According to the newly implemented legislation in Ghana, advocating for the rights of individuals identifying as lesbian, gay, or with other non-conventional sexual or gender orientations can result in a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.
On Wednesday, the Ghanaian Parliament approved the bill concerning human sexual rights and family values, often termed the anti-LGBTQ bill.
The bill, called the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, was introduced by Sam Nartey George, the MP for Ningo-Prampram.
The bill still has to be validated by the president, Nana Akufo-Addo, before becoming law, which observers believe is unlikely before a general election in December.
Gay sex is already illegal in the religious West African nation, but while discrimination against LGBTQ people is common no one has ever been prosecuted under the colonial-era law.
According to Amnesty International, the proposed legislation represents a substantial risk to the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals within the LGBT+ community.
