Notes on The Political Use of Homophobia

Hello, Community. Hope you’re having a good day. As much as I’d love to have all of you at all our meetings and chats, I know that’s just not possible. It’s why I do so many recaps and throwbacks. Today’s post is a writeup on the Research Team’s presentation during our Third Quarter Meeting. The topic of the presentation and open discussion was The Political Use of Homophobia and its effect on the Upcoming General Elections in Ghana. 

In 2011, the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, in an interview with BBC One threatened to cut aid to anti-LGBTQ+ countries, stating that countries should "adhere to proper human rights” in order to receive aid from the UK.

The then president of Ghana, Atta Mills responded to Cameron’s comments saying “No one can deny Prime Minister Cameron his right to make policies, take initiatives or make statements that reflect his societal norms and ideals but he does not have the right to direct other sovereign nations as to what they should do especially where their societal norms and ideals are different from those which exist in Prime Minister's society... I, as president of this nation, will never initiate or support any attempt to legalise homosexuality in Ghana.” 

In 2013, John Mahama, who was the president of Ghana, was accused by the Ghanaian media of receiving $20,000 from LGBT Activist, Andrew Solomon for his 2012 presidential campaign. Andrew Solomon published an article in The New York Times explaining the situation. He explained that after reading the first draft of the then president’s memoir, he offered to introduce him to some agents and editors in New York. “I blurbed the book when it was published in July; I hosted a party to celebrate its publication; I conducted an onstage interview with John Mahama at the New York Public Library and I am thanked in the book’s acknowledgments.”, he wrote. He noted that it was only after Atta-Mills passed away and John Mahama became president that the press became so interested in his relationship with John Mahama. 

In February, a spokesperson for the president said John Mahama did not know Andrew Solomon. A day later, the president called Andrew Solomon and apologized. Later, the government issued a statement admitting that Andrew and the president knew each other. The government made sure to mention that the president does not subscribe to homosexuality and would not be taking any steps to promote it in the country. 

Later in 2013, The National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values was formed to develop a comprehensive legislative & health framework addressing LGBT rights acceptance. In 2016, the Executive Secretary of the Coalition demanded that politicians vying for office declare their stance on LGBTQ+ rights. In 2017, President Akufo-Addo in an interview with Al Jazeera shared that while Ghanaians aren’t currently concerned with the issue of LGBTQ+ rights, he believes that shift is likely to happen in the future. 

In May 2018, Moses Foh-Amoaning, The Executive Secretary of the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values assured Ghanaians that the Anti-LGBT Bill would be presented to parliament in September 2018. 

In December 2020, the late former presidential candidate of Ghana Freedom Party, Akua Donkor vowed to lock up homosexuals in holes when she becomes President of Ghana. In February 2021, LGBTQI+ Rights Ghana opened an administrative office in Tesano and was subsequently shut down the same month. 

At this point it’s clear that to win the presidential vote, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric must be a part of your political campaign. Not a single Ghanaian presidential candidate missed this memo. 

This year, former president John Mahama declares in a meeting with the clergy “I am against LGBTQ. I am a member of the Assemblies of God church and my faith is against it”. Interesting considering that in 2013 at the Yale Global Series he said “ we need to remove stigma so that people can come out of hiding and say this is my sexual orientation and these are the problems that we have so that we can reach them with the appropriate interventions.” 

One thing about Ghanaian politicians? They only know human rights when it’s time to talk to white people or attack their opposing political parties. 

In April 2024, the Vice President, Dr Bawumia announced “My faith is strictly against the practice of LGBTQ+. No ifs, no buts”. In January, Nana Kwame Bediako, another presidential candidate said he has no opinion on the anti-LGBTQ+ bill as his religion doesn’t teach him to judge others. Needless to say, his stance changed. He eventually got the memo after a couple of months and realised the way to power in Ghana is through good old bigotry. 

In March 2024, the Founder of The Liberal Party of Ghana, Kofi Akpaloo on Adom FM’s morning show, said the president should throw away the anti-LGBTQ+ bill. “What benefit are we going to derive from it when the President assents to it? No one has proved to support it, so why are people making a fuss about it? The President should just throw it in the dustbin”, he shared. 

It shouldn’t be a surprise that these unnecessary and homophobic comments are influencing the perception of LGBTQ+ Ghanaians. Foh-Amoaning in particular is aware of the impact politicians have on Ghanaians. This explains his demands for presidential candidates to declare their stance on LGBTQ+ rights.

According to data from Global Info Analytics’ recent National Opinion Poll for the 2024 General Elections, 50% of voters say Akufo-Addo’s refusal to sign Anti-LGBTQ Bill won’t affect their voting decision. In 2023, 82% were in support of Anti-LGBTQ Bill and in 2024, 59% were in support of Anti-LGBTQ Bill. What do you think is the reason for this change? 

I’ll end this post with the open discussion questions from the Research Team on this topic. Feel free to respond in the comments. 

1. What was the turning point in the last 4 years to make LGBT a focal point?

2. Do candidates actually mean what they say?

3. Will opinions of candidates change after elections?