In Ghana, the controversial Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, widely known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, faced a significant legal challenge in the Supreme Court. Dr. Amanda Odoi, a Research Fellow with the Centre for Gender Research, Advocacy, and Documentation (CEGRAD) at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), took the initiative to file an application to halt the Parliament of Ghana from proceeding with the passage of the bill.
A nine-member Supreme Court panel, led by Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, unanimously ruled against the application, stating that the plaintiff failed to provide compelling reasons to justify ordering parliament to suspend its efforts to pass the anti-gay bill. This decision paved the way for the Parliament to continue with its legislative process.
Dr. Amanda Odoi, who was the initiator of the application, also withdrew a separate case of contempt that was filed against the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin. Dr. Odoi was one of two Ghanaians who filed a lawsuit against Bagbin, seeking the Court’s intervention to halt the advancement of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021. The other individual involved in the legal action was Paul Boama Sefa, a farmer.
Despite these legal challenges, the Parliament of Ghana proceeded with its course of action. On July 5, 2023, it adopted the motion of the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliament Committee on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill (anti-LGBTQI bill). Following this second reading, the bill entered the consideration stage, where the Parliament engaged in a thorough examination of its clauses and amendments proposed by the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee.
