Private legal practitioner and activist, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has challenged claims that the reintroduced Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill is merely a weaker version of the legislation previously passed by Parliament, arguing that a legal review identified dozens of substantive changes to the controversial bill.

Barker-Vormawor, in a Facebook post sighted by GhanaWeb on June 1, 2026, disputed assertions by Assin South MP, John Ntim Fordjour, that the latest bill contains 31 amendments and has been watered down.

According to him, a comparative analysis conducted by his law firm, Merton and Everett LLP, found "at least 27 clearly identifiable textual and structural changes," with a broader assessment indicating as many as 64 modifications.

"The narrative that the bill was simply reintroduced without significant alteration is inaccurate," he stated, adding that the changes "materially affect the structure, definitions, and enforcement framework of the legislation."

'A South African woman can drink 12 bottles of alcohol in 24 hours' - Ghanaian evacuee claims

Barker-Vormawor said the reintroduced bill reduces the original 20 sections to 19 clauses, introduces a significantly expanded explanatory memorandum, and removes certain offences, including provisions relating to the alleged "subversion of family values."

He further argued that several criminal provisions have been restructured, while new definitions including "queer," "intersex," "non-binary," and "pansexual" have been introduced.

While some penalties remain unchanged, he maintained that the legislation has undergone substantial drafting and structural revisions.

His comments come amid renewed debate over the controversial bill, with supporters and critics sharply divided over whether the reintroduced version differs materially from the legislation previously approved by Parliament.

Read the post below



NAD/VPO

Cabinet walkout, premature campaigns trigger Mahama and NDC Elders' crackdown:

TWI NEWS