Ghana

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Conference
2011 National LGBT Conference
Date
20 November 2011
Decision
Carried

Conference is appalled by reports that Paul Evans Adioo, Ghana’s minister for the country’s Western Region, has instructed thye Bureau of National Investiagions and other agencies to find all Lesbian and Gay people and bring them before the courts in efforts to “get rid of these people in the society”. It is also reported that the minister has called on landlords and tenants to report people they believe are gay, though he remains convinced that there are few to reprot and estimates of 8,000 are inaccurate.

conference is concented that in the 21st century, Ghana’s constitution provides protection fo a person’ human rights regardless of “ace, place of origin, political opinion, colour, religion, creed or gender”, but does no mention sexual orientation even though few people have been convicted of homosexual acts.

Conference is further shocked that homosexuality is still considered a moral aberration, or even a myuth and that homophobic violence remains a real problem forning lesbian and gay Ghanaians to hide their sexual orientation behind closed doors.

Conference therefore calls on branch and regional Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) self-organised groups to encourage members to write to the foreign secretary raising their concerns and requesting that these are addressed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, noting that this should be guided by the biews of Ghanaian organisations working on LGBT rights on the most appropriate way to support the approach of the local movement to handling this situation in-country.

Conference instructs the National LGBT Committee to:

1Extend existing links with trade unions and LGBT organisations in the area;

2.Explore ways of showing solidarity with LGBT Ghanians;

3.Continue to work with ILGA and other relevant organisations to raise these issues and challenge this homophobic governance.