"I needed a safe place to continue my work as an activist," said Maxine, who left the country last week. "The threats were just so much and I had to just find a way and just settle somewhere else and still have my voice."
Lawmakers on Wednesday unanimously passed the legislation, which will intensify a crackdown on the rights of LGBTQ people and those accused of promoting lesbian, gay or other minority sexual or gender identities in the West African country.
Gay sex was already punishable by up to three years in prison in Ghana. The bill imposes a prison sentence of up to five years for the "willful promotion, sponsorship, or support of LGBTQ+ activities."
"(My friends) are all terrified. Everybody is scared," Maxine told Reuters, adding that they have to hide to avoid potential attacks against them if they cannot leave the country.
The bill will be presented to President Nana Akufo-Addo, who will decide whether it should be signed into law. Maxine said she and others in her community were urging the president, a human rights lawyer, not to sign it.
Darkwah Kyei-Darkwah, a Ghanaian-born artist and activist with the London group UK Black Pride, which plans to organize protests against the bill abroad, said the damage had already been done.
"Regardless of whether it is signed by the president or not, the fact that it has been publicized means that anyone who is emboldened enough to enact violence upon someone that they suspect to be queer will do it," they said.
Amnesty International's West Africa Researcher Michele Eken said the bill violated fundamental rights. Lawmakers say LGBTQ behavior and advocacy go against Ghana's cultural values.
The bill's passing comes as Ghana tries to emerge from a deep economic crisis and debt default with the help of a $3 billion International Monetary Fund loan program secured last year, and with financing from the World Bank.
An IMF spokesperson said it was watching developments in Ghana closely, but could not comment on a bill that was not yet law.
The World Bank suspended new funding for Uganda after the East African country passed a harsh anti-LGBTQ bill last year. A spokesperson for the bank did not respond to Reuters requests for comment on Ghana's bill.
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