In October 2021 the bishops of the Anglican Church of Ghana and the Archbishop of Canterbury were involved in a disagreement about a Christian response to the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021 after the Ghanaian bishops issued a statement supporting the bill. The Ghana bishops eventually issued a more nuanced statement saying that:
“though human dignity is always dominant, LGBTQI+ activities are frowned upon by the Ghanaian ethnicity and therefore, traditions, values, cultural and social frameworks must not also only be regarded but, respected and appreciated. Nevertheless, Ghanaian citizens must not use the bill as an avenue to assault persons with homosexual orientation but show love to them as the Church of Jesus Christ is called to demonstrate the love of God by protecting all vulnerable people and groups. Acts of harassment, intimidation and hostilities against LGBTQ+ people should be condemned.”
Public hearings on the bill
On Thursday 17th February 2022 the third public hearing of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee resumed consideration of memoranda on the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021. The bill, effectively an anti-LGBTQIA+ bill, will, if passed in its current state, criminalise Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Agender people and any person or group supporting them, including family members, bishops, priests and pastors.
Davis Mac-Iyalla, an Anglican and now the Executive Director of the Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa (IDNOWA), was in London recently and we met to talk about his work in Ghana. Davis founded Changing Attitude Nigeria in 2006, was present with me at the Primates meeting in Tanzania in 2007, seeking a meeting with the then Archbishop of All Nigeria, the Most Revd Peter Akinola (we failed), was a member of the international LGBTQIA team at Lambeth in 2008, fled Nigeria to safety in Togo and was eventually granted asylum in the UK. Davis now lives in Ghana, dividing his time between Accra and Cape Coast.
Third public hearing of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee
He was one of those who spoke against the passage of the bill at the public hearing on 17th February. He suggested the bill will promote violence against LGBTQIA+ people, codifying the spirit of mob action, violence and vigilantism that exist in many parts of Ghana. Davis said a number of “sexual minorities in Ghana have been attacked by mobs, subjected to sexual assault, intimidation and extortion.” He added that dozens of the attacks and arrests of these minority groups have been documented by Human Rights Organizations in Ghana.
Davis said, “…this bill when passed will enshrine hatred into law. It will increase stigma towards those who are viewed as different or non-conforming. It will legitimise hatred against neighbours and strangers. Police officers will feel empowered, and even people from their own family will be able to continue to attack those that are perceived to be LGBTQ+. In the past years, sexual minorities suffered entrapment and blackmail on social media. They are subjected to sexual assault, intimidation and extortion.”
Davis pointed out some instances of attacks. “In August 2015, in Nima in Accra, a young man was allegedly brutally assaulted by members of a vigilante group known as ‘Safety Empire’ simply because they suspect he was gay. In May 2016, in a village outside of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, a mother of a young woman organised a mob to beat up her daughter because she suspected the young woman was a lesbian. The girl and her friends were forced to flee the village.'”
He added that his interaction with some parents have revealed that they are worried about the consideration of the bill as their son will be affected by the bill for looking feminine. “A Ghanaian parent that I spoke to personally said to me she is worried about this situation and about the bill… She said her children are a blessing from God, and if her son looks feminised, it’s not the reason he should be criminalised.”
In addition to the Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa, representatives from Assemblies of God, Christian Council of Ghana, Key Watch Ghana, Methodist Church Ghana, and Alliance for Equality and Diversity also appeared before the committee to share their views on the bill. Rev. Abraham Obeng, who represented the Assemblies of God Church in Ghana, called on parliament, government, judiciary and civil society organisations to stand against the bill. He stated they are hopeful that the bill will sail through all the required processes and get passed into law.
Reports on the hearing
Reports on the hearing have been published by MyjoyOnline (which contains an audio recording of Davis) and Ghanaweb which includes a video of Davis speaking. The IDNOWA website has published a full report of the IDNOWA presentation.
Ghana Centre for Democratic Development workshop
On 21st February, subsequent to the public hearing before the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development in collaboration with IDNOWA hosted a one day workshop for Faith leaders. Representatives from the Ghana Christian Council, Ghana Peace Corps and senior leaders from African traditional religions attended the workshop. The training activities covered topics such as Religion and Human rights education and analysis of the Memorandum to the Proper Human Sexuality Rights and Ghanaian Family Bill 2021, the protection and rights of marginalised/vulnerable groups and international/regional analysis of the bill.