If you have been trying to wrap your head around the latest conversations in Parliament regarding the document “The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025 (Ghana’s Anti‑LGBTQ+ Bill)”, you are in the right place. This post breaks down the entire document slide by slide into plain, everyday language so you know exactly what is being proposed.
Title & Overview
The document points out that the Bill contains 19 sections or clauses, and is pushed by 11 sponsoring Members of Parliament (MPs), carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, and was officially gazetted on September 10, 2025.
Background & Legislative History
It began in January 2021 when an advocacy center opened in Accra, sparking major pushback from traditional chiefs and religious leaders.
The 8th Parliament passed a version of the Bill in 2024, but after Supreme Court challenges and President Akufo-Addo not signing it, the Bill expired when that Parliament ended in January 2025.
In September 2025, the new Parliament brought it back under its fresh title.
LGBTTQAP+ Acronym Decoded
It explicitly defines Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Transsexual, Queer, Pansexual, and the “+” for any other identity not listed.
Notably, it defines an Ally as anyone who creates or distributes materials promoting these acts, or teaches a child to look into any gender other than male or female.
Key Definitions – Part 1
This slide defines the foundational concepts of the Bill.
Sex and Gender are strictly defined as the binary categories of male and female fixed at birth, completely ruling out non-binary or transgender categories
Marriage is only recognized as a union between a natural-born man and a woman.
Intersex individuals are recognized as having unique biological traits at birth, and their medical corrections are exempted from the law’s bans.
Key Definitions – Part 2
Platform and Accountability: This section explains how the law views public behavior and digital spaces.
Gross Indecency includes public displays of same-sex romance or intentional cross-dressing to engage in forbidden acts.
Technological Platforms cover social media like Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Account and website Owners are held legally responsible for prohibited content on their platforms unless they can prove they didn’t consent and tried to prevent it.
Application & Duties
Who Must Act: This slide outlines who the law applies to and who is responsible for promoting family values.
It applies to anyone identifying as LGBTTQAP+, anyone funding or promoting it, and anyone performing gender-reassignment surgeries.
On the flip side, it places a legal duty on parents, teachers, religious bodies, chiefs, state institutions, and the media to actively promote traditional family values.
Offences & Penalties – Part 1
Core Crimes: This part deals with the direct penalties for prohibited sexual acts.
The Punishments:
Engaging in same-sex intercourse or holding out as LGBTTQAP+ carries a prison sentence of 2 months to 3 years, a fine of 750 to 5,000 penalty units, or both.
Forcing or tricking someone into these acts (procuration), or locking someone up to force them into a prohibited sexual activity, can get you 3 months to 3 years in prison. (Note: 1 penalty unit equals GHC 12).
Offences & Penalties – Part 2
Properties, Weddings, and Media: This section targets those who aid or broadcast these activities.
The Punishments:
Running or renting out a property/brothel for prohibited activities carries 3 to 6 years in prison.
Public romantic same-sex displays (gross indecency) get 6 months to 1 year.
Conducting or witnessing a same-sex wedding attracts 1 to 3 years, and foreign certificates for these marriages are legally useless in Ghana.
Promoting or advocating for LGBTQ+ activities in the media or online carries a heavy 5 to 10 years in prison.
Offences & Penalties – Part 3
Children, Funding, and Mob Justice: This slide focuses on safeguarding minors and preventing public violence.
The Punishments:
Directing LGBTQ+ materials or gender-exploration teachings at a child can get you 6 to 10 years in prison.
Funding or sponsoring these acts carries 3 to 5 years for company heads.
Setting up an LGBTTQAP+ organization carries 3 to 5 years.
Crucially, mob justice is banned: If you physically or verbally abuse an accused person, or if you fail to report an offence to the police, you face 3 months to 3 years in prison.
Sentencing Summary
The Jail Leaderboard: A simple summary ranking the severity of the sentences from toughest to lightest.
The Hierarchy: Media propaganda (5-10 years) and propaganda targeting children (6-10 years) carry the heaviest punishments. Keeping premises gets 3-6 years, while funding and running groups get 3-5 years. Actual sexual acts, fake marriages, and abusing suspects range from 2 months to 3 years, while public displays get 6 months to 1 year.
Marriage, Adoption & Fosterage
Family Rules: This slide details strict limits regarding children and household units.
The Rules:
Any marriage involving a same-sex partner or someone who underwent gender reassignment is legally null and void.
Furthermore, the courts and the Department of Social Welfare are strictly banned from approving adoption or foster care applications for anyone who identifies with the LGBTTQAP+ community.
Reporting Duties & Miscellaneous
How to Report: This slide sets the legal process for reporting crimes and tracking offenders who escape.
The Rules:
If you know of an offence, you must report it to the police or a “relevant authority” (like a Chief, MP, or Assembly Member), who must then inform the police within 3 days.
It allows the Minister for Culture to set up help regulations for victims and intersex persons.
It also changes the Extradition Act, meaning if someone breaks this law and flees the country, Ghana can legally ask for them to be sent back to face trial.
Legal Framework – Existing Laws
The Legal Foundation: This slide lists the older, existing laws that the new Bill connects to.
The Framework: The sponsors connect the Bill to the Criminal Offences Act of 1960, the Marriages Act, the Children’s Act, the 1992 Constitution, and international treaties like the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to argue that the Bill is perfectly in line with Ghana’s legal systems and values.
Sponsoring Members of Parliament
The Faces Behind the Bill: This slide honors the 11 MPs who signed and introduced this specific 2025 version to the Ninth Parliament.
Key Names: The lead sponsor is listed as Hon. Rev. John Ntim Fordjour (Assin South), heavily supported by Hon. Samuel Nartey George (Ningo Prampram), Hon. Helen Adjoa Ntoso (Krachi West), and eight other MPs from various constituencies.
Stated SDG Alignment & Source
Global Goals Justification: The final slide explains how the sponsors argue the law fits into the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Argument:
They claim regulating sexual behavior protects public health (SDG 3).
They state that focusing on a strict male/female binary promotes proper gender equality (SDG 5).
Finally, they argue that the strict laws against mob justice and harassment align with reducing inequalities and discrimination (SDG 10).
The official source document was printed by
GHANA PUBLISHING COMPANY LTD. ASSEMBLY PRESS, ACCRA. GPCL/A000/450/00/2025
Website:www.ghanapublishing.com Email:info@ghanapublishing.com Tel: +233 302-664338/9
