Queer Ghanaians Help Fight Church Fire, Urge President John Mahama and Parliament to Fund Fire Service Instead of Anti-LGBTQ Bill Focus Queer people in Accra are urging President John Dramani Mahama and the Parliament of Ghana to stop spending time and resources on the anti-LGBTQ bill and instead invest in equipping the Ghana National Fire Service with adequate firefighting equipment and infrastructure. The call follows a fire outbreak at Jesus House Chapel International in Dansoman,along the Aliu Mahama street, Accra, where, according to Hajia Akita and Hajia Rose, fire tenders arrived without sufficient water, forcing people to resort to nearby school facilities and gutters to obtain water to help extinguish the flames. They argue that the ongoing parliamentary discussions on the anti-LGBTQ bill will not address Ghana’s pressing developmental challenges or solve urgent problems such as inadequate emergency response infrastructure needed to protect lives and property. Their intervention highlights the importance of prioritising public safety, emergency preparedness and essential services over legislation targeting LGBTQ+ people. Video credit: #KingByGone and #Zygote_Studios

Exactly. Homophobia - not homosexuality - is un-African and un-Ghanaian. In Ghana and many parts of Africa, hostility toward LGBTQ+ people is deeply shaped by colonial-era laws and ideas. As Vic Mensa @VicMensa rightly asked in response to MP Emmanuel Bedzrah’s justification of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill: why not pass laws to prevent stoning and violence instead of criminalising the vulnerable people being persecuted? You cannot claim to “protect” LGBTQ+ people by imprisoning them - or tell Ghanaians they should leave their own country because of who they are. Ghana belongs to all Ghanaians.

How can Ghana promote itself internationally as a destination to “Visit Ghana” while simultaneously pursuing legislation that could criminalise and imprison LGBTQ+ tourists and allies?

They are glorifying violence as though bullying, harassing, and physically assaulting a student over allegations about their sexual orientation is something exciting, heroic, or worthy of admiration. This is harmful, dangerous, and deeply shameful. Where are the school authorities, and what action have they taken in response? Students must not be allowed to take the law into their own hands or subject their peers to violence, humiliation, and abuse based on allegations or rumours. When parents entrust their children to a school, they expect the school authorities to provide a safe environment and protect every student in their care—regardless of what that student may be accused of. Allegations are not a licence for violence. Schools must take responsibility, investigate the incident, protect the affected student, and ensure that those responsible are held accountable through appropriate disciplinary and legal processes. @CHRAJGHANA

...community workers providing HIV prevention and care services to key populations have also been accused, threatened or intimidated because of their work. A Developing Protection Concern The reported incidents have created an atmosphere of fear in Techiman, with some affected persons reportedly limiting their movements, abandoning businesses, leaving their homes or relocating to other communities. Rightify Ghana and CYEHRG welcome the Police leadership's clarification that it has not authorised or supported Oboot's alleged activities and its direction for formal survivor statements to be taken. The organisations will continue to engage the Ghana Police Service, CHRAJ, Legal Aid Commission, Ghana AIDS Commission and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that reported cases are properly documented and investigated, survivors have access to protection and legal assistance, and further attacks and threats are prevented. No individual or group should be permitted to use claims of institutional authority to justify violence, intimidation or punishment against members of the community. ⚠️Viewer discretion advised The video is a screen recording from a TikTok livestream where Oboot holds his victims at his home and abuse them in a live broadcast. On the day this was taken, he had one lady and a man ,and whom had been assaulted. You can see that the lady's face had been disfigured as a result of the assault. These are just a few of his victims Cc: @lydiadonkor13 @CHRAJGHANA @ghanaids @amnestyghana @UNFPAGhana @ZiaChoudhury @UNinGhana @USEmbassyGhana @UKinGhana @NorwayinGhana @CanHCGhana @NLinGhana @FranceandGhana @DKinGhana @SwedeninGhana @AusHC_Ghana @EuropeInGhana @GermanAmbGhana @SwissEmbAccra @ItalyinGhana @EmbEspGhana @IrishEmbGhanaCzech @CzechEmbAccra @tv3_ghana @Joy997FM @JoyNewsOnTV @starr1035fm @ghonetv @modernghanaweb @theghanaweb

Techiman Violence: Rightify Ghana and CYEHRG File Formal Complaint with Ghana Police Service On Wednesday, 26 August 2026, Rightify Ghana and the Centre for Youth Empowerment, Health and Rights Ghana @cyehrghana filed a formal complaint with the Bono East Regional Commander of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCoP) Shaibu Abubakari Sadique-Osei, to draw the Police's urgent attention to a series of reported attacks, threats, intimidation, robbery, extortion and other human rights violations targeting people in Techiman based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation and/or gender expression. The organisations submitted documentation covering several reported incidents involving both women and men. Many of the affected persons are women, while men have also been targeted. Some survivors have reportedly been forced to leave their homes, businesses and the Techiman area altogether because of fear of further attacks and retaliation. Several of the reported incidents have allegedly involved Illiasu Sulemana, also known as Oboot, and persons associated with him. The allegations include luring individuals to locations where they were assaulted, taking their personal belongings, threatening them, forcing them to disclose information about other people, and publicly exposing or humiliating victims through social media. Of particular concern, Oboot and his associates have reportedly claimed that they have the support or backing of the Ghana Police Service and the Techiman Palace to carry out their activities against people perceived to be gay or lesbian. Police Denies Giving Authority to Oboot During discussions following the submission of the complaint, the Bono East Regional Police Commander and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) leadership made clear that the Ghana Police (@GhPoliceService) has not authorised, sanctioned or given Oboot permission to carry out attacks against people perceived to be LGBTQI+. The Police leadership also indicated that it had no knowledge of any official authorisation allowing Oboot or his associates to undertake such activities in the name of the Police Service. Somw police officials, however, acknowledged that Oboot is known to them and has reportedly been associated with disturbances in the region. This reinforces the need for the reported allegations against him and his associates to be properly investigated. The clarification from the Police is significant, particularly because the alleged claims of institutional backing have reportedly contributed to fear among affected persons and may have discouraged victims from seeking protection or reporting incidents. Police Calls for Caution While Investigations Begin The Police leadership advised members of the affected community, including those who may be at heightened risk, to exercise caution regarding their activities and public engagement while the situation is being assessed. The Regional Commander further directed Rightify Ghana and CYEHRG to support the ongoing police process by facilitating for survivors to appear before the Police and provide formal statements. This will allow the Police to formally open and pursue investigations into the reported incidents. The organisations intend to work with survivors while prioritising their safety, confidentiality and informed consent. Complaints Also Shared with Human Rights, Legal and HIV Institutions Copies of the formal complaint submitted to the Police were also shared with the regional offices of the: Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ); Legal Aid Commission Ghana; and Ghana AIDS Commission. The involvement of these institutions is important given the broad nature of the reported violations and the impact of the situation on access to justice, human rights protection, safety and HIV prevention and care services. The organisations are particularly concerned about reports that peer educators, paralegals and other...

MP wants LGBTQ+ Ghanaians Jailed as Protection from Stoning by Violent Homophobes Motivated by His Anti-LGBTQ Bill; Tells Gays to Leave Ghana As LGBTQI+ Ghanaians increasingly flee persecution and seek asylum abroad, Ho West MP and sponsor of the controversial Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, Hon. Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, has told the BBC that queer Ghanaians who do not conform to what he considers Ghanaian cultural norms should leave the country. In an interview with the BBC released on August 14, 2026, Bedzrah was asked about reports of queer Ghanaians seeking asylum in the United Kingdom. His response was blunt: “They have to go, we don’t want them here. Seriously.” Bedzrah is one of the sponsors of the bill currently before Parliament. Defending the proposed legislation, he argued that Ghanaian culture frowns upon homosexuality and claimed that if someone sees two men kissing, they could stone them. He therefore presented the bill as a means of preventing such violence by restricting same-sex affection and preventing LGBTQI+ people from engaging in conduct he says goes against Ghanaian cultural norms. However, when asked why the state would not instead educate people who might respond violently and encourage them not to attack or stone gay people, Bedzrah rejected the idea. Instead, he maintained that Ghanaians do not want LGBTQI+ people and that they should leave. His position effectively places the burden on LGBTQI+ Ghanaians to flee their own country rather than on the state to prevent violence against them—raising the disturbing question of why citizens should have to leave Ghana to escape violence from others. Bedzrah further sought to justify the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025 by arguing that homosexuality is contrary to Ghanaian culture and that same-sex sexual affection crosses a cultural “boundary.” The comments have renewed concerns about how rhetoric from political leaders and sponsors of the bill can contribute to an increasingly hostile environment for LGBTQI+ people in Ghana, including those already facing threats, violence, discrimination and forced displacement. Video Credit: BBC News