The Minority in Parliament has taken a firm swipe at the ruling government, accusing it of deliberately delaying the reintroduction and passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, which seeks to criminalise LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, June 25, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin called out the government for what he described as a betrayal of public trust and values, especially after promising during opposition campaigns to champion the bill once in power.
“Our friends in the then-opposition used the Anti-LGBTQ bill as a major campaign tool,” he said. “They made a strong declaration in support of its passage and gave Ghanaians strong assurance that they were committed to defending family values and enacting the bill into law.”
He added that the silence of the current government, despite having the numbers and influence to act, was not only disappointing but intentional.
“But today, when they have the power to hear and the numbers, the same people have gone mute. This is just not disappointing but deliberate. You are coming here with an urgent bill—what happened to the anti-LGBTQ bill that you promised Ghanaians?”
His comments come at a time when social media in Ghana has been set ablaze by viral images of a South African gay couple, Rue and Lue, kissing beneath Ghana’s iconic Independence Arch. The images, captured during their visit and advocacy tour, show the couple in coordinated red-themed outfits sharing a kiss at the national monument—a location many consider sacred and symbolic of Ghana’s sovereignty and cultural pride.
The photos have sparked mixed reactions online, with some defending their right to love and others condemning the act as provocative and disrespectful to Ghanaian values.
The Minority believes the silence of the government on both the images and the bill’s delay sends the wrong signal to Ghanaians, especially at a time when debates on cultural identity, human rights, and moral values are at the forefront of national conversation.
The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, popularly known as the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, was initially introduced in Parliament in 2021 and has since gone through several stages, drawing both local and international attention. Its passage, however, remains stalled, with no clear timeline from the ruling government.
