Politicians in Ghana have submitted a draft bill which make it a crime to be LGBTQ+

 Politicians in Ghana have submitted a draft bill which make it a crime to be gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary or an ally, punishable by up to five years in prison, in what could become one of the most draconian pieces of anti-LGBT+ legislation anywhere in the world.

Not only would the bill criminalise LGBT+ people, it would also see anyone deemed to be advocating for sexual minorities or promoting “sympathy” face five to 10 years imprisonment.Introduced to parliament by eight politicians on 29 June, the proposed Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill is reported to have cross-party support among lawmakers in the largely conservative Christian country – with political analysts suggesting it could gain enough backing to become law, albeit with some amendments.

“This bill is a homophobe's dream law,” Danny Bediako from local LGBT+ group Rightify Ghana told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.The community is shocked at how wide-ranging it is. People are even scared to go out now and some members say they will leave the country if the bill is passed into law. Even those who want to help us will be afraid.”While gay sex is already punishable by up to three years in jail in Ghana, the draft legislation would usher in sweeping clampdowns on the very existence of sexual minorities.It was described by Rightify Ghana as “the most homophobic document the world has ever seen”.

With campaigners already warning that homophobia is on the rise in Ghana, the bill – leaked online and confirmed as genuine by politicians and diplomats – would make it a crime for citizens not to report LGBT+ people to the police or other figures of authority.

The proposed laws could even force LGBT+ people to pay “compensation” to someone they engage in sexual activity with, which campaigners warn would put individuals at risk of blackmail.It also promotes so-called conversion therapy by allowing flexible sentencing for an LGBT+ person if they request “treatment”, and could enable the government to force intersex children to undergo “gender realignment” surgery.

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