If LGBT+ bill is passed into law, it will hurt Ghana’s economy – US Ambassador to Ghana insists

The Ambassador of the United States to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, has reacted to the passage of the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill by the Parliament of Ghana.

In a post shared on X on Thursday, February 29, 2024, Ambassador Palmer warned of dire consequences to Ghana’s economy and international reputation if the bill is passed into law, a claim she has previously stated.

She indicated that the bill passed by parliament infringes on the basic human rights of homosexual Ghanaians and the right to freedom of 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,” she wrote on X.

The ambassador added, “It will be bad for public order and public health. If enacted, it will also hurt Ghana’s international reputation and Ghana’s economy."

The Parliament of Ghana on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, 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 will 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 will now require presidential assent to come into force within 7 days.

However, if President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo refuses to assent to the bill, parliament by a 2/3 majority vote can approve it into law.

View her post plus a video on the passage of the bill below:

"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

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