The Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin South, Rev. Ntim Fordjour has called on the National Security to immediately close down the recently opened LGBTQI resource centre in Ghana.
Mr. Fordjour said Ghana views lesbianism, homosexuality, bestiality and other related practices of LGBTQI as an “abomination and utterly abhorred” hence must not be encouraged in the country.
According to him, Ghana has “since pre-colonial era had always upheld a culture of morality and decency and within our cultural and traditional contexts.”
“I strongly urge the national security apparatus to take urgent steps to CLOSE DOWN the LGBTQI resource center in Ghana with immediate effect and prosecute the perpetrators accordingly.”
The Assin South legislator added he believes that activities of LGBTQIs in Ghana are due to pressures from the western world and that must be resisted as long as they continue.
“The influence of the west on our society relating to LGBTQI infiltrations remain an age-old pressure, which must be resisted as long as the pressure shows no indication of abating.”
The opening of the LGBTQI center in an unknown location in Ghana has recently generated public conversations with some calling on the government to close it down, claiming that it will serve interests that are abhorrent to culture and values of the country while others have insisted that the rights of LGBTQIs must be protected and as anyone else.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference has also called on president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo to close down the facility
The Conference insisted that though the church respects the human rights of homosexuals, it frowns upon acts of homosexuality.
“We also call on the Government of Ghana to close down the LGBTQI office space that was recently opened in Accra,” it said in a statement.
Below is the full statement
*Close down LGBTQI resource Centre with immediate effect – Rev Ntim Fordjour Urges National Security *
Our Ghanaian society, since pre-colonial era had always upheld a culture of morality and decency and within our cultural and traditional contexts, the practices of Lesbianism, Homosexuality, Bestiality and Transgender and other related practices of LGBTQI had long held as abomination and utterly abhorred. The concept of family for us as Ghanaians has always been and will always be initiated by marriage between a man and woman. The fundamental principle of Biblical marriage is construed as one between man and woman as it was in the beginning instituted by God between Adam and Eve.
The influence of the west on our society relating to LGBTQI infiltrations remain an age old pressure, which must be resisted as long as the pressure shows no indication of abating.
Section 104 of Ghana’s Criminal Code proscribes LGBTQI with the specific provision of ‘unnatural carnal knowledge’. While some activists have contended that the provision of ‘unnatural carnal knowledge’ is anachronistic and no longer sufficient to adequately address the emerging trends of LGBTQI matters in the country, and so therefore further strengthening of the law is required to position our laws more robust, encompassing and stringent in dealing with the abominable practices of LGBTQI, I have remained an ardent advocate for the enforcement of existing laws and fully inclined towards further legislation to adequately deal with these matters in consistency with the Constitution of Ghana and in line with our broad religious and cultural orientation, with particular regard for morality.
Contrary to the notion that persons practicing LGBTQI in Ghana are discriminated against, I strongly hold the view that persons practicing LGBTQI are rather unfortunately pampered and treated with kids gloves in Ghana. This position of mine, among other references, is premised on the seeming public ‘glorifying’ on media of acts which are serious contravention of our law. The impunity of open and public advocacy and practice LGBTQI is on the rise largely because perpetrators have not been prosecuted.
The recent opening of LGBTQI resource center in Accra is the height of it. Is the National Security apparatus telling us that they have no information on the location of this so called LGBTQI resource center that has been opened for weeks now? Are they telling us they have no intelligence on the people and groups behind this abominable act? Why are they quite? If ‘Armed Robbers Association’ or ‘Drug Traffickers Association’ were to publicly open an office in any obscure corner of Ghana, wouldn’t the security agencies conduct a rapid raid by now with alacrity?
It is appalling and most hypocritical that a state that abhors LGBTQI practices on religious and cultural orientation as well as criminalizes same practices per our Criminal Code would sit unconcerned for such impunity to be perpetrated. Some of us, regardless the ramifications, cannot shut up! I’ll keep up the advocacy for further strengthening of our laws to completely and assertively deal with the complexities of LGBTQI matters and will continue to explore my legislative options under the private members bill until such a time when existing laws will be confidently enforced with additional laws proscribing the advocacy for LGBTQI practices in Ghana.
Until then, I strongly urge the national security apparatus to take urgent steps to CLOSE DOWN the LGBTQI resource center in Ghana with immediate effect and prosecute the perpetrators accordingly.
My fervent appeal to our eminent Clergy, Muslim Clerics, and venerable Traditional leaders, respectfully, is that, if these LGBTQI practices and advocacies are truly deemed affront to the values and orientation of what we unanimously believe in as a nation-state, then this is the time to rise up and make our voices and strong position heard and entrenched more uncompromisingly than ever before.
On diplomatic front, I urge all state and non state actors and external diplomatic entities to respect the sovereign orientation and decision of Ghana in such matters and withhold their undue interference under the guise of human rights.
