Ghana’s parliament has passed a tough new law that imposes up to three years in prison for anyone convicted of a crime if they identify as LGBTQ+.
Additionally, founding or funding an LGBTQ+ group is punishable by up to five years in prison.
Lawmakers rejected attempts to replace prison sentences with community service or counselling.
It’s the latest sign of growing opposition to LGBTQ+ rights in the conservative West African country.
The bill is supported by Ghana’s two major political parties and will only come into force if signed by President Nana Akufo-Addo.
He has previously said that if the majority of Ghanaians wanted this, they would do it.
Homosexual sex is already a criminal offence in Ghana, punishable by three years in prison.
Last month, Amnesty International warned that the bill posed a “grave threat to the fundamental rights and freedoms” of LGBTQ+ people.
Activists say some may have to go into hiding, fearing a witch hunt against members of the LGBTQ+ community and those fighting for their rights.
This bill proposes up to 10 years in prison for those involved in LGBTQ+ advocacy campaigns directed at children.
The public is also urged to report members of the LGBTQ+ community to the authorities so that “necessary action” can be taken.
According to members of parliament, the bill was drafted in response to the opening of Ghana’s first LGBTQ+ community centre in the capital, Accra, in January 2021.
Police closed the centre due to public outcry and pressure from religious groups and traditional leaders across Christian countries.
At the time, the Ghana Christian Council and the Ghana Pentecostal-Charismatic Council said in a joint statement that LGBTQ+ people were “alien to Ghana’s culture and family values and therefore cannot be accepted by the people of this country.”
The bill approved by lawmakers is a watered-down version of an earlier draft. For example, prison terms were reduced and provisions regarding conversion therapy were removed.
During the day-long debate, the deputy leader of the ruling party, Alexander Afenyo-Markin previously suggested further changes.
He said lawmakers should decide by secret vote whether people convicted of being part of the LGBTQ+ community should be jailed in court or sentenced to community service and counselling but he was forced into compliance by lawmakers who supported prison sentences.