Response to Anti-Gay Bill

February 19, 2024

Beloved Community:

Like many of you, we have been watching in horror as the anti-gay bill approaches passage. The veneer claiming protection for Ghanaian families has fallen off, and the bill’s aim to terrorize LGBTQ+ Ghanaians, our families, and our communities is now boldly proclaimed within Parliament and in the Ghanaian media. We know that no number of amendments will improve this perverse legislation. Some MPs attempt to soften the bill’s cruelty by proposing more lenient sanctions against us. Yet, they cannot even do this without first clarifying that they hate queer people and their allies.

We have a long fight ahead and it is not necessarily a legal one. At Silent Majority, Ghana (SMG) we believe that a strategy that emphasizes cultural change will go a long way to transform the landscape on which queer Ghanaians and our allies are fighting for inclusion, dignity, and freedom. Our approach is to effect cultural change by building people power through political education and collective strategic organizing. The anti-queer forces that managed to bring a bill before Parliament have access to resources and a cultural politics of fear and domination that silences queer people, allies, and advocates. This is perhaps why even those MPs who are in opposition to the legal overreach of the bill find it necessary to first renounce their support for the humanity and dignity of queer lives. After all, anyone who dares to affirm that queer Ghanaians deserve freedom and autonomy like everyone else is quickly exposed to all kinds of nasty attacks.

Yet, we are ready to mobilize a constituency who will publicly disobey this heinous legislation and offer visible support to those on the frontlines to create better living conditions for queer Ghanaians. Our aim is that even if the bill passes, we will have a strong collective opposition that weakens its impact on people’s lives. If we are successful, this will mean that Ghanaians will refuse to report their parents, siblings, neighbors, and other community members to the state for conversion therapy, as the bill currently stipulates. It means parents and landlords will not eject queer people from their homes for fear of violating the “duty to report.” Ultimately, by coming together in solidarity, we intend to create a society in which queer Ghanaians and their families can live freely, feel including in the nation, and contribute to society without fear of violence.

Will you join us in developing and implementing this strategy? You can do so by becoming an SMG member. Within the next two weeks, members will be invited to a series of political education and strategy sessions to coordinate collective, measurable, and actionable steps that will counter the impact of this bill. You can also donate to us without becoming a member. Your donations will help make our educational materials accessible, strengthen and expand our transnational community, and expand the visibility of our work in support of queer freedom in Ghana.

In solidarity,

Silent Majority, Ghana