US State Department, Embassy react to passage of Ghana’s anti-gay bill

The Government of the United States of America (USA) has reacted to the passage of the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, widely known as the anti-LGBT+ bill.

In a post shared on X on February 28, 2024, the spokesperson of the United States Department, Matthew Miller, said that the bill violates the rights of the people of Ghana.

He also said the bill violates Ghana’s international reputation and economic agreements.

“The Ghanaian parliament’s passage of a bill criminalising members of the LGBTQI+ community imperils the rights of all its people, its international reputation, and its economic development.

“Ghana’s laudable tradition of tolerance will be undermined if this bill becomes law,” he wrote.

The USA Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, on her part, also stated in a post shared on Thursday, February 29, 2024, that she is sad that the Parliament of Ghana has passed the bill.

She said that the bill does not only infringe on the rights of Ghanaians who are gay but also undermines the rights of Ghanaians to free speech.

“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. It will be bad for public order and public health,” she wrote.

Ambassador Palmer added “If enacted, it will also hurt Ghana’s international reputation and Ghana’s economy.”

On Wednesday, February 28, 2024, the Parliament of Ghana passed the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, widely known as the anti-LGBT+ bill.

The bill, currently awaiting presidential assent, proscribes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activities and criminalises their promotion, advocacy, and funding.

Persons caught in these acts would be subjected to a six-month to three-year jail term, with promoters and sponsors facing a three to five-year jail term.

The bill would now require presidential assent to come into force.

View the posts plus a video on the passage of the anti-LGBT+ bill:

"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

The Ghanaian parliament’s passage of a bill criminalizing members of the LGBTQI+ community imperils the rights of all its people, its international reputation, and its economic development. Ghana’s laudable tradition of tolerance will be undermined if this bill becomes law.

— Matthew Miller (@StateDeptSpox) February 28, 2024