Ghanaian gays don’t want homosexuality legalised?

A gay and a lesbian in Ghana have called on the government not to legalize homosexuality since their security cannot be guaranteed even if it is decriminalized.

The call follows President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s response to gay and lesbian rights in Ghana in an interview on Al Jazeera.

Mr. Akufo-Addo had said there was no sufficient advocacy to force a change in Ghana’s laws on homosexuality, but he believed it was bound to happen.

“This is the socio-cultural issue if you like,” he said, adding: “I don’t believe that in Ghana, so far, a sufficiently strong coalition has emerged which is having that impact on public opinion that will say: ‘Change it [the law], let’s then have a new paradigm in Ghana’”.

Asked by the interviewer: “What’s going to provoke it, what’s going to make it happen?” President Akufo-Addo said: “Oh, like elsewhere in the world, the activities of individuals [and] groups”.

But reacting to the president’s statement on the Executive Breakfast Show (EBS) on Class91.3FM on Monday, 27 November 2017, a gay and a lesbian kicked against any attempt to legalise the practice.

Speaking under the alias Patricia, the lesbian said: “It is not about the activism, mind you there are a lot of us out there…but at the end of the day if it’s legalised, people will lynch you even if you come out because this is Africa and the African mindset is different. We are not ready to accept a lot of things like that.

“Even though things are changing, we are not ready to accept things like that. Once we get protection, then it’s OK. If we are going to get security and the backing of the state, then we’re OK. Then we’re ready to speak for others like us but we can’t come out and the next day someone is chasing you and stoning you…it’s about a lot of education to change the mindset of the people and not just passing it into law.”

For his part, the gay who spoke under the alias K.K. said: “I don’t support that [legalization]. We are around, we exist, we are in Ghana, we do what we are supposed to do, we pay our taxes, we live in your houses, and, so, I think he [president] shouldn’t legalise it because we are in Ghana. If he legalises it today, although it is legalised, it does not give us our security.

“You can go out one night; someone will just look at you and say: ‘this person is so annoying, he’s gay,’ and will just hit you or shoot you. As of now, I’m in Ghana, I’m married, I’m with my husband and I’m cool though it’s not legalised. What happens in my room remains in my room. I’m not coming on the street to kiss my husband…let them keep their legalisation to themselves we are cool with what we have. If the president wants to legalise it, it’s OK, if he doesn’t, we’re cool but he shouldn’t tell us we need people speaking for us.”