A social media analysis of conversations about Lesbians, Gays, Transgender, Bisexual and Queer (LGBTQ+) in Ghana has exposed the use of coded homophobic slurs, gay-labelling, emotional language, polarisation and red herrings as tactics to reinforce popular opposition to the community.
For more than three years, a debate about criminalising LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana has dominated public discourse and brought the community under intense public scrutiny.
On February 28, 2024, Ghana’s parliament passed the “Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill” (the Anti-Gay Bill) that outlaws LGBTQ+ and the promotion of their activities in Ghana. However, the president has yet to assent it to become law pending the determination of two Supreme Court cases.
Despite the significant public support for the bill, some notable Ghanaians have opposed it, and that includes Professor Takyiwah Manuh, Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh, Prof. Audrey Sitsofe Gadzekpo, the late lawyer Akoto Ampaw and others.
In this report we dissect the major issues driving the LGBTQ+ conversations online and in some cases the offline impact of polarizing online tactics and narratives as well as the religio-cultural angles to the issue.
You can read a detailed analysis of the report here.
By: GhanaFact
