Queer couple’s ‘love-bomb’ campaign sparks backlash in Ghana

In #ShowGhanaLove campaign, a loving S. African couple was secretly photographed at Ghana monuments.

This is a slightly re-edited and modestly expanded version of an article by Roberto Igual in MambaOnline:

A South African queer couple’s social media campaign to highlight the challenges faced by Ghana’s LGBTQ+ community has sparked controversy — including threats of arrest and criticism that it could have unintended consequences.

The glamorous duo, known as Lue and Rue, shared a series of photos on Instagram and Facebook this week showing themselves in Ghana, expressing affection in front of iconic landmarks such as Black Star Square, also known as Independence Square, in Accra, Ghana’s capital

[Homophobic Ghanaian politicians  united in predictable outrage over the photos, while local LGBTQ+ rights advocacy groups in Ghana had quite  muted responses.  On X, Rightify Ghana reported on the controversy but did not criticize the couple’s actions. Activism Ghana reposted Rightify Ghana’s posts and added no commentary.   LGBT+ Rights Ghana stated:

“As we celebrate the unbridled joy of queer love, we’re reminded that visibility is a double-edged sword. While it empowers us to claim our space, it also exposes us to risks which mostly are faces and experienced by the local grassroots community. We welcome our international friends who’ve joined us in this bold declaration of love and identity. Yet, in this moment of solidarity, we’re compelled to ask: what does safety look like in a society that often seeks to erase us?  How do we navigate the tension between visibility and vulnerability, and what does it mean to take our rightful place in a world that often denies our existence?”

The South African couple stated:

“A few months ago, we came across an article about the Ghanaian government’s attempt to pass an anti-LGBTQIA+ bill. If passed, the bill would mean up to three years in prison for being queer and five for supporting someone who is.”

“That’s why we’re here — to meet hate with love and stand in solidarity with queer Ghanaians. Through the #ShowGhanaLove campaign, we’re confronting the erasure and criminalisation of queer people by love-bombing Ghana’s iconic landmarks of freedom, showing that until queer people are free, no one truly is.”

 

Political Backlash and Calls for Arrest

The campaign enraged queerphobic Ghanaian MP and anti-LGBTQ+ bill sponsor Sam George, who condemned the couple in a Facebook post.

He referred to them as “two useless individuals” and described their “disrespect of our national symbols” as “despicable to say the least.”

George called on authorities to “identify the two miscreants in the viral photos and apply the full rigours of existing laws on them.”

Criticism that the campaign was ill-conceived

The campaign has also drawn criticism from some in Ghana who questioned the campaign’s approach and its possible impact.

“There is nothing defiant or activist about this. This is dangerous and performative asf. It adds nothing to the living and material realities of queer Ghanaians,” wrote one user on X. “These people are about to fly out with their passports but for the next month the homophobic Ghanaian media will do nothing but inflame homophobia. It has real life consequences, like rape and death.”

Another person commented: “This is very insensitive, especially to the queer Ghanaians you purport to stand in solidarity with. The mere fact that you were here all the while and did such a campaign without seeking insight and consent from the same community you mentioned is questionable!”

A further critic warned on Facebook that the campaign “has the potential to seriously affect members of your own community living in Ghana,” adding: “Your actions will only make it easier for many Ghanaians to rally behind the passage of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill — something that could have been debated with more nuance if people didn’t feel disrespected.”

Project ‘worked closely with local stakeholders’

South African LGBTQ+ organisation Triangle Project, which supported the campaign, defended the couple’s actions and described the two men’s engagement with local activists in putting the campaign together.

“The #ShowGhanaLove campaign was a bold, public act of queer solidarity and a response to rising hate and the threat of criminalisation in Ghana,” Ling Sheperd, Triangle Project’s Communications Officer, told MambaOnline.

She said that the couple worked closely with local stakeholders to plan the initiative.

“It was not done in isolation or ignorance. From day one, local Ghanaian activists were involved in shaping, guiding, and grounding this campaign. Their safety, their insight, and their leadership mattered deeply.”

Sheperd added: “In a time when queer people are being silenced and erased, the choice was made to show love loudly, defiantly, and publicly. We believe that love is not a threat — hate is. And queer love, especially in Africa, must be seen, honoured, and protected.”

The hate bill that sparked it all

Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ bill — formally known as the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill — was recently reintroduced in Parliament after the previous version expired when former President Nana Akufo-Addo declined to sign it into law.

While it’s unclear whether the 2025 version differs significantly, the earlier draft included severe and sweeping measures, such as:

• Up to five years in prison for same-sex intimacy
• Up to ten years for advocating for LGBTQ+ rights
• Penalties for identifying as LGBTQ+ or as an ally
• Criminalisation of gender-affirming care
• Up to six years in prison for landlords who rent to LGBTQ+ individuals

MambaOnline understands that Lue and Rue are back in South Africa. We have reached out to them for comment and will update the story as it develops.