- LGBT rights in Ghana
Legal position
Under Ghanaian law, male homosexual activity is officially illegal. Gay men can also be punished under provisions concerning assault and rape, only if "in public or with minor".
Criminal Code 1960-Chapter 6, Sexual Offences Article 105:
Whoever is guilty of unnatural carnal knowledge—(a) of any person without his consent, is guilty of first degree felony;(b) of any person with his consent, or of any animal, is guilty of a misdemeanor.ref|penal
The Constitution of Ghana guarantees the protection of all
human rights for Ghanaian citizens "whatever his race, place of origin, political opinion, colour, religion, creed or gender", but does not mention sexuality. [http://www.ghana.gov.gh/living/constitution/chapter05.php]Protection based on
sexual orientation in lawGhanaian law does not allow for specific anti-discrimination treatment of defendants.
Recognition of same-sex couples
There is no legal recognition of
same-sex couples under Ghanaian law.Gay life in the country
Ghanaian law officially bans
homosexuality in Ghana. InAccra , very few gay and gay-friendly bars can be found, and the gay scene in Accra is considerably less noticeable than in Western countries. In Ghana's other large cities, such asKumasi andTema , gay social life exists, but on a less noticeable level. In rural areas, homosexuality is generally not accepted and many rural Ghanaians do not accept that homosexuality exists.The British newspaper "Capital Gay" reported on
October 21 ,1994 , that a homosexual man from Ghana was granted temporary asylum inSouth Africa after persecution for his sexual orientation.According to an August 2004
Afrol News report, Prince MacDonald‚ the leader of the organisation for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals in Ghana, commented that "there are lots and lots of people in our prisons who have been caught by this unfriendly law." He said that the police beat and punish people who are found to be gaysref|Afrolnews.Gay dating websites like Gaydar and
Gayromeo host many profiles of gay men from Ghana, suggesting that laws concerning homosexuality are not strictly enforced.Lesbian and gay conference banned
On
September 1 2006 , the Ghanaian government banned [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5305658.stm BBC NEWS | Africa | Ghanaian gay conference banned ] ] anLGBT rights conference that was scheduled to take place onSeptember 4 at theAccra International Conference Centre and at a venue in the city ofKoforidua .The
Information Minister Kwamena Bartels said: "Government would like to make it absolutely clear that it shall not permit the proposed conference anywhere in Ghana. Unnatural carnal knowledge is illegal under our criminal code. Homosexuality, lesbianism and bestiality are therefore offences under the laws of Ghana."The Information Minister was reported to have said that the
Interior Minister should investigate and punish those who had given initial permission to the organisers.References
# [http://www.ilga.info/Information/Legal_survey/africa/ghana.htm ILGA legal survey on gay rights in Ghana]
# Afrol News [http://www.afrol.com/articles/13832 "Ghana's gays organise to fight British criminal law"]August 19 ,2004 . AccessedMarch 3 ,2006 .External links
* [http://www.mask.org.za/index.php?page=ghana "Ghana"] Behind the Mask, a website on gay and lesbian affairs in Africa. Accessed
March 9 ,2006 .
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