Homophobia is a common issue in Ghana, where gay sex is already illegal and carries a three-year prison sentence. However, the LGBTQ+ community is feeling terrorized by a new bill passed by MPs last week, which will impose a jail term of up to three years for simply identifying as LGBTQ+ and five years for promoting their activities. Mensah, a young man in his late teens, has been living with sympathetic friends in Ghana's capital, Accra, since falling out with his family.
The LGBTQ+ community in Ghana is a religious and traditionally conservative nation, but they tend to help each other out when one faces life as an outcast. Mensah's mother discovered that he was attracted to boys several years ago and started taking him to churches for prayers with the hope he would change. He was practically shunned at home, and in 2020, when the prayers and Bible studies were deemed to have failed, he was excommunicated from his church for being gay.
Mensah's family outed him to their wider circle in an attempt to shame him. He was eventually kicked out of the family home and struggles to hold down a job. Now, the softly spoken young man says he spends most of his time indoors to avoid offending people's sensibilities.
LGBT people are commonly referred to in the local Akan language as "kojo besia", literally "man-woman". They have always co-existed within Ghanaian communities, although there have been occasional attacks. The passage of the anti-gay bill is horrified by the passage, as it will legitimise homophobic attacks, something he has experienced himself.
Kwame, who also requested his name be changed for his safety, is horrified by the passage of the anti-gay bill, saying it will legitimize homophobic attacks, something he has experienced himself. He has also faced discrimination in the workplace when someone told his boss about his sexuality.
Both Kwame and Mensah are hoping the bill, which has been backed by both of Ghana's two main political parties, will be stopped by a legal challenge. A case has been filed at the Supreme Court, and President Nana Akufo-Addo says he will wait for the outcome before taking action on the bill.
The country's finance ministry is worried about the possible repercussions, as Ghana could lose a total of $3.8bn (£3bn) in World Bank funding over the next five to six years. The US, UK, and human rights groups have condemned the bill, with the US in particular indicating that it would have a chilling effect on foreign investment to Ghana.
Kwame and Mensah are considering leaving Ghana as the situation has been so inflamed by politicians, as the country feels like a more dangerous place for them.
