Ghanaian musician and activist, Sister Deborah, has denounced the controversial Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2024, widely referred to as the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, calling for its complete repeal.
According to her, the bill is ‘ridiculous’ and ‘evil’ and should be scrapped by the new government.
Speaking in an interview with Hitz FM, she described the proposed legislation as a tool to suppress freedoms and silence dissent.
“The entire bill has to be scrapped because we already have existing laws for rape, child marriage, and homosexuality… This bill is just here to silence certain people,” she said.
Sister Deborah further criticised the bill for its potential to criminalise discussions on LGBTQ+ issues, even implicating media outlets and social media platforms.
“So, imagine somebody on Twitter asks me a question, they are going to. If they mention those letters, they are going to jail. And the owner of Twitter is supposed to go to jail. That’s what the bill says. That’s why we keep saying that it’s a ridiculous bill. And it’s also a very evil bill,” she said.
She connected the bill to broader issues, suggesting it seeks to silence voices against corruption, environmental degradation, and abuse.
“Something Wanlov said to me the other day is that anybody who can fight for human rights is also someone who fights against galamsey, fights against deforestation, fight against or speak against corruption.
“So, they want to silence certain people or they want to silence people who can stand up to them,” she added.
The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, known as the Anti-LGBTQ+ bill, was introduced in August 2021 and approved by Parliament in February 2024.
The bill awaits the president’s signature to become law.
It proposes severe penalties for LGBTQ+ activities, including imprisonment for same-sex intercourse and promoting LGBTQ+ content.
The bill has strong support from religious and traditional leaders, but faces opposition from human rights activists who argue it violates fundamental rights.
ID/AE
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