Controversy and chaos erupted in Ghana’s Parliament after a Member of Parliament (MP) called for a ban on sodomy and rimming as part of the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021,” also known as the anti-LGBTQ Bill.
Watch: Ghana MP calls for ban on sodomy, ‘rimming’
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Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the Minister for Communication and Digitalisation, vehemently condemned oral and anal sex during her defence of the bill, stating that such practices are in violation of Ghanaian law.
Representing Ablekuma through the Patriotic Party (NPP), Owusu-Ekuful addressed the Parliament, emphasising that engaging in oral and anal sex is illegal in Ghana, regardless of whether it occurs between individuals of the opposite sex or the same sex.
She urged women who are coerced into participating in such sexual acts by their husbands to report these incidents to the police for assistance.
The purpose of the bill is to uphold Ghanaian Family Values and to prohibit activities related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals.
Owusu-Ekuful also expressed concern for wives who face threats of divorce for refusing to engage in these sexual acts and encouraged them to seek help from the police, emphasising that anal sex and the use of sex toys are considered unnatural carnal knowledge under the law.
Social media reactions to Ghana anti-gay bill
The “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021” was introduced by Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, an MP for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), with support from Rev John Ntim Fordjour, an NPP MP.
However, the defence of the bill sparked a heated reaction on Twitter, with a viral video circulating that allegedly shows Owusu-Ekuful enraged at fellow lawmaker Murtala Mohammed, who accused her of involvement in homosexuality.