Ghana

Ghana bans same-sex relations under Section 104(1)(b) of the Criminal Offences Act of 1960. Although this law is rarely enforced, its existence legitimizes widespread antipathy towards LGBTIQ people and contributes to their harassment and extortion at the hands of authorities. Following a constitutional challenge to this colonial-era law, the court in 2024 declined to decriminalize same-sex intimacy in a ruling riddled with queerphobic language. 

In February 2024, the Ghanaian Parliament passed the anti-LGBTQ “Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill.” Although the law does not specifically address intersex persons, there are reports of the murder of intersex infants, as well as bullying and other forms of violence against intersex children. The law faced challenges mounted in the court system, with a disappointing decision by the Supreme Court in December 2024 allowing the bill to proceed despite legitimate claims of its unconstitutionality. However, the then-president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, did not sign the bill, leaving the law in limbo and demonstrating the battles between the executive and judiciary branches regarding anti-LGBTIQ legislation. The new administration of John Mahama has sent mixed messages as to whether it will support this law. If enacted, the law will institute increased penalties for “aggravated homosexuality” and prohibit LGBTQ advocacy, allyship, and other acts, such as renting property to LGBTQ people.

*Outright research indicates that the bodily autonomy of intersex people is not respected and protected in this country.