Homosexuality is mental disorder – Prof Akwasi Osei

Professor Akwasi Osei, a member of the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, has stated that the values of the Ghanaian society talks against the practice of same sex adding that, it is an abnormal behavior.

This follows the resumption of public hearings on memoranda submitted for and against the promotion of proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill.

The Bill seeks to criminalize LGBTQI+ activities in the country.

The first public hearing, which was held on November 11, was suspended after the committee cited time constraints.

Addressing the committee on Monday, November 29, 2021, Prof Osei said the argument that “homosexuality is normal” was, therefore, not justifiable.

“Just about one to three per cent of any society in the world are homosexuals, the vast majority are straight, so 97 to 99 per cent are straight. So, if you have only one to three per cent (being homosexuals), how do you say it is so common that you want to consider it as normal?

“There is a scientific way of determining what is normal, so, it is not opened to people’s whims and caprices. Normality is determined by the frequency of occurrence, not by birth scientifically” he said.

Meanwhile, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has also called on Parliament to be cautious in the consideration of the anti-LGBTQI+ Bill currently before it.

According to CHRAJ, Section 104 was sufficient as it has already criminalized the acts of LGBTQI+.

The Commissioner of CHRAJ, Mr Joseph Whittal, said Parliament can amend section 104 of the 1992 Constitution instead of passing a new bill to criminalise it.

“Section 104, If there are limitations to 104, we can proceed to amend it instead of coming with a Bill that criminalises all over again.”

“If the [Parliamentary] committee believes that the species of activities that are covered under Section 104 in the light of the fact that it is an old legislation, require further improvement by an amendment, that will take care of current and future possible activities, which you would want to criminalise, I say you should go ahead, and that is something you should be looking at instead of this [anti-LGBTQI+] Bill,” said.

He thus asked Parliament to be careful with the bill.

“I think section 104 is sufficient and if it is not sufficient, we can make an amendment of that position sufficient to deter people along those lines and not to open up so that anyone of us, like me [Whittal] as a member of the commission or commissioner of CHRAJ with a mandate to promote human rights, if I decide to speak on behalf of minority and the vulnerable, then I’m opening myself to possible criminal prosecution, why will that be. We need to be careful as we consider the Bill.”