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Introduction
The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, passed by parliament on May 25, 2026, is a legislative proposal designed to enforce traditional Ghanaian sociocultural values regarding human sexuality and family structures. The bill emerged from a renewed national debate following the 2021 opening of an LGBTTQAP+ advocacy centre in Accra, which was met with widespread criticism from political, religious, and traditional leaders who viewed such activities as alien to Ghanaian culture.
The bill aims to protect the concept of the family as the basic unit of Ghanaian society, which it defines as being initiated by marriage between a man and a woman. It explicitly rejects “LGBTTQAP+” activities encompassing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, ally, and pansexual identities as contrary to the binary male/female categories determined at birth. While the Bill references the existing Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), which mentions terms of up to 25 years for “unnatural carnal knowledge” without consent, the specific new offences introduced by the 2025 Bill peak at the 10-year limit for advocacy and propaganda.
The legislation justifies its restrictions by asserting that sovereign states have the right to enact laws that protect their sociocultural identity, even if those laws conflict with globalised cultures or certain interpretations of international human rights. The bill can be accessed here.
Key prohibitions and penalties
The bill criminalises a wide range of activities related to “LGBTTQAP+” sexualities and gender identities.
Key among them are:
Prohibited Sexual Acts: Engaging in sexual intercourse with a person of the same sex or an animal is prohibited. These acts carry a prison sentence of two months to three years, or a fine. (Page 5 provides further details.)
Marriage and civil unions: The bill declares any marriage entered into by persons of the same sex, or those who have undergone gender reassignment, as void and unenforceable in Ghana. Purporting to marry a person of the same sex is a criminal offence punishable by one to three years in prison. (Page 8 provides further details.)
Propaganda and advocacy: Producing, distributing, or promoting materials that advocate for LGBTTQAP+ activities is strictly forbidden. Conviction for advocacy carries the bill’s harshest penalties. Persons found culpable could face a sentence of 5 to 10 years’ imprisonment. This extends to using electronic devices or social media platforms for such promotion. (page 10 provides further details.)
Funding and organising: It is illegal to fund or sponsor prohibited acts. Furthermore, any group or association whose purpose is to promote LGBTTQAP+ activities is to be disbanded, and those involved in forming or operating such groups face three to five years in prison. (Page 12 provides further details.)
- Child protection and family values
The bill introduces specific restrictions intended to protect children from what it deems “unacceptable foreign influence.”
Adoption and fosterage: Courts and the Department of Social Welfare are prohibited from granting adoption or fosterage orders to any person who identifies as LGBTTQAP+. (Page 13 provides further details.)
Educational content: The bill prohibits teaching children to explore any gender or sex category other than the binary male or female determined at birth. (Page 10 provides further details.)
Advocacy directed at children: If propaganda is specifically intended to evoke interest in a child or teaches a child to explore gender categories other than their sex determined at birth, the penalty increases to six to ten years of imprisonment.
- Duty to report and extra-judicial treatment
A notable feature of the bill is the duty to report. Any person with knowledge that an offence under the Act has been committed is required to report it to the police or a “relevant authority” (such as a traditional ruler or religious leader) within three days.
Simultaneously, the bill attempts to prevent “mob justice.” It explicitly prohibits the verbal or physical abuse, assault, or harassment of persons accused of offences under the Act. Violating this provision can result in a sentence of three months to three years of imprisonment. (Page 14 provides further details.)
- Coercion and facilitation
These penalties address those who force others into prohibited acts or provide the physical infrastructure for them.
Procuration: Using threats, fraud, or “corrupt means” to procure someone to engage in a prohibited sexual activity is punishable by a fine (25 to 500 penalty units), a prison term of three months to three years, or both.
Detention with intent: Detaining another person with the intent to force them into a prohibited sexual act carries a sentence of three months to three years.
Keeping a brothel: Owning, managing, or assisting in the control of a property (including “movable assets” like vehicles) used for prohibited sexual activities is punishable by three to six years in prison. (Page 7 provides further details.)
Conclusion
The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, represents a legislative attempt to codify traditional Ghanaian sociocultural and religious values into national law. By establishing the family defined strictly as a union between a man and a woman as the fundamental unit of society, the Bill seeks to insulate Ghanaian culture from what it characterises as “unacceptable foreign influence” and globalised sexual ideologies.
