Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has halted the progress of the anti-LGBTQ bill by presenting compelling arguments aimed at blocking its third reading in Parliament.Expressing his stance on Thursday, February 15, 2024, Afenyo-Markin asserted that imprisoning individuals based on their sexual preferences would not align with the Ghanaian values that the bill aims to safeguard.

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Consequently, his intervention prevented the bill from being passed.Earlier on the same day, Sam George, a proponent of the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, commonly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, had expressed optimism about the bill's passage into law by the day's end.

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However, the Effutu MP articulated in Parliament that while he does not outrightly oppose the principles of the bill, he strongly objects to the provision that mandates imprisonment for individuals accused of engaging in or promoting LGBTQ activities.Afenyo-Markin argued that imprisoning individuals based on their sexual orientation contradicts the objective of upholding Ghanaian family values and ensuring proper human sexual rights.

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He emphasized that addressing behavioral issues related to LGBTQ matters requires alternative solutions to incarceration, as he believes imprisonment exacerbates the problem rather than resolving it."To jail a person for his/her sexuality will not be the solution in maintaining our Ghanaian family values and ensuring proper human sexual rights," he stated.

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He proposed a thorough consideration of amendments, suggesting the substitution of community service for incarceration.In his view, punitive measures included in the bill would not contribute to the rehabilitation of offenders. Despite this, Sam George, the bill's sponsor, rebuts Afenyo-Markin's argument, contending that it lacks validity.

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