8 members of parliament in Ghana have brought forward a bill that would criminalize the country’s LGBT+ community and its allies. We are calling on the authorities of Ghana to reject this bill, and to put in place urgently needed protections for LGBT+ people.

Update - January 2025:

Following Ghana's general elections and the formation of a new Parliament, the anti-LGBT+ bill was rendered void as the outgoing President refrained from signing it into law. This shows the effectiveness and power of international pressure and global solidarity. However, LGBT+ Ghanaians have already been facing a dramatic increase of discrimination and violence and a significant challenge lies ahead, as Ghana’s newly elected President has pledged to strengthen laws targeting LGBT+ people and activities.

Several members of Parliament have made public homophobic statements, with some vowing to reintroduce the anti-LGBT+ bill. It is crucial that we continue to stand in solidarity with Ghana’s LGBT+ community and remain prepared to take action when needed.

18 December 2024
Ghana’s Supreme Court unanimously dismissed two separate cases challenging the legality of this bill, deeming them premature as the law has not yet formally come into effect.

28 February 2024
Today, Ghana's Parliament unanimously passed the ‘Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill’, stripping away the rights, safety and dignity of LGBT+ Ghanaians. The Bill will now be sent to the President for approval. Call on the Ghanaian President to reject the bill. The lives of LGBT+ Ghanaians are on the line.

Now, more than ever, your support is crucial.

8 February 2024

Today Ghana's Parliament completed the consideration stage of the Anti-LGBT+ Bill moving it closer to its passage. The Parliamentary Committee, bill sponsors and drafters of the bill were asked to refine and finalize the proposed amendments then present the bill for the Third Reading. It could be passed in a matter of days.

The proposed legislation is one of the most severe and cruel anti-LGBT+ bills to arise in recent history. Local activists describe it as “a homophobe’s dream.”

If passed, anyone suspected of being LGBT+ and anyone who supports LGBT+ friends, coworkers, family members or neighbors could be punished with prison terms of up to five years. Advocating for LGBT+ rights could be punished with up to 10 years in prison.

The bill also promotes so-called “conversion therapy”, a harmful and discredited practice that claims to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

LGBT+ people in Ghana have already been under attack, especially in recent months. Activists and community members in Ghana fear a dramatic increase of discrimination and violence should the bill pass.

We are calling on the authorities of Ghana to reject and dismiss this bill. If Ghana is truly a champion of democracy, as its leaders often claim, then every Ghanaian deserves their rights and freedoms honored, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

To: The President of Ghana:

LGBT+ people in Ghana are under attack – from arbitrary arrests to homophobic statements from religious and political leaders. The ‘Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill’ presented to parliament is the latest in this wave of attacks.

If passed, the bill would strip away basic human rights from hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians, lead to an atmosphere of fear and repression across the country, and to an increase in attacks against LGBT+ people, their families and friends.

Every Ghanaian deserves the freedom of speech, of privacy, of association, and to feel safe in their own country.

We are calling on the Constitution and Legal Affairs Committee, and the President of Ghana, to reject and dismiss this bill, and to enact protections for LGBT+ people in the law.