that lesbianism, gayism is part of our culture and for that reason maybe introducing a bill against it would be against our values," he added.

Nonetheless, the Suame legislator stated that due to Ghana being a democratic state that upholds the rights of individuals, there needs to be a balance on how citizens treat the subject that has sparked controversy locally and internationally.

Thus, urged that sentiments and emotions be discarded in further engagements.

For this reason, he said "I was this morning calling on groups, stakeholders, Civil Society Organizations, the churches and mosques and even individuals who have anything for or against the bill to submit it to the appropriate Committee that is dealing with it. They would do their analysis and submit their report."

His comments come at a time when a section of the public is distressed about the delay by Parliament to pass the Anti-LGBTQ bill into law. Some religious bodies have gone to the extent of threatening to take away power from the legislators who go against the bill.

Several religious and traditional institutions including the Anglican Church, Ghana (Internal Province of Ghana), the Church of Pentecost have thrown their weight behind the Bill currently before Parliament.

“We see LGBTQI+ as unrighteousness in the sight of God and will therefore do anything within our powers and mandate to ensure that the bill comes into fruition," the Anglican Church stated.

The Bill, among others, seeks to strengthen and augment existing legislation on the country’s penal code, which criminalizes consensual “unnatural carnal knowledge” with people over the age of 16 years and under section 104 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) as amended by Act 646 of 2003.

The bill is expected to ensure that people who engage in homosexual activity could be fined or jailed for three to five years.

The law would also make it a crime for anyone to identify as a lesbian, gay, transgender, transsexual, queer, pansexual or non-binary (LGBTQ+) and punish them with five years in prison. Besides, advocating for LGBQ+ rights would also be illegal under the bill, with activists facing five and ten years of jail sentences.

However, two separate documents have been sent to Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs on October 2, making a case against the proposed Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021.