Ghana Supreme Court prepares to rule on harsh anti-LGBTQ bill
Two lawsuits challenge the constitutionality of proposal to make LGBTQ identity a crime
The Ghana Supreme Court has set Dec. 18 as the date when it will rule on whether the harsh anti-LGBTQ bill that Parliament passed in February is constitutional.
Proponents of the bill have accused the court of dragging its feet. In response, the court has said it was awaiting necessary legal filings from parties in the case.
President Nana Akufo-Addo says he will not act on the bill until the Supreme Court makes its ruling. The bill needs his signature in order to become law.
If enacted, the bill would expand on Ghana’s current law that provides a three-year prison sentence for same-sex intimacy. The new bill would add the same punishment for people who:
- Identify as (“hold out as”) LGBTQ;
- Participate in gender-reassignment surgery; or
- Enter into a same-sex marriage or attend a same-sex wedding.
It would also impose prison sentences of up to 10 years on people who “promote” LGBTQ activity.
Two challenges to the bill have been filed by Richard Dela Sky, a journalist and legal practitioner, and Amanda Odoi, a researcher at the University of Cape Coast, who allege that it is unconstitutional and that Parliament did not follow proper parliamentary procedures when it was approved on Feb. 28.
Analysis: Stiff challenges hinder attempts to decriminalize homosexuality in Africa