A powerful political leader in Ghana says the “LGBTQ pandemic” is worse than the Covid-19 pandemic, and “it must be fought by all of us.”
Parliament Speaker Alban Bagbin made the remark during a morning prayer meeting on Tuesday, where the lawmakers introduced an anti-LGBT+ bill.
Another lawmaker, Samuel Nartey George, wrote in a Facebook post that the “landmark legislation” is “in my humble opinion a world class piece of legislation which should be reference material for other Parliaments seeking to pass similar legislation.”
George added: “Let me be clear here, homosexuality is NOT a human right. It is a lifestyle choice. A sexual preference.”
The new bill would criminalize the “promotion, advocacy, funding and act of homosexuality in all its forms,” according to published reports.
The proposed legislation is officially titled the “Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021.”
LGBT+ rights activist groups warn that the bill heightens HIV risks. The bill is expected to become law by the end of 2021.
In 2011, then-President Barack Obama threatened to cut off foreign aid to African nations that refused to recognize or protect LGBT+ rights.