Celestina Damoah at the press conference
ABOUT 78.2% of Ghanaians support the passage of the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, known more popularly as the ‘Anti-Gay Bill’, a survey report by the Center for Democracy and Socio-economic Development (CDS), has revealed.
Ghana’s Parliament passed the Anti-Gay Bill in February 2024 and subsequently sent same to President Akufo-Addo for assent, thereby making it law.
Although the President is yet to append his signature to the Bill owing to legal issues regarding the Bill at the country’s apex court, sections of the citizenry have had divided opinions on the Bill should it be assented to by President Akufo-Addo and whether or not it would have any repercussions on the country’s socioeconomic conditions.
The study by CDS was therefore aimed at investigating public opinion about LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana and the level of awareness of the bill; assessing whether or not Ghanaians support President Akufo-Addo’s delay in approving the Bill; and the possible impact on Ghana’s democracy and economic well-being if the Bill is enacted.
Data and Statistics
Advocacy and Public Engagement Coordinator at CDS, Celestina Damoah, at a presser in Accra yesterday said the survey had 1,250 respondents randomly selected from all sixteen regions of the country participating, while 35 respondents were selected randomly to participate in two separate focused group discussions.
“Altogether, 1,285 respondents [57.5% male and 42.5% female] were interviewed, exceeding the 1,250 threshold, giving us a 95 percent confidence interval”, she stated.
Out of this number, 78.2% of respondents, with over half of them (55.0%) being non-partisan, supported the passage of the Anti-Gay Bill by President Akufo-Addo.
Similarly, more than two-thirds (69.1%) of respondents did not agree with the idea of legalizing LGBTQ+ and its related activities in Ghana whereas 72.6% of the respondents wanted the president to go ahead and assent to the Bill despite the pending case at the Supreme Court.
On knowledge of sanctions spelt out in the Bill, 76.5% of respondents indicated the know about the sanctions spelt out in the Bill while 55.8% of the respondents believed there would be no economic repercussions for Ghana if the Bill is signed into law, despite threats by the international community.
In sharp contrast, younger demographics – aged between 18 and 24 (36.0%) – expressed support for LGBTQ+ rights, compared to the older folks.
Recommendations
According to Madam Damoah, there exists “significant misinformation” among the public regarding the objectives of the Anti-Gay Bill, and thus called for a comprehensive education on it.
The excessively punitive nature of the Anti-gay Bill, she added, should be taken into account, as it leans towards harshness rather than focusing on rehabilitation and reform, insisting that, “while a minority of the population under examination did not support the advancement of LGBTQI+ activities, they expressed opposition to the severe treatment of individuals within the community.”
“Amendment or broader consultation therefore, is necessary to review the provisions of the bill to prevent a clash with existing laws of Ghana”, she posited, adding that, “economic and political ramifications should not be ignored considering warnings from the international community about the Bill.”
BY Nii Adjei Mensahfio