LIVESTREAMED: Supreme Court hears application against Speaker of Parliament on passage of Anti-gay bill

The Supreme Court is hearing an application against the Speaker of Parliament on the passage of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Act, commonly known as the Anti-gay Bill, into law.

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, outlaws 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 now requires presidential assent to come into force within seven days. However, if President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo refuses to assent to the bill, Parliament, by a two-thirds majority vote, can pass it into law.

The Office of the President has instructed the Parliament of Ghana not to attempt to transmit the Anti-gay Bill until two legal actions against it in the Supreme Court are resolved.

The court, on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, indefinitely adjourned the two legal actions, both seeking to quash the bill passed by Parliament.

Watch a livestream of the sitting below:



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