Ghana anti-LGBT bill prompts safety fears
STORY: Ghanaian LGBT activist Angel Maxine fled her home country to Germany last week - days before Ghana's parliament passed an anti-LGBT bill.
"I thought it was very unwise to still be in Ghana and still be advocating actively for the LGBT community."
On Wednesday (February 28), Ghanaian lawmakers unanimously voted in favor of the legislation that will intensify a crackdown on the rights of LGBT people and those accused of promoting LGBT identities.
Maxine, who is a trans woman, fears for the friends she has had to leave behind.
"They are all afraid, they are all scared. Most of them if they had the chance to leave the country and seek asylum somewhere they would have. But right now the possibility is not there at the moment so everybody is living, is hiding. They are all terrified, everybody is scared."
Gay sex was already punishable by up to three years in prison in Ghana.
The bill imposes a prison sentence of up to five years for the, quote, "wilful promotion, sponsorship, or support of LGBTQ+ activities."
Lawmakers say LGBT behavior and advocacy goes against Ghana's cultural values.
But Amnesty International's West Africa researcher, Michele Eken, said the bill violates fundamental rights.
"You have the right to respect human dignity, which is fundamental in the constitution, that will be violated. The right to privacy, the right to freedom of expression, the right to freedom of assembly. People won't be able to speak freely and people might be persecuted and targeted for speaking freely."
The bill will now be presented to President Nana Akufo-Addo who will decide whether it should be signed into law.
Ghana is trying to emerge from a deep economic crisis and debt default - with the help of a $3 billion International Monetary Fund loan program and financing from the World Bank.
The World Bank, which last year suspended new funding to Uganda after it passed a harsh anti-LGBT bill, did not respond to requests for comment on Ghana's legislation.
A spokesperson for the IMF said it was watching developments in Ghana closely - but could not comment on a bill that was not yet law.
