Gay people should be given the freedom to express their desired sexual preference, according to Mr. Freddy Blay, National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He claims that although not personally supporting the practice, he can not comprehend the widespread outcry and heated debate surrounding it.
He raised his concerns over the "hypocrisy" surrounding the discussion regarding gays in an interview with Accra-based Asaase Radio and demanded that the practitioners be left alone.
"I don't support gay rights. It's a decision. because I don't find them attractive. However, I don't want to enter anyone's bedroom. I don't want to observe their actions. I believe it should be each person's problem if they choose to be gay.
I won't go ahead and pursue those who desire to cohabitate as a guy and a male or a woman and a woman. I believe it to be overly hypocritical.
We have been so overcome with emotion and excitement over it that we are not sober. Sincerely, I fail to understand the controversy. He said, "We ought to let them in.
The comments by the NPP National Chairman have been greeted with mixed reactions from a section of the populace on social media.
While some have praised his ideas, others have criticized them and charged him with aiming to worsen the moral decay in the nation.
Ghana's legalization of homosexuality has been a contentious topic, with opinions among the populace on its acceptability being mixed.
On conventional and social media, arguments about whether or not Ghana should permit LGBTQ behavior are frequent.
Those who support its legalization have continually contended that since the practitioners are unaffected by it, they shouldn't be restricted.
The LGBTQ movement, on the other hand, is criticized for having the potential to undermine Ghana's unique cultural history and the nation's core principles.
The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, often known as the anti-LGBTQ Bill, is currently being delayed in Parliament, which is being lamented by the bill's sponsors.
Emmanuel Bedzrah, a co-sponsor of the Bill, is requesting clarifications from the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee as it considers the idea.
The Ho West lawmaker feels that the Committee on the Bill's silence is too loud and that they should at the very least update the House.
"We have not heard anything since we referred the Bill to the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee last year. Mr. Speaker, not even a time frame for when this Bill will be brought before the House has been provided since we resumed.
And we all know that our standing orders state that a Bill before the Committee should not go beyond three months”, he noted on the floor of Parliament on June 7.
Mr. Bedzrah asked Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, chair of the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, to explain the delay to the House in light of this.
When will this Bill be submitted for a second reading and taken into consideration for passage, he inquired, asking the leader.
The Ho West MP was "performing to individuals in the gallery," according to Deputy Majority Leader Afenyo-Markin in response to the complaints.
He said that as the Committee had not submitted a report, the MP should not accuse the House of holding up the Bill.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin claims that the Parliament's leadership is unable to take any action until the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee has finished its open discussion of the Bill.
"My colleague is aware that the Bill has gotten numerous memos and that hearings have taken place. As a result, I think you would need to initiate the process via the Committee, as the House cannot schedule a Committee until they have submitted their report to us.
Don't let us play the blame game or act in a specific way just to seem good and give the wrong impression of ourselves. The committee level is where Parliament operates initially, followed by the plenary. So, if you haven't brought the report, don't come and accuse the House of delaying the Bill, he said. "We have made a referral to the Committee made up of both Majority and Minority.
In August, 2021, eight parliamentarians jointly submitted a Private Members Bill to push for the criminalisation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) activities in the country.
The advocates also want all forms of homosexual activity to be outlawed in the nation, including their support, advocacy, funding, and practice.
Since the Bill's release, many opposed to it have said that, if it becomes law, it will violate the fundamental human rights of people who identify with the group.
Currently, the Bill is before a parliamentary committee, which has since requested that citizens submit documents outlining their viewpoints.
With over 124 memoranda from the public over the anti-LGBTQI+ Bill, the Committee has been occasionally holding public hearing on it.
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