'Anytin fit happun to me now' - Gay pesin cry out afta Ghana parliament pass fresh anti-LGBTQ bill

Afta Ghana parliament pass di 'Human Sexual Rights and Family Values bill' wey be popular as anti-lgbtq bill for di second time on Friday 29 May 2026, pipo dey react to am.

Lawmakers pass di fresh law afta hot debate for di floor of parliament as opposition members of parliament (MPs) argue against new changes wey dem propose.

Di previous bill wey parliament pass for 2024, bin propose up to three years for prison for pipo wey dey practice lgbtq activities, wey those wey dey promote, fund and sponsor lgbtq activities and advocacy go enta prison for up to five years.

Ghana ex-president Nana Akufo-Addo refuse to sign di bill afta parliament send di bill to di presidency as im tok say im go wait for di court to rule on di plenti injunction cases against di bill from civil society groups and oda activists.

Di various applicants argue say di bill dey unconstitutional wey e dey violate pipo dia human rights.

Oda applicants ask di Supreme Court to declare di bill as "null and void" sake of parliament no follow di right process to pass am.

But di Supreme court for 18 December 2024, dismiss two cases wey dey challenge di passage of di law as di panel tok say di court no fit review di case until di president bin sign am to become law.

Di Supreme Court argue say dem fit sit and review tins wey already be law (dat be afta di president don sign am), no be tins wey neva ripe to become law yet.

Sponsors for di bill now put pressure on top di ex-president say make im sign di bill into law bifor im term as president go end.

But from di time di Supreme Court bin rule on 18 December 2024 to 6 January 2026 when President Akufo-Addo im presidency finish, im no sign di bill into law.

Opposition lawmakers and di National Democratic Congress (NDC) party bin use am as campaign against di outgoing govment di New Patriotic Party (NPP) at dat time.

Eventually afta dem win power, di new president John Mahama say dem go carry di bill back to parliament afta dem adjust some clauses.

Di catholic bishops conference and oda religious groups togeda wit sponsors of di bill put pressure on parliament to carry di bill back and ask dem to pass am.

Parliament pass fresh bill wit some changes, opposition lawmakers vex

Afta wetin dem describe as stakeholder engagement, di constitutional and legal affairs committee recommend some changes for some clauses for di fresh bill.

For di first bill wey dem pass, any pesin wey dey promote, advocate and do propaganda for lgbtq pipo, go enta prison.

Dis dey include medical pipo wey dey offer help for lgbtq pipo, media pipo wey dey cover lgbtq issues and odas wey dey use dia platform to discuss current affairs wey relate to lgbtq activities.

Even researchers and pipo for academia wey publish dia work about lgbtq pipo and dia activities go face sanctions as di previous law dey describe dat kain work as advocacy and promotion.

Lawyers and oda counsellors wey offer services to lgbtq pipo also go dey guilty of advocacy and promotion.

But wit di new changes, all dis pipo (lawyers, journalists, doctors, researchers, pastors, counsellors and odas) no go dey guilty if dey offer dia services to lgbtq pipo.

Dia work no go count as "advocacy or promotion" of lgbtq activities, but pipo wey sponsor and fund advocacy of lgbtq activities go dey guilty and fit face up to five years in prison.

Opposition lawmakers argue against di changes to di new bill, but parliament wit di majority vote, pass di bill.

"Di NDC govment use dia majority to water down di bill wey we first sponsor, now dem pass di new one wey neva dey tight, e dey lack bite" Rev Ntim Fordjour wey be one of di sponsors, tok journalists outside parliament afta di house pass di bill.

Di MP add say "di target of di law be against promotion of lgbtq activities, so to remove dis pipo – lawyers, medical pipo, media, researchers and odas, mean say dis new law no go bite. Di govment MPs just pass dis edited law sake of politics."

Lgbtq community pipo, advocates and oda human rights groups react to new bill

For pipo from di lgbtq community, whether dis fresh bill or di one dem pass for 2024, di value be di same.

One gay pesin tok BBC Pidgin say dem still dey live in fear since tok-tok about di bill begin from 2024.

"I personally still dey fear everiday, now anytin fit happun to me," Vanny Adi (no be im real name), tok.

From di time when advocates carry di matter to court to challenge di bill, pipo for di lgbtq community begin to make plans to comot di kontri and seek asylum for oda kontris.

Vanny Adi add say "from di beginning, dis whole bill tin be politics; di politicians dey play wit Ghanaians for votes, but di real impact be how pipo dey treat us. You go dey waka for public and pipo go dey harass you."

"Now, di law dey allow pipo to even snitch and report pipo dem suspect as lgbtq to di police make dem arrest dem, dat be serious issue, we no get our right and freedom for our own kontri anymore."

Human Rights group, Ratify Ghana say make President John Mahama no sigh di new bill.

"We don document ova 80 human rights abuse cases so far for 2026 alone, di anti-lgbtq bill go make tins worse as di bill go increase human right abuse, wey include sexual and gender-based violence and discrimination," Ratify Ghana explain.

Inside dia official response to di new bill, Ratify Ghana add say "we dey disappointed say parliament bin choose to criminalise identity, expression, association, advocacy and support for lgbtq pipo instead say dem go focus for serious wahala for di kontri like unemployment, cost of living, education, corruption and oda tins."

"Di bill dey make tins like stigma, discrimination, fear and social division, increase for di kontri; e go encourage family rejection, blackmail, harassment, arrest and vigilante action against lgbtq pipo and those wey pipo suspect to be lgbtq pipo," Ratify Ghana explain.

Ghanaian transgender woman Angel Maxine write on top im social media say make di president no sign di bill.

"Please make you no sign dis bill into law for time when many already dey live in fear and face increasing violence, we dey ask you to choose humanity, compassion and hope ova pain, exclusion ad suffering."

Wetin go happun now?

Afta parliament pass di new bill, di sponsors and lawmakers wey pass am say dem dey expect di President John Mahama to sign di bill.

One of di sponsors of di bill from di govment side Sam George tok local media Joynews say "I dey hope say by next week parliament go transmit di anti-lgbtq bill to di president, wey we go demand say make di president sign am, no be sake of I dey ask make im sign am but sake of di president make commitment to di pipo say im go sign am if parliament transmit am to im office."

Afta dem pass bill for parliament, dem gatz send am to di presidency, make di president sign am into law.

If di president sign am, di anti-lgbtq bill go finally become law and take effect.

Afta dat, di advocates and human rights activists go fit now return to di Supreme Court for review of di law and argue dia case all ova again.

For now, dis be di latest reality and lgbtq pipo and dia allies say, tins just go become worse from now and "nobody dey safe even for dia own kontri. How we reach dis point."