Ex-president of Ghana and leading opposition figure, John Dramani Mahama, has frowned at LGBTQ practices in the country, saying his faith in Christian makes it unacceptable.
According to reports from Reuters, Mahama stated, “The faith I have will not allow me to accept a man marrying a man, and a woman marrying a woman.”
Addressing a gathering of Ghanaian religious leaders on Wednesday, Mahama expressed skepticism towards gender identity transitions, saying, “I don’t believe that anybody can get up and say I feel like a man although I was born a woman and so I will change and become a man.”
The LGBTQ rights debate has intensified in Ghana, with the country’s parliament currently deliberating a controversial anti-LGBTQ bill. If passed, the legislation will impose severe penalties on LGBTQ community members.
Provisions include forbidding Ghanaians from identifying as LGBTQ and increasing the maximum sentence for same-sex activities from three to five years. Additionally, the bill prohibits advocating for LGBTQ rights.
Ghana already criminalizes gay sex, carrying a three-year prison sentence. The anti-LGBTQ bill has sparked widespread discussion and concern within the country.
John Dramani Mahama, who served as Ghana’s president from 2012 to 2017, lost his bid for a second term in the 2016 elections to current President Nana Akufo-Addo. The 65-year-old is now vying for re-election in the upcoming December presidential elections, representing the main opposition party National Democratic Congress.
