Heterosexual allies in Ghana protest anti-LGBTQ bill

On September 13, 2024, news from Accra, Ghana. Texas Kadiri Moro stands out in Ghana's LGBTQ+ rights activities. On Thursday, accompanied by a trumpeter, he wore pink Speedo swim trunks and a pink polo shirt and held a banner for a one-person protest in Accra against a highly controversial bill targeting LGBTQ+ people and their supporters.

Moro is heterosexual, married with six children. He is a teacher and a devout Muslim. For months, he has demonstrated alone against the bill. If this bill is passed, relevant people may face more than ten years in prison. After the bill was passed by the Ghanaian parliament this year, it was challenged in the Supreme Court. President Nana Akufo-Addo has not signed the bill due to litigation procedures but has not rejected it either.

Moro believes that this bill involves many rights issues. He feels that homosexuality does not affect others and the country should pay more attention to other crimes and pollution issues. This bill has drawn condemnation from human rights organizations and the international community. The proposer said it is aimed at protecting children and victims of abuse. In Ghana, same-sex sexual acts are already illegal, and the new bill may increase penalties.

Moro has lost his job since his protest. He has not received help from the LGBTQ+ community and has become the target of attacks from the Muslim community. But he is determined to continue, believing that he is doing what God requires. He submitted a petition to parliament pointing out the hypocrisy of the bill. The director of communications of parliament received the petition and expressed pleasure, saying that although the country is democratic, it is also bound by the law. Although the president has not signed the bill, activists say that the debate has led to an increase in violence against LGBTQ+ people. The executive director of the Ghana Human Rights Journalists Organization said that after the bill was proposed, abuse of this group has increased sharply. Once considered a member, one may be harmed or even lynched. He emphasized that to change the world, someone needs to take the lead. If someone starts to oppose the wrong bill, others will follow.