VICE PRESIDENT MUST NOT BE ASHAMED OF BEING GAY

We members of the Ghana Gay and Lesbian Forum are really excited that for the first time in the history of our country ,the ruling NDC has broken the yoke of oppression and has transformed the political landscape by selecting a gay man to be the Vice President of Ghana. We are beyond ourselves with joy, excitement and we are proud to celebrate Africa's first gay vice President and potentially future first gay President, Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur.

Homosexuality is viewed a taboo in Ghana and we homosexuals live in fear of fear of persecution and fear of harassment.

We condemn the attacks of the Daily guide newspaper on Vice President Amissah Arthur. If the Vice President had sexual intercourse with a certain Kwabena Sekyere and so what? He will not be the first neither will he be the last!

We want to live in an environment where we want our freedoms protected.

It will help if Mr Amissah Arthur speaks out against these injustices and tells Ghanaians there is no shame in loving another man as he has done before.

His silence is a worry to us as he has attended previous meetings we have held twice when he was governor of Bank of Ghana and at these meetings he always promised to protect our interests. We hope as Vice President he will speak up for us.

Our membership nationwide is almost 5,000 and we cannot continue to be hiding in the shadows. We wants our rights and we hope Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur is the Moses we are looking for.

Dr Henry Nii Ojengba Coleman
National Co-ordinator
Ghana Gay and Lesbian Forum
Accra