Queer Ghanaians remain in a fight for their lives

It started with a tweet. In February. And since then, it’s been an extremely hellish year for LGBTQ+ Ghanaians.

In January — January 30th, 2021 — LGBTQ+ Rights Ghana officially opened their first-ever community centre with the Australian High Commissioner, Danish Ambassador, and delegates from the European Union present. That joy, however, of opening the first-ever community centre was quickly short-lived. Two weeks later, in February, The European Union Delegation to Ghana posted pictures of the official opening of the community centre on their Twitter handle. Then the attacks started to pour out, with claims that the European Union was importing western values into Ghana. There were negative reactions from politicians, civil and religious communities and the media, as well as “a rise in arrests and abuse against people perceived to be gay or queer”.

And it never stopped.

In May, 16 women and five men were attending a paralegal training session conducted by Rightify Ghana, a human rights organization, when the police arrived at the venue and rounded them up. The Police Force claimed that the event promoted homosexuality, making it an unlawful gathering. The country’s High Court eventually released the 21 activists on bail in June after over three weeks of detention.

Since then, Queer Ghanaians have been the recipient of homophobic and transphobic attacks online and offline.

The latest in the range of attacks against LGBTQ+ Ghanaians is the Anti-LGBTQ Bill. According to Pink News, this bill — also called the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021 — would introduce a raft of policies punishing everything from sex toys and anal intercourse to trans healthcare and LGBT+ allyship.

One of the prominent Ghanaians leading the charge against LGBTQ+ persons in Ghana is Sam Nartey George, a Ghanaian politician. “They are accusing the LGBT+ community of recruiting children, weaponising HIV and AIDS data against the LGBT+ community and claiming it is part of a conspiracy to depopulate us,” Rightify Ghana had said about Sam George and other sponsors of the Anti-LGBT Bill. “These and more damaging narratives are being used to promote the bill.”

Even with all the risks involved, LGBT Ghanaians are protesting actively against the bill with massive support from pro-LGBTQ+ persons in the diaspora. Queer Ghanaians continue to remind us that this is a fight for their lives, and the bill is as good as a murder warrant against LGBTQ+ persons in Ghana. It’s our responsibility to stand in solidarity with them, however we can.

To donate to LGBT Rights Ghana Community Fund, click here.