Parliament revives the anti-LGBT bill after it lapsed

Lawmakers reintroduced the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill after an earlier version failed to become law. Human Rights Watch reported that Parliament formally received the bill on 17 February, and warned that it jeopardised the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The revival ended a period in which many queer Ghanaians had cautiously resumed ordinary life. Our intake calls rose again within days of the news, most of them about eviction, threats from relatives, and fear of being reported at work.

We logged each of those calls. The pattern they show — that a bill causes measurable harm long before it is passed — is one of the most consistent findings in our records.