Members of the Western Region Network of Ministers, Churches and Councils have appealed to Parliament to ensure the passage of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill currently before the House. 

They said the Government must ensure that the laws of the land did not, in any way, conflict with the spiritual, social, moral and cultural norms of the people.

Right Reverend Emmanuel Kwesi Ansah, the Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese, and Chairman of the Network, made the call during a press conference in Takoradi.

The members have a strong stance on the issue - because the Western Region hosts a lot of foreigners, who come as expatriates and tourists due to the harbour, minerals/mining potentials, as well as the oil found in commercial quantities. 

Rev Bishop Ansah explained that the influx of foreign cultures in the region gave them the cause for concern since recent developments revealed that some youth had fallen victim to activities of LGBTQIA+, which was associated with some of the alien cultures. 

“All arms of government; Executive, Legislature, and the Judiciary must, as a matter of urgency, come out to overtly condemn the LGBTQIA+ activities with a concerted voice and assure the masses of their commitment to tackling the problem head-on,” he said. 

“The Government must demonstrate the political will in creating a social and legal environment that would be intolerable for anyone wanting to engage in the act of perversion, whether he was a foreigner or a citizen.” 

Bishop Ansah called on the Government to ensure that educational institutions were insulated from the promotion of LGBTQIA+ activities since the youth stood the risk of becoming more vulnerable and gullible to the act. 

“Our health centres must be made friendlier to those who have suffered abuse through LGBTQIA+ to confidently approach any health post and receive help without looking over their shoulders,” he said. 

The Network had consciously nurtured a cordial and fruitful relationship with the local authorities such as the Regional Coordinating Council, MMDCEs, Western Regional Parliamentary caucus, and traditional authorities, Bishop Ansah said, and urged them to join the crusade to combat the menace. 

He commended the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, and the parliamentarians who had boldly spoken against it. 

Bishop Ansah called on churches in the region to intensify prayers on the subject since all perversion had demonic connotations and undertones.

He urged them to visit educational institutions to educate the youth on the need to eschew that behaviour, intensify family life education in the churches and encourage parents to assume full responsibility for the proper upbringing of their children. 

He also suggested to the church to develop a document on homosexuality and its attendant problems, which could be used to teach children, youth and adults in all churches and collaborate with stakeholders to effectively resolve issues of homosexuality.