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December Elections Put Ghana’s LGBTQI+ Community at Risk

In Ghana's general elections next month, the LGBTQI+ community faces an impossible choice after all the leading presidential candidates pledged to crack down on gay rights.

The winner of the presidential election on December 7 may be forced to sign into law or veto a bill the parliament passed earlier this year imposing jail time on LGBTQI+ people.

Human rights groups have said the proposed law will worsen the persecution of sexual and gender minorities as it expands the definition of illegal activity and increases penalties. This bill imposes a maximum penalty of five years in prison for same-sex activities, allows for the prosecution of people who identify as non-binary, and punishes advocates who fund victim services.

Several legal challenges have been filed against the bill, and the Supreme Court is expected to decide on its constitutionality on December 18.

InFocus

Mqondisi Dube / VOA

Members of the LGBTQ community attempt to disrupt a march organized by churches in Gaborone on Saturday, July 22, 2023.

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