TIG Post

Tag: homosexuals

  • Prioritise reforms for homosexuals, do away with punishment – Ekow Assafuah tells Parliament

    Prioritise reforms for homosexuals, do away with punishment – Ekow Assafuah tells Parliament

    Deputy Minister-designate for the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has urged Parliament to focus more on the reformation process of homosexuals rather than solely on punishment.

    He emphasized that it is Parliament’s responsibility to ensure the reformation and integration of homosexuals back into society. While expressing support for the passage of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, he stated that simply ostracising homosexuals from society is not the solution.

    Speaking during his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee in Accra on Monday, March 11, 2024, Mr. Assafuah mentioned that his Catholic background aligns with the bill, and he pledged his support for it.

    “In principle, the LGBTQ bill that has been passed or approved by Parliament is one that I support wholeheartedly because it is in consonance with my tradition and culture. It is in consonance with my formation as a catholic person or practising catholic,” he stated. 

    The anti-LGBTQ bill, which prohibits lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activities and criminalizes their promotion, advocacy, and funding, was unanimously passed by Parliament on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, after three years since its introduction.

    If assented to by the President, the bill will impose sanctions on those promoting or engaging in LGBTQ activities in the country. It prescribes a minimum sentence of six months and a maximum of three years for individuals caught in same-sex activities. Additionally, those found guilty of promoting, advocating, or funding LGBTQ activities could face a minimum of three years and a maximum of five years imprisonment.

    Despite supporting the bill, Mr. Assafuah expressed opposition to the punishment prescribed for individuals who violate the anti-LGBTQ law.

    “There are reasons for punishment to be meted out to people. There is a principle behind punishment and one of the principles is to ensure that a person is being reformed out of a criminal activity. And so, if we have to reform persons, do we have to mete out punishment that seems to ostracise the person from society? It seems that as a society, we are bringing out our failures in the sense that we are showing our inability or incapacity to be able to reform people or if you like put people through sessions that reintroduce such persons into society. If we are not able to do so. That is where I see the failure,” he explained. 

    “It seems we are throwing our hands in despair. I am making a strong point that as a Parliament, we should be very interested in reforming our people. That is our responsibility as a people. We cannot say that there is a supposed anticipation of gay persons being lynched if they are given community service and so because of that as the people’s representatives we are throwing our hands in despair to allow such persons just to go astray.

    “That cannot be our course. Let’s have a proper forum, let’s have proper engagements to see how best we can deal with such persons. It is our responsibility to do so,” Mr Assafuah stated.

  • Reformation of homosexuals must be a priority to parliament – Ekow Assafuah

    Reformation of homosexuals must be a priority to parliament – Ekow Assafuah

    The Deputy Minister-designate for the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development, Ekow Assafuah, has called on Parliament to focus on the rehabilitation of homosexuals rather than solely resorting to punitive measures.

    He emphasized that Parliament bears the responsibility of ensuring the reformation and seamless integration of individuals with different sexual orientations back into society.

    Expressing his support for the anti-LGBTQ+ bill during his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee in Accra on March 11, 2024, Mr. Assafuah underscored his backing for the legislation, aligning it with his Catholic beliefs and cultural background.

    “In principle, the LGBTQ bill that has been passed or approved by Parliament is one that I support wholeheartedly because it is in consonance with my tradition and culture. It is in consonance with my formation as a catholic person or practising catholic,” he stated.

    While he endorsed the bill, which criminalizes and prohibits LGBTQ activities, he cautioned against merely isolating individuals with different sexual orientations, emphasizing the need for a more holistic approach to address the issue.

    The controversial bill, unanimously passed by Parliament on February 28, 2024, criminalizes and prohibits the promotion, advocacy, and funding of LGBTQ activities in the country.

    Mr. Assafuah, however, expressed reservations about the punitive measures outlined in the bill, advocating for a focus on reformative approaches to address the underlying issues.

    He stressed the importance of punishment being aligned with principles of reformation, urging Parliament to prioritize the responsibility of reforming individuals and reintegrating them into society.

    Mr. Assafuah rejected the notion of society giving in to despair and suggested that proper forums and engagements should be established to devise effective strategies for dealing with individuals with different sexual orientations, emphasizing Parliament’s role in fulfilling this responsibility.

    “There are reasons for punishment to be meted out to people. There is a principle behind punishment and one of the principles is to ensure that a person is being reformed out of a criminal activity. And so, if we have to reform persons, do we have to mete out punishment that seems to ostracise the person from society? It seems that as a society, we are bringing out our failures in the sense that we are showing our inability or incapacity to be able to reform people or if you like put people through sessions that reintroduce such persons into society. If we are not able to do so. That is where I see the failure,” he explained. 

    “It seems we are throwing our hands in despair. I am making a strong point that as a Parliament, we should be very interested in reforming our people. That is our responsibility as a people. We cannot say that there is a supposed anticipation of gay persons being lynched if they are given community service and so because of that as the people’s representatives we are throwing our hands in despair to allow such persons just to go astray.

    “That cannot be our course. Let’s have a proper forum, let’s have proper engagements to see how best we can deal with such persons. It is our responsibility to do so,” Mr Assafuah stated.

  • Ga and Nzema culture accept homosexuals – Prof Audrey claims

    Ga and Nzema culture accept homosexuals – Prof Audrey claims

    Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, the Board Chair of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has challenged the common belief that Ghanaian values and norms universally condemn LGBT+ activities.

    During an appearance on Joy Newsfile on Saturday, March 2, 2024, Prof. Gadzekpo pointed out that there is evidence of such activities existing in some local cultures.

    She specifically mentioned that Ghanaian cultures, including Ga and Nzema, have historically included homosexual practices.

    “The whole argument Mr Sam George advances, and it seems very logical that if you go into our history, because Kojo Besia is a coinage, it doesn’t mean that we practice it; look, I have heard people who were against the bill but have admitted that when you look into some of our cultural practices, there are homosexual practices. It didn’t come from the West,” she stated.

    When asked about specific Ghanaian cultures that exhibit traits of homosexual practices, Professor Gadzekpo pointed to the Ga and Nzema peoples.

    “Which one? Well, I was in a training, and somebody told us that when you look in… there are practices in Ga culture, there are practices in Nzema culture, for example, that sociologists have documented,” she stated.

    She did not indicate the exact rite that saw such homosexual practices, which she claims were or are being practiced.

    The Human Rights and Family Values Bill, also known as the Anti-Gay Bill, has been endorsed by the Parliament of Ghana and is pending presidential approval to be enacted into law. However, Professor Gadzekpo contends that the legislation, which criminalizes same-sex activities, violates the fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Ghanaian Constitution.

    She has therefore stated that the CDD will seek to challenge the bill’s legality at the Supreme Court if it is enacted into law.

    As it stands now, Parliament has tabled the bill at the President’s desk for President Akufo-Addo to assent to the bill to become law.

    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.

  • Homosexuality case against 47 Nigerian men delayed again

    A Nigerian judge has again adjourned the case against 47 Nigerian men accused of “public displays of same-sex affection” after the lead witness for the prosecution failed to appear in court.

    In Wednesday’s proceedings, Justice Rilwan Aikawa appeared annoyed that the prosecution was again unable to proceed, the BBC’s Mayeni Jones reports from Nigeria.

    The case has been adjourned at least three times because of procedural issues, Reuters news agency reports.

    The judge warned the prosecution that at the next sitting he would dismiss the case if it was not able to proceed.

    The suspects were arrested in an August 2018 police raid on a Lagos hotel. They face a 10-year jail term if convicted, Reuters reports.

    Source: bbc.com