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President John Dramani Mahama has called for comprehensive stakeholder engagements to build consensus on the way forward for the anti-LGBTQ bill, christened the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.
According to him, these engagements should aim to reach a consensus that the bill would be better sponsored by the government rather than as a private member’s motion, as was done in its previous form.
Addressing the Catholic Bishops' Conference on Tuesday, 14th January, President Mahama noted that the bill in its previous form had expired due to former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s refusal to sign it into law during his tenure.
He stressed the need for inclusive consultations before any reintroduction of the bill:
It has expired. I don't know what promoters of the bill intend to do, but I do think that we should have a conversation on it again so that, if we decide to move that bill forward, we move it forward with a consensus. And probably it shouldn't be a private member's bill, it probably should be a government bill with governments behind it, after consultation with all the stakeholders to see how, you know, we're able to move this forward.
President Mahama also highlighted the importance of instilling family values through education:
But it leads us back to the discussion we had that if we're teaching our values in school, we wouldn't need to pass a bill to enforce, you know, our family values. And that's why I think more than even the Family Values Bill is us agreeing on a curriculum that inculcates these values into our children as they are growing up so that we don't need to legislate it. And so we'll see how all this goes.
The anti-LGBTQ bill, which was unanimously passed by Parliament on 28th February 2024, aims to criminalise LGBTQ+ activities in the country. Its provisions include jail terms ranging from six months to three years for individuals engaging in such activities and three to five years for promoters or sponsors.
However, former President Nana Akufo-Addo declined to assent to the bill after two injunctions were filed challenging its constitutionality. The legal challenges were led by broadcast journalist Richard Dela Sky and gender activist Dr Amanda Odoi.
The Supreme Court, presided over by Justice Lovelace Avril Johnson, in a ruling on December 18, 2024 dismissed the injunction applications, clarifying that the bill had not yet become law.