The United States ambassador to Ghana has joined the international community in condemning Ghana's passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
The bill stipulates penalties, including a 6-month to 3-year jail term for individuals engaged in LGBT activities and a 3 to 5-year jail term for promoters and sponsors of such activities
Virginia Evelyn Palmer said in a post on X (former Twitter) that intellectuals who are members of the LGBTQ+ community rights will be shuttered if the bill is assented to by President Nana Addo Dankwa AKufo-Addo.
“I am saddened because some of the smartest, most creative, most decent people I know are LGBT. The bill Parliament passed takes away not only their basic human rights but those of all Ghanaians because it undermines their constitutional rights to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press.” She said.
She also expressed concern about potential harm to the nation’s economy, reputation, and public health and order.
"It will be bad for public order and public health. If enacted, it will also hurt Ghana’s international reputation and Ghana’s economy.” She noted
Adding that, "Lots of ethnic communities make Ghana strong, stable, and attractive for investments. I hope it stays that way with regard to the LGBTQ community. They should be managed to be made the colour of the money green or red if it’s Ghanaian, but if there is discrimination, then that will send a signal not to [only] LGBTQ investors and exporters but to other American companies that Ghana is less welcoming than I am telling people that it is now.”
"I am saddened because some of the smartest, most creative, most decent people I know are LGBT. The bill Parliament passed takes away not only their basic human rights but those of all Ghanaians because it undermines their constitutional rights to freedom of speech, freedom of… https://t.co/DgCJ7qkpPl
— U.S. Embassy Ghana (@USEmbassyGhana) February 29, 2024
