According to an anti-LGBTQ+ research, over 540,000 males had sex with other men in Ghana in 2017
Over 540,000 males in Ghana had intercourse with other men, according to a 2017 survey, according to Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, chairman of constitutional, legal, and parliamentary issues.
Out of this total, 9,857 people—or 18.1% of the group—were found to be HIV positive, according to him.
The information was revealed during the report on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values law 2021, also known as the anti-LGBTQ+ law, was being presented.
The negative effects on one’s health of participating in LGBTQ+ activities was one of the main points made in favour of the legislation.
An investigation by the American Centres for Disease Control and Prevention from 2018 was mentioned to back up this assertion.
According to the poll, male-to-male sexual contact was to blame for more than 65% of HIV infections among adults and adolescents in the United States.
Data from the Ghana AIDS Commission further emphasised the issue by highlighting the national context;
“There were 54,759 guys who lived in Ghana in 2017 who had sex with men. 9,857 people, or 18.1%, of this total, were discovered to be HIV positive. Despite only accounting for 2% of the country’s HIV-positive population, the 18% prevalence rate is sufficient, according to the Commission, to cause the illness to spread exponentially, he stated in the study.
The worries about the negative effects of same-sex sexual activity on health are highlighted by these figures.
The anti-LGBTQ+ bill’s proponents contend that such legislation is required to safeguard the public’s health and advance Ghanaian family values.
The significance of human rights, equality, and non-discrimination in tackling these issues is, however, emphasised by the bill’s opponents.
The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021—commonly referred to as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill—has been the subject of a report from the constitutional, legal, and parliamentary affairs committee.