Transgender musician, Angel Maxine, has reacted to the passage of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill also known as the anti-LGBTQ bill.
The bill was passed by Parliament on Wednesday, February 28. Reacting to the news in an Instagram post, Angel Maxine wrote “My heart is deeply broken.”
Prior to this, Angel Maxine noted that her side would be ready to drag Parliament to court should it approve the bill.
In an Instagram post, she indicated that the current state of the bill contravenes the 1992 Constitution and infringes one’s human rights.
“Pass the bill… I’m daring you to pass your copy and paste bill; the bill they’ve been helping you edit for 2 whole years and counting. NONSENSE We will be waiting for you in court to educate you on how this hate bill is against the constitution of Ghana and human rights in general. Ofui bofrot!,” she wrote.
The anti-LGBTQ+ bill aims to criminalize LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana. It proposes strict penalties, including imprisonment, for individuals engaged in activities related to homosexuality and LGBTQ+ advocacy.
Additionally, the bill seeks to prohibit the promotion of LGBTQ+ rights, organizations, and events in Ghana.
Prior to its passage, there had been several amendments to the bill. After deliberation, Parliament decided that the minimum custodial sentence has been set at three years, with a maximum of five years for promoters and sympathisers.
Additionally, individuals caught directly engaging in these activities will face a minimum sentence of six months, extendable to a maximum of three years.
Ghana is among many African countries that are working to rid LGBTQ activities in the society. Uganda enacted one of the world’s harshest anti-gay laws in May, which calls for the death penalty for certain same-sex acts.
Following this, the country faced sanctions from international communities. The U.S. imposed a first round of visa restrictions on Ugandan officials in response to the law in June, and the World Bank halted new lending to the country in August.
The concern now is Ghana could face similar sanctions and be blocked from receiving financial aid from countries that uphold LGBTQ rights. But Parliamentarians have noted that Ghana is poised to withstand whatever pro-LGBTQ countries throw at them.
Already, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has described the passage of bill as “profoundly disturbing.”