The Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu, the Catholic Bishop of Konongo-Mampong in the Ashanti Region, has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to make clear what stance he takes on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) problem.
"I would also really appreciate it if you could clarify your views on LCBTQ+." "Many Ghanaians are unsure of your position on this issue, but they are certain of the positions of some of your predecessors who have made their opinions clear and unambiguous," he added. As a result, he made the request.
The request was made by the Most Reverend Osei-Bonsu in an open letter to the President on April 3, 2023.
"I am writing to you today as a citizen of Ghana in response to three remarks you have made against the LGBTQI+ community while serving as president of the Republic of Ghana. I detect contradictions in them; therefore, I would be very glad if you could explain them to me.
Recall
In an interview with President Akufo-Addo on December 6, 2017, Jane Dutton of Aljazeera stated that when asked why homosexuality was still a crime in Ghana, President Akufo-Addo said, "You were reported to have said the following: I don't think a powerful alliance has yet formed in Ghana that is having the kind of influence on public opinion that would convince people to alter their minds."
"I grew up in England during a period when homosexuality was illegal there, but all of a sudden, due to individual and group actions, a growing knowledge of the issue, and other developments, the law had to be changed."
"They are the same mechanisms, in my opinion, that will change things in our circumstance." There doesn't seem to be a strong stream of thought in Ghana at the moment that says, "This is something we need you to deal with."
The Most Rev. Osei-Bonsu believed that the President should have responded to the journalist's query by acknowledging that homosexuality was still a crime in Ghana and citing Section 104. Consensual same-sex sexual actions between people of the same gender are illegal under Section 104 of the Criminal Code of 1960.
Contrast
The Catholic Bishop noted that, in contrast to the situation outlined above, he was delighted when the President plainly declared his view on same-sex marriage in 2021.
"You indicated, in what could be described as your strongest position yet, that you were not considering the legalization of same-sex marriages" at Cyril Kobina Ben-induction Smith's as the Archbishop of the Internal Province of Ghana in the Church of the Province of West Africa (CPWA) on Saturday, February 27, 2021, he said.
"In fact, you promised that same-sex weddings would not be legalized during your administration, much to the delight of everyone in attendance (including my excellent self!).
The President was cited in the letter as stating at the ceremony, "I have said it before, and let me stress it again, that it will not be during the Presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that same-sex marriage will be legalized."
In light of what I will refer to as "the Mampong Declaration," I was perplexed by what Your Excellency said during a press conference you held in Accra on Monday, March 27, 2023, alongside the vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, in response to a question from a New York Times journalist on the Mampong Declaration.
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