Bad news from Ghana - new law can ban sex toys, being LGBT+ ally or even health care for transgender people

Remember that in our community all the comments which are homophobic, transphobic, or discriminatory against any other social group are against the rules. I will be trying to publish texts in more "reporter style", without smuggling my opinion, trying to make it as neutral as possible and I will request you to comment it in a similar way or skip commenting at all. Don't write anything that would hurt someones else's feelings.

Remember that politics talking about the homophobic law doesn't mean all the Ghanaians support it or that all the Ghanaians are homophobic.

Ghana: new law can ban sex toys, being LGBT+ ally or even health care for transgender people

Same-sex intercourse is already illegal in Ghana and is punishable by up to three years in prison. Now a new bill has emerged that criminalizes everything from sex toys, to medical care for transgender people, to be an ally of LGBT + people.

The project is known as "Promoting proper human sexual rights and family values ​​in Ghana 2021" and was named after the National Coalition for Right Human Rights and Family Values, one of the most homophobic groups in Ghana.

The Act specifically criminalizes anyone who "presents" himself as "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, pansexual, ally, non-binary or any other sexual or gender identity that contradicts the binary categories of male and female."

Under the proposed legislation, anyone found "guilty of being LGBT +", or even an ally, would face a prison sentence of three to five years, making it a second-degree crime. The law would also criminalize the provision or submission of any gender-confirmed medical care.

The Act describes "grossly indecent acts", punishable by six months to one year in prison, as any "public display of same-sex loving relationships" or "among persons in whom one or more persons have undergone gender reassignment.

According to the LGBT + organization Rightify Ghana, this would criminalize any expression of affection, including "two boys or girls holding hands or a kiss on the cheek." In addition, sex toys would become illegal, as would anal and oral sex for all people, not just LGBT + people.

The law also mentions "LGBT propaganda", which is the mention of LGBT + issues in any form of media, for example in social media, newspapers, or films. The idea is to prohibit in any way promoting sympathy for LGBT + people, providing help, services, or funding to LGBT + persons or groups, and educating children about queer people. All such offenses would be punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The creator of the bill, Samuel Nartey George, wrote on Twitter:

I was overwhelmed by the huge support, even here on a very "liberal" platform like Twitter, for our LGBTQI + threat bill. Homosexuality is NOT a human right. It's a sexual preference. Preferences are not absolute or unregulated. We MUST adopt this law.