LGBTQ+ Ghanaians face eviction as tough bill nears vote

• Stringent legislation entering final stages before vote
• Bill could fuel evictions of LGBTQ+ tenants, activists say
• Rights groups warn of rising homelessness, poverty

LGBTQ+ people in Ghana are at increasing risk of eviction from their homes as lawmakers prepare to vote on an anti-LGBTQ+ bill that requires landlords to stop same-sex relations from taking place on their property, rights campaigners say.

Ghana already criminalises same-sex relations, but if the bill becomes law, possible jail terms would be lengthened and a slew of new offences introduced - including simply identifying as LGBTQ+ or of showing support for LGBTQ+ rights.

The bill, one of the harshest of its kind in Africa and favoured by most lawmakers, has raised concerns that members of the community in the West African nation could face further marginalisation as they are denied access to jobs, healthcare services and housing.

Even before a parliamentary vote on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights Bill, which is still being finalised, there has been an increase in reports of evictions targeting members of the LGBTQ+ community, said Richard Fischere Kwofie, executive director of Queer Ghana Education Fund, a non-profit.

"Before the introduction of the bill there were isolated cases, but now there is a tremendous increase ... Parents throwing children out of their house, landlords evicting tenants – it's already happening," Kwofie said by phone from Ghana, adding that he did not have data on eviction cases. 

The bill, which backers say aims to protect traditional family values and shield vulnerable groups from so-called LGBTQ+ propaganda, stipulates penalties of up to six years in jail for people who allow same-sex activity to take place at a property they own, occupy or manage, according to the latest available draft.

The clause refers to the operation of brothels, but activists fear it could be applied more widely or prompt fearful landlords, hotel owners and even family members to turn away people they know or suspect of being LGBTQ+. 

In a tight housing market with an estimated deficit of 1.8 million homes and frequent requests for rent to be paid more than a year in advance, activists say this puts LGBTQ+ people at further risk of homelessness.

"They will fall into the cracks of society, where they have nowhere to go, and will also be vulnerable to crime," said Robert Amoafo, advocacy manager of LGBTQ+ network Pan Africa ILGA. He also shared anecdotal evidence of an increase in evictions. 

'Duty to report'

LGBTQ+ Ghanaians living in compound housing - where multiple households in one complex share facilities - could be especially vulnerable to eviction, said Ohotuowo Ogbeche, a Nigeria-based researcher from U.S. rights group Outright International. 

That is because the latest version of the bill establishes a "duty to report" so-called LGBTQ+ activity to the police or community leaders, putting gay, bisexual or trans tenants at risk of being reported by neighbours, Ogbeche said. 

More than 20% of Ghana's population live in communal housing, according to the government's 2021 housing census.

Such rules echo harsh anti-LGBTQ+ legislation passed last year in Uganda. 

Under the law, knowingly housing a person who might engage in same-sex relations is punishable by up to 20 years in jail, which advocates say has already caused a wave of evictions.

Accessing healthcare could also become almost impossible for LGBTQ+ Ghanaians if the bill becomes law, heightening the stigma they face, campaigners said.

Medical professionals would be required to report LGBTQ+ patients, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) offering services such as HIV/AIDS treatment and mental health counselling would face prosecution.

Many people will likely be too afraid to seek medical care regardless of how stringently the legislation is followed, activists said. 

It could set back progress against HIV/AIDS in Ghana, where an estimated 350,000 people - or 1.7% of the adult population - live with the virus, according to UNAIDS. HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men was 4.9% in 2022. 

As backers finetune the bill for the vote in parliament, Kwofie said he feared the legislation would shatter patient confidentiality for LGBTQ+ people seeking treatment. 

No health facility "will be able to protect the identity of people it treats", he said.

This story is part of a series supported by HIVOS's Free To Be Me programme 

(Reporting by Lucy Middleton in London; Editing by Helen Popper and Sadiya Ansari.)