Huge posters promoting the acceptance of LGBT + people have been torn down in recent weeks in Ghana, a very religious country where these communities are victims of discrimination, especially after calls from a fierce opponent. On the occasion of Pride month, LGBT+ activists (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, or even intersex) erected posters several meters high in several cities in Ghana, including Accra the capital, to promote “love, tolerance and acceptance”in rainbow colors.
These posters provoked the anger of a conservative party in the West African country and in particular that of MP Samuel George, who called for them to be “bring down”. Samuel George is spearheading a controversial bill aimed at restricting the freedoms of LGBT+ people. In the process, videos and photos posted on social networks showed several posters cut, in a heap on the ground and on fire.“Let us salute the people of Tamale Central (…) for their quick reaction when duty calls them to defend our culture and the Constitution,” wrote on his Twitter account Samuel George, a message accompanied by photos of a torn poster in the North. “As long as they put up these billboards, we’ll bring them down,” he added.
Salute to the people of Tamale Central & their MP, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed for their swift action when duty called in defense of our culture & the Constitution. So long as they mount those billboards, we would bring them down. Long may Art 3 of the 1992 Constitution live. pic.twitter.com/ep1rQ5zo9q
— Sam ‘Dzata’ George (@samgeorgegh) June 14, 2022
The movement for the rights of LBGT+ people in Ghana regretted the destruction of these posters while reassuring its community. “We ask you to stay calm and not panic because everything is under control. We are present, we are queer and we are not going anywhere”, affirmed the movement. In Ghana, a very religious country with a Christian majority, same-sex relationships are prohibited but there have been no cases of prosecution under the colonial-era law. However, queer people (whose sexual orientation or gender identity do not correspond to the dominant models) are regularly the target of discrimination.
The bill “for the promotion of appropriate sexual rights and Ghanaian family values”, widely supported by local religious organizations, is condemned by part of the international community and rights defenders. This law, submitted to parliament by opposition deputies, provides in particular for criminalizing the defense of the rights of LGBT + people, an obligation to denounce “suspects”the promotion of conversion therapies or the imposition of heavier prison sentences to condemn homosexuality.