Anti-LGBTQ Bill to be tabled before parliament next week

Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has directed the Business Committee of Parliament to table the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill”, for the consideration of the House for the week ending, Friday, June 30.

The Speaker urged the Leadership of the Business Committee to ensure that the Bill would be laid before the House either on Tuesday, June 27, or Thursday, June 29.

Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, presiding over the House, made the disclosure on the floor of the House on Friday, June 23.

The object of the Bill is to provide for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian Family Values proscribe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) and related activities.

Mr Ahmed Ibrahim, Minority Deputy Whip and National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Banda, urged the First Deputy Speaker to fix the laying of the Bill on Thursday, June 29; this he said was because on Tuesday, June 27, most Members of the House would be at the Assin North Constituency for the pending Parliamentary by-election.

In his response, Mr Annoh-Dompreh said the Business Committee would be meeting to decide on the appropriate date for the laying of the Bill.

Mr Osei-Owusu reiterated that it was the Speaker’s directive that the Bill be tabled before the House on either Tuesday, June 27 or Thursday, June 29.