The Old Testament of the Holy Bible says in Leviticus 18:22 that “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination”. That same Leviticus 20:13 made it clear that if a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Similarly, 1 Corinthians 6:17-20, says” But he who is joined to the Lord is the spirit with him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin than a man does outside the body but he who commits sexual immorality sin against his own body.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you whom you have from God and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” – NKJV
These Bible quotations clearly amplify the brouhaha concerning the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) issues that have occupied the media landscape and the country’s airwaves in recent times.
CLOSURE OF LGBTQ OFFICE IN ACCRA:
It is recalled that on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, the security forces closed an office of an organization that supports the LGBT at AshalleyBotwe a suburb of Accra.The closure, followed campaigns and protests by religious leaders to the government to proscribe the activities of this gay and lesbian group in the country.
The owner of the house that accommodated the centre, AsensoGyambi, said he did not know his house was rented by Rights Ghana. “I was not happy about that. I had to report to the security agencies for them to take action. I will not tolerate such activities on my property,” he said.
Same-sex relationship is prohibited in Ghana and although legal proceedings are rare, sexual minorities have reported marginalization harassment and being assaulted.
THE CRIMINAL CODE ON SAME-SEX:
Under the 1960 Criminal Code, same-sex sexual conduct is a criminal offence. This law is used to threaten, arrest and punish individuals for engaging in same-sex sexual conduct. Chapter 6 section 104 of the code states that whoever has unnatural carnal knowledge of any person of the age of 16 years or over without his consent shall be guilty of a first degree felony and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not less than five years and not more than 25 years or of any person of 16 years or over with his consent is guilty of a misdemeanor or of any animal is guilty of a misdemeanor.
Ghanaians like most Africans are known to be stiffly opposed to same-sex relationship which are considered to be against socio-cultural, communal and religious teachings. Most people who tried coming out have been heavily slammed for engaging in acts seen as ungodly.
LGBT PACTICE IN ADVANCED NATIONS:
This obnoxious practice, is however common in the so-called advanced countries especially in Europe and the Americas where even leaders are deeply associated with the abominable act and most of the time used it to threaten developing countries mostly in Africa of denying them aids and grants if they don’t accept the practice. It is a fact that the most affluent people have endorsed this practice in Europe and use their wealth as a beacon to influence others to adopt this shameful practice.
VIEWS BY EMINENT PEOPLE ON LGBT PRACTICE IN GHANA
No wonder in 2012, the then UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, warned African countries that they risked aid cuts if they failed to respect gay rights. Ghana President at that time, the late President John Evans Atta Mills of blessed memory, rejected the threats, cautioning that the UK government could not impose its values on Ghana. Indeed, that was a braved stance of Professor Mills. He stood his grounds and called the bluff of the UK government.
This is a gesture we need to applaud and to tell our donor partners that we don’t need their assistance shrouded dirt. They can keep it.
Former Speaker of Parliament, Mike Oquaye, who is an ardent anti-gay rights activist, in one of his most recent pronouncements on the issue, said Africa was getting tired of seemingly anti cultural imposition.
Not quite too long, President Nana AddoDankwaAkufo-Addo re-echoed the stance of the country on same-sex relationship when he granted an interview to the Gulf news channel, Al Jazeera. He made it clear that the issue of same-sex relationship was not on the agenda of Ghana adding that its snowball effect will soon reach Africa. “I don’t believe that in Ghana so far, a sufficient strong coalition has emerged which is having that impact of public opinion that will say change it; let’s then have a new paradigm in Ghana. He said like in other parts of the world, it will take the activities of groups and individuals to try bringing it up for discussion.
NanaAkufo-Addo’s statement sounds a bit contradictory to most Ghanaians who expected him to reject the practice outright without due consideration. The laws of this country do not encourage the same-sex relationship and, therefore there should not be any room for discussions, period!
As indicated by Bishop Samuel A. Mensah of the Full Gospel Outreach Church to his congregation, which has for some time trended on social media, ‘We are now living in a critical situation in Ghana. This is the time to rise up in the sake of our children. One simple truth is that, in the beginning God created a man and a woman, God created Adam and Eve, God did not create Adam and Adamson, God did not create Eve and Evelyn but God created Adam and Eve and if today this society wants to change the story, they are suppressing the truth and that is where the wrath of God is against. The Bible says anyone who does not come through the door but through the window is a thief and a robber. Since I was born up to today,every human being that has entered into this world, came through the front passage and not the back passage. That order has not changed”.
The scripture tells us that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah slept with men and God destroyed a whole nation with fire. Homosexuality provokes anger of the most High.
SAY NO TO THE PRACTICE:
Let us say no to homosexuality because the health implication in this obnoxious practice is enormous. It can lead to sexual transmitted diseases and other urinary tract infections that are dangerous to our health.
We expect our clergy, imams, chiefs, government functionaries and other opinion leaders in the society to rise up and criticize this harmful and ungodly practice in our country.
BY CHARLES NEEQUAYE
