Anti-gay bill: Why should state be bothered about where people insert their genitals? – Prof Prempeh – GhanaWeb
General News of Sunday, 14 November 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
• 8 MPs want LGBTQ+ acts criminalized
• Renowned activists and academics want Parliament to reject ‘undemocratic’ anti-LGBTQ+ Bill
• Parliament receives over 100 memoranda on LGBTQ+ bill
Executive director of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh has questioned why the sexuality of individuals has become a concern for the state.
According to him, there are more important issues in the country that ought to be addressed and solved instead of focusing on the anti-LGBTG+ bill before parliament.
He explains that if he was to redo the law, he would rather introduce aspects of the broadcasting act and other laws to protect children from being exposed to sexually offensive material rather than prevent LGBTQI+ activities in the country.
“…If you ask me to redo this law, from the title I will change it. I will just say ‘preservation of the sanctity of marriage act” then it will preserve the sanctity as between a man and a woman and we can introduce things from the broadcasting act and other laws to protect children from being exposed to sexually offensive material. If you want to include unnatural canal knowledge as long as it applies to men and women, we can keep it in there but how are we going to enforce it. Are we going to go around snooping into people’s bedroom to see what kind of sex? Why should the state be telling adults ‘you should put this here and here’ I mean really” He said
Professor Prempeh is against the LGBTQ+ bill before parliament. According to him, he is worried that the anti-LGBTQI legislation will incite Ghanaians against queer citizens.
He also described the bill as “a very unnecessary distraction”. The constitutional, legal, and parliamentary affairs committee of parliament last week Thursday began the first of a series of public hearings on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021 also known as LGBTQ+ bill.
The committee has however put the hearing on hold until further notice.