'Dangerous' anti-LGBTQ+ law officially passes in Ghanaian Parliament

Street scene in Accra, capital of Ghana. Photo by Kofi Bhavnani on Unsplash

ReportOUT says the recent passing of another anti-LGBTQ law in Africa, this time in the West African country of Ghana, risks setting a "dangerous precedent across the region, emboldening similar legislation in other African countries and strengthening a coordinated transnational movement to roll back hard-won human rights protections."

Full statement

ReportOUT expresses deep concern over the passage of Ghana’s Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, by the Parliament of Ghana. This legislation represents a significant threat to the human rights, dignity, safety, and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ people, human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society organisations across Ghana.

This bill will further entrench stigma, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQ+ persons in Ghana, severely undermining their rights to privacy, safety, healthcare, and freedom of expression and association.

We will not ignore this atrocity.

We cannot be silent.

We will not cease in our allyship and stand in firm solidarity with our LGBTQ+ siblings in Ghana and across the diaspora.

We are particularly alarmed by reports that the bill was expedited ahead of the upcoming African Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Family Values and Sovereignty in Accra, reflecting a growing transnational anti-rights movement seeking to undermine equality, public health, democratic participation, and fundamental freedoms across the continent.

Beyond Ghana, it risks setting a dangerous precedent across the region, emboldening similar legislation in other African countries and strengthening a coordinated transnational movement to roll back hard-won human rights protections.

As an organisation committed to advancing global LGBTQ+ rights, inclusion, health equity, and social justice, ReportOUT stands in solidarity with LGBTQ+ communities, activists, and allies in Ghana and across Africa resisting discrimination and hate.

We urge President John Dramani Mahama to withhold assent to this bill and call on regional and international stakeholders to uphold human rights principles rooted in dignity, safety, and equality for all.

ReportOUT remains committed to amplifying the voices of affected communities and supporting efforts that protect civic space, human rights, and inclusive public health systems.

We will not ignore this atrocity.

We cannot be silent.

We will not cease in our allyship and stand in firm solidarity with our LGBTQ+ siblings in Ghana and across the diaspora.

For more information see updates at Human Rights Watch.