In an article by Reuters, it is reported that former Ghanaian president and opposition leader, John Dramani Mahama, expressed his opposition to LGBTQ+ rights during a meeting with members of the clergy in eastern Ghana. He did not, however, explicitly state whether he would support a bill aimed at criminalizing same-sex relations in the country.
The National Democratic Congress, the main opposition party, voted last year to retain Mahama as its leader for the 2024 presidential election.
During the meeting, Mahama made it clear that his Christian beliefs were in conflict with gay marriage and being transgender, stating, “The faith I have will not allow me to accept a man marrying a man, and a woman marrying a woman.” He further added, “I don’t believe that anybody can get up and say I feel like a man although I was born a woman and so I will change and become a man.”
Despite his stance, Mahama did not explicitly state whether he would support the bill that aims to criminalize same-sex relations, being transgender, and advocating LGBTQ+ rights if he were to win the December elections.
Lawmakers in Ghana have been debating the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill since August 2021. Passing this bill would further restrict freedoms in a country where gay sex is already punishable by up to three years in jail, according to critics and activists.
(Reporting by Maxwell Akalaare Adombila; Editing by Anait Miridzhanian and Angus MacSwan)
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