Temple University Center for Anti-Racism to Host Ghanaian President Poised to sign Horrific New ANTI-LGBTQI+ Law

The visit of Ghana’s president, John Dramani Mahama, to Philadelphia for a diaspora “community dialogue” hosted by Temple University Center for Anti-Racism alongside the Ghana Chamber of Commerce arrives under a cloud that cannot be ignored. That Lincoln University withdrew its planned honorary doctorate underscores the gravity of the moment and that perhaps some institutions are beginning to reconcile the values they espouse with the realities unfolding in Ghana. Dialogue, if it is to be meaningful, cannot sanitize or sidestep the lived experiences of those harmed by state-backed persecution. It is incumbent on the Center for Anti-racism to not ignore the LGBTQI+ among them.

Ghana’s current legal framework already criminalizes LGBTQI+ people in ways that foster violence, extortion, and systemic exclusion. Across the country, individuals perceived to be LGBTQI+ face arbitrary arrest, family expulsion, public shaming, sexual assault, and beatings, often with little to no protection from authorities. The now-infamous 2024 anti-LGBTQ+ bill, though it lapsed procedurally under thr prior administration, has been reintroduced and is currently weaving through the parliamentary committee phase, emboldened by campaign promises from President Mahama, to sign it into law. If enacted, the legislation would dramatically expand criminal liability to include identity, allyship, and advocacy for rights, effectively criminalizing existence, speech, and solidarity itself. The result would be to enhance the existing legal architecture of fear, one that further formalizes and intensifies abuses already driving Ghanaians to flee.

In response to a formal call for submissions by Ghana's committee, the African Human Rights Coalition (AHRC) has submitted a memorandum to the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs of Ghana’s Parliament, grounding its analysis in the testimonies of hundreds of Ghanaian asylum seekers who have fled persecution under the current climate in their home country. Their accounts are consistent with devastating violent persecution, often compounded by police indifference or complicity. The law about to be passed with a 98% support rate, will weaponize this violence even further. Melanie Nathan, Executive Director of Africa Human Rights Coalition, and Country Conditions expert for LGBTQI+ Ghanaians seeking asylum in the USA and globally, notes:

" As this dialogue is about to be hosted in Philadelphia, the question is not whether engagement should occur, but whether it will confront these truths with honesty and urgency: that Ghana's current law has led to state sponsored violence against LGBTQI+ people, with the newly introduced law poised to make matters even worse. While some believe President Mahama should be cancelled, others believe he and the Diaspora community should celebrate Ghanaian culture with full inclusion in the dialogue about to take place. However the irony of the event sponsorship cannot go unnoticed  - Temple University Center for Anti-Racism- is faced with a reckoning that cannot be ignored and must take responsibility:  If we are to welcome Ghana’s president to Philadelphia, we must also center the voices of those who have been silenced at home. The reality is that LGBTQI+ Ghanaians are already fleeing seeking protection and asylum in the USA and elsewhere; and the proposed new law will only deepen that crisis. Dialogue without accountability risks becoming complicity.

We urge all institutions involved to stand firmly on the side of human dignity and to recognize that laws which criminalize identity and advocacy are incompatible with the principles of freedom, equity and justice." AT this time, despite having made many calls and sent out numerous emails, we are not sure if Temple Center for Anti-racism has followed the example of Lincoln University and are not sure if this event is still taking place and included the President. African Human Rights Coalition reached out to Timothy Welbeck who according to the Temple website leads the Center for Anti-racism, and to Temple's communications leadership and staff, and to Ghana's Chamber of Commerce - all for comment, but we have received no response at time of publication, having set a deadline for 1.00 PM today.