Ghana's parliament passed legislation that intensified a crackdown on the rights of members of the LGBTQ community. It also targets people promoting lesbian, gay or other non-conventional sexual or gender identities in the nation.
Gay sex was already punishable by up to three years in prison.
The bill also imposes a prison sentence of up to five years for the "willful promotion, sponsorship, or support of LGBTQ+ activities."
Sam George, a Ghanaian lawmaker who led the sponsoring of the legislation says, “the bill is the promotion of Ghanaian family values and human rights.”
Ghana’s constitution prioritizes “values of respect for your elders, the value of what a family is. The father, mother and their children. These are family values that we were brought up with and trained in,” the lawmaker said in an interview with VOA.
In response to the legislation passed by Ghanaian lawmakers, the U.S. State Department released a statement that said, "the bill seeks to criminalize any person who simply identifies as LGBTQI+, as well as any friend, family, or member of the community who does not report them."
"The bill would also undermine Ghana's valuable public health, media and civic spaces, and economy," the department added.
The department said it "echoes the call by those Ghanaians who have urged a review of the constitutionality of the bill to protect the rights of all individuals" in the West African nation.
A coalition of Christian, Muslim, and Ghanaian traditional leaders sponsored the legislation, which is one of the harshest of its kind in Africa.
Following the vote in parliament, the bill will be presented to President Nana Akufo-Addo after which he has seven days to assent or refuse to assent, according to Ghana's constitution.
Updated to include quotes by Hon. Sam George, a Ghanaian lawmaker who sponsored Ghana's anti-LQBGT+ legislation. VOA's James Butty contributed to this report. Some information was sourced from Reuters.