Anti-gay bill: Imprisoning practitioners won't solve the problem — Catholic Bishops

Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi — President, Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference

The Ghana Catholic Bishop’s Conference have questioned whether imprisoning people for same-sex relations will effectively address the issue, as mandated under the country's new anti-LGBTQ bill.

In an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference President Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi said imprisoning LGBTQ individuals "is not going to solve the problem."

He noted that Ghana's prisons are often overcrowded, so LGBTQ people sent there would still have opportunities to engage in same-sex activities.

“You see if you round up same-sex people and you know our prisons, they are going to end up in the same room and what is going to prevent them from going through these activities in the prison?" Rev. Gyamfi stated.

“And you are not going to put them there forever because they are going to be there for three months to six months. And then they practice this and come out as more experts at it than when you sent them there,” he added.

The bishops are calling for "more of the corrective and reformative measures" to be added in prisons.

Their comments come after Ghana's parliament passed the controversial Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values bill on February 28, which criminalizes LGBTQ propaganda, advocacy, funding and acts.

While the Catholic bishops do not support same-sex relations, Rev. Gyamfi explained that imprisoning people under this new law will likely not achieve the desired goal of discouraging LGBTQ behaviors and promoting "proper" values.