Accra, Ghana//-Ghana’s Parliament today approved the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, commonly known as the anti-LGBTQ bill, after introducing amendments that exempt specific individuals and institutions from sanctions.
The legislation criminalises LGBTQ activities in Ghana. It targets promotion, advocacy, funding, and engagement related to same-sex relations and gender identity issues. The core aim stated by sponsors is to “uphold Ghanaian family values and cultural norms.
The version passed includes exemptions that were not in the original draft: Lawyers providing advice or representation to persons identified as LGBTQ will not face punishment.
Journalists and media organisations reporting on LGBTQ-related issues or current affairs as part of their professional duties are exempt.
Doctors, surgeons, psychologists, and counsellors offering medical, surgical, psychological, or counselling services to LGBTQ persons will not be penalised.
These carve-outs mean the law targets promotion, advocacy, while allowing legal defense, news reporting, and healthcare to continue.
This is not the first time the bill has moved through Parliament.
An earlier version was passed by Parliament in February 2024 and sent to then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for assent.
It did not receive presidential assent before his term ended. The 2025 version is a reintroduction with the new exemptions added before passage.
The Minority Caucus strongly opposed the amendments. Their argument: the need for exemptions proves the original bill sent to former President Akufo-Addo was flawed and “not fit for purpose.” They say a well-drafted law should not require last-minute carve-outs for basic professional duties.
For the bill to become law, it still requires presidential assent. The exemptions are likely to shape public and legal debate on how the law will be enforced if signed.
