Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has publicly dissociated himself from a social media post that criticized Ghana’s Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025. He described the publication as fraudulent and asserted that his account had been compromised. The post, which gained significant traction on social media on Tuesday, purportedly showed Afenyo-Markin opposing the controversial legislation, commonly referred to as the anti-gay bill.
In the now-deleted post, the Minority Leader contended that laws should not penalize individuals based on their sexual orientation or personal relationships. The post stated, “A law that imprisons people for their sexual orientation or who they choose to love does not protect society. It simply selects a group of human beings and makes their existence a crime. That is a line no Parliament in the civilized world should cross.”
The remarks rapidly attracted attention and sparked online debate, with numerous users sharing screenshots of the statement amidst ongoing discussions regarding the bill’s passage by Parliament. However, shortly after the post was removed, a new message appeared on Afenyo-Markin’s Facebook page, disavowing the earlier publication. He wrote, “Kindly disregard this post. Account was compromised.”
Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, on May 29, following the consideration of several amendments. The legislation aims to criminalize LGBTQ-related activities in Ghana, although exceptions have been introduced for legal practitioners, journalists, media organizations, and medical professionals performing their professional duties.
The bill continues to elicit fervent public discourse, with proponents asserting that it safeguards Ghanaian cultural and family values, while detractors argue that it could violate fundamental human rights and freedoms.
Source: Citi Newsroom
