By: Seli Baisie
The US Vice-President Kamala Harris has said a great deal of work in her career has been to address human rights issues and equality issues across board, including the LGBTQ community.
LGBTQ+ rights were one of the key issues discussed in the meeting between U.S. Vice President, Kamala Harris and Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo during her visit to Ghana.
At a joint Press Conference at the Jubilee House in Accra today 27th March 2023, Harris was asked whether she would be promoting LGBT rights, including in Ghana where a bill that would severely restrict those rights is going through parliament.
U.S, Ghana react to stance on LGBT rights pic.twitter.com/PDPfRMMDLD
— Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (@thegbcghana) March 27, 2023
“Let me clear from where we stand, Harris said, a great deal of work in her career has been to address human rights issues and equality issues across the board including LGBTQ community.”
She emphasized, “I feel very strongly about the importance of supporting the freedom and supporting and fighting for equality among all people and that all people be treated equally. I will also say that this is an issue that we can consider and I consider it to be a human rights issue and that will not change”
Akufo-Addo has also responded to a question about the bill from a US reporter saying that ‘substantial elements’ of the controversial Anti-LGBTQ bill have been modified.
“At the end of the process, I will come in. But in the meantime, Parliament is dealing with it [LGBTQ+ Bill]. And I have no doubt that Parliament will show, as it has done in the past, its sensitivity to human rights issues as well as to the feelings of our population and will come out with a responsible response to the proposal”, Akufo-Addo said.