Member of Parliament for Assin South, John Ntim Fordjour, has criticised the newly passed Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill 2025, popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ bill, arguing that the legislation has been weakened by exemptions that make it virtually ineffective.
The revised legislation includes exemptions for lawyers providing legal representation to persons identified as LGBT, journalists and media organisations reporting on LGBTQ-related issues, as well as health professionals offering medical, psychological, or counselling services.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Friday, May 29, the lawmaker said the amendments introduced into the bill defeat its intended purpose and render it largely symbolic.Breaking news alerts
“Clearly, if this government did not want to pass the bill, they should have stayed away from it. What we have is not any biting law; it is just for politics and optics,” he stated.
According to him, the exemptions granted under the legislation undermine efforts to address the promotion of homosexuality, which he described as the core concern of supporters of the bill.
“If they have exempted those who are legally involved and others connected to it, then who are they targeting? So long as Section 9 is concerned, which could deal with homosexuality promotion, the bill becomes counterproductive,” he argued.
His comments come after Parliament on Friday, May 29 passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill 2025, after extensive debate and consideration of proposed amendments.
The amendments drew strong opposition from the Minority Caucus, which argued that the changes suggest the earlier version of the bill submitted to former President Nana Akufo-Addo was flawed and not fit for purpose.
