A lecturer at the University of Georgia, Dr. Fatima Mohammed, has voiced dissatisfaction over the Members of Parliaments’ (MPs) stance on the LGBTQ law, which has been discussed and given a second reading in the House.
This comes after Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, urged House opponents of the anti-gay measure to stand up and be counted.
He asked the question following the presentation of the committee report on the bill to the house for discussion by Mr. Anyimadu Antwi, chairman of the Committee on Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs.
As the bill was being heard for the second time in the House, religious leaders from the Christian and Muslim communities stormed the Parliament.
Mr. Bagbin however added that considering the numbers in the house on Wednesday July 5, 2023 he will still open the floor for the debate.
Speaking to the media the news the College of Journalism and Mass Communication lecturer said human rights are not something you can pick and choose what you want.
“It is really heartbreaking because looking at our Parliament we know a lot of Parliamentarians are lawyers and they know what human rights are and they understand what it means to go after the rights of individuals are. So it is sad to hear that this bill is going forward and that the rights of LGBTQ rights are going to be infringed upon. They cannot live in dignity in their own country.
“We are talking about the rights of individuals here, we are talking about protecting the right to live in freedom and in dignity and the right to live and regard as human beings in their own country. These are people from all parts of the country and who are members of the society,” Dr. Fatima stated.
She continued: “So to criminalize their very existence is just disappointing and I am actually very sad that Parliamentarians who initially opposed the bill are currently in support of it. Of-course when the first version of the bill came out in 2021 it was actually described by media organizations across the world as the most homophobic bill that will ever see the light of day in the entire world.”