Accra: President John Dramani Mahama stated that the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly known as the Anti-Gay Bill, expired with the tenure of the Eighth Parliament as it did not receive presidential assent. He proposed that the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill should be reintroduced as a government-sponsored bill to ensure broader support and consultation with stakeholders.
According to Ghana News Agency, in a meeting with the Catholic Bishops, President Mahama emphasized that the bill's expiration provided an opportunity for broader consensus on the matter. He mentioned the need for the bill to be government-sponsored rather than a private member's bill, which could facilitate a more inclusive dialogue.
President Mahama expressed his belief that a renewed conversation on the bill is necessary to achieve consensus if the decision is made to move it forward. The Reverend Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, Vice President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference, urged the President to reconsider the bill, expressing hope that he would eventually sign it into law.
The Anti-LGBTQ Bill, initially a Private Member's Bill titled 'Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2022', was passed by Parliament in February 2024. It aimed to proscribe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and related activities. However, following its passage, then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo requested Parliament to refrain from transmitting the bill to his office for assent until two legal challenges against it were resolved.
The Supreme Court eventually dismissed the two legal challenges to the legislation on December 18, 2024, clearing the way for potential reconsideration of the bill under new governmental sponsorship.
