Board Chair of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, has urged President Akufo-Addo to reject the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values bill also known as the anti-LGBTQ bill.
She argues that the bill undermines fundamental human rights protected by the Constitution, such as dignity, freedom of speech and association, procession participation, academic freedom, equality, and non-discrimination.
Speaking at a press conference focused on human rights and a rights-based approach to supporting sexual minorities in Ghana, Prof. Gadzekpo emphasized that upholding rights and freedoms is crucial to constitutional democracy.
She warned that altering these rights could jeopardize Ghana’s democratic principles, highlighting the significance of the issue for all citizens.
“Once our pillars of democracy rest to prevent the tyranny of the majority, depending on where we find ourselves, and on any given issue, we can all experience the feeling of being minorities. The rights guarantee in the constitution is therefore our only protector from majoritarian tyranny.
“Human rights are not dependent on majority approval or disapproval, therefore the assertion by the proponents of the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill that because the majority of Ghanaians are allegedly in favour of the bill, justifies its passage into laws is untenable. Ghana is a secular and multi-religious country.”