Homosexuality is an intrinsically disordered act – Palmer-Buckle

Anti-LGBTQ+ currently before parliament of Ghana

Catholic Church of Ghana supports the anti-LGBTQ+ bill

It is your duty to fine-tune anti-LGBTQ+ bill, says Palmer-Buckle to parliament

The Metropolitan Archbishop for Cape Coast, Charles Gabriel Angela Palmer-Buckle has emphasized the support of the Ghanaian Catholic Church against homosexual activities describing it as disorderly.

Appearing before parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee to defend the support of the Catholic Church for the controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill, the Cape Coast Archbishop said the church in generality supports strongly the bill that seeks to outlaw homosexuality and its related activities in Ghana.

He urged that parliament on its part must ensure it answers the sovereign aspirations of the general Ghanaian population which is against homosexuality.

“The generality of the bill which we support strongly is that homosexual activity is intrinsically disordered. And therefore, if it is intrinsically disordered according to our Christian beliefs, our Islamic beliefs, our traditional religious beliefs, and so on, you, our lawmakers whom we have voted there; you have a responsibility to fashion the bill in such a way that you answer our sovereign aspirations. And I think that is a basis that we and you should not run away from, he stated.

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On the need for parliament to adequately discharge its duty in fine-tuning the bill, Palmer-Buckle said “a bill has been brought to parliament and I think yours is to look at the bill and to see if there are excesses or flaws in it; pen them out. But the generality of the bill is what we are pursuing as to some of what we call dotting the i’s and crossing the t's, that is why you are lawmakers. We are not going to debate what the bill is supposed to have presented.”

The parliamentary committee is currently receiving presentations and memoranda from groups and individuals both in support of and against the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.

The bill among other things seeks to criminalise homosexuality and same-sex activities in Ghana. It also seeks to abolish advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights.

Fronted by a group of members of parliament and supported by some advocacy groups, the bill which has received wide public endorsement has also attracted concerns from some human rights groups who say it elicits hatred and discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community.