Anti-gay bill targets promotion, not LGBTQ+ people — Former Justice Minister

Ghana’s Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021, is not intended to target LGBTQ+ individuals but seeks to prevent the promotion of LGBTQ+ practices, according to Nii Ayikoi Otoo, a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.

Speaking on Master of the Game with Kwesi Kyei Darkwah (KKD), Ayikoi Otoo clarified the intent of the controversial bill, stressing that it focuses on discouraging advocacy and education related to LGBTQ+ issues, rather than targeting individuals.

“It’s the promotion they are talking against, rather,” he explained, emphasizing that the bill addresses societal advocacy rather than personal lifestyles.

Ayikoi Otoo described LGBTQ+ individuals as “natural people who have natural defects,” sharing a personal anecdote to illustrate how physical or behavioral traits can lead to stereotypes.

“My mother always told me, ‘When you wear no-collar shirts, you look like a female,’” he recounted, adding that such perceptions often arise early in life.

He argued that Ghana is not inherently hostile to LGBTQ+ individuals, citing societal nicknames like “Kojo the Girl” (Kojo besia) as evidence of cultural acknowledgement, if not full acceptance.

“We know them. A lot of the men—Kojo the Girl—go into hairstyling. We know them. Let them live. Let them exist. I don’t think that law is aimed toward them,” he stated.

However, Ayikoi Otoo questioned whether promoting LGBTQ+ lifestyles aligns with Ghanaian cultural values. “Should we promote it and tell a girl, ‘You’re naturally a girl, but if you feel like a boy, do transgender things and call yourself a boy?’ Is this proper, helping and promoting them?” he asked.

He expressed concern over what he termed “foreign gender theories” being introduced to influence young minds, arguing that such ideas do not reflect Ghanaian values.

While acknowledging the presence of LGBTQ+ individuals in society, he maintained that the bill opposes advocacy and education around these identities rather than the individuals themselves.