Lawmakers in Ghana have just passed a draconian anti-LGBTQI bill. If signed into law by the President, simply identifying as an LGBTQI person in Ghana will carry a sentence of up to three years. The bill is being challenged in the country’s Supreme Court.
The main sponsor of the bill has labelled homosexuality as a “perversion”, and has been quoted saying: “There is nothing that deals with LGBTQ better than this bill.” As with Uganda and East Africa, anti-LGBTQI sentiment is spreading across West Africa and creating a climate of fear, and we are already hearing reports of increased violence against and persecution of LGBTQI people.
The LGBTQI community in Ghana is terrified and needs your support.
GiveOut’s partners need funding to:
• Provide emergency safety and protection to LGBTQI individuals and frontline activists at risk of increased violence and persecution
• Intensify education and communication strategies to rebuff false narratives and hysteria about LGBTQI identities
• Pursue strategic litigation through the courts to challenge the bill on constitutional grounds
• Engage in regional and international advocacy to attempt to stop the bill from becoming law
We have launched a private appeal to raise funds for our partners to undertake this vital work. To protect our partners, we are not naming them. This is a moment for our global community and allies to come together to show our solidarity with LGBTQI people in Ghana.
