29th November 2023 4:30:00 AM
2 mins readThe Deputy Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Efutu, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has expressed his support for Cardinal Peter Turkson's statement, asserting that criminalizing LGBTQI activities in Ghana is inappropriate.
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While acknowledging his personal disapproval of LGBTQI activities as a Catholic, Afenyo-Markin aligns with the church's stance that individuals should not face imprisonment based on their engagement in such activities. In an interview with TV3 on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, the MP emphasized that Cardinal Turkson's remarks on the BBC's HARDtalk program were justified.
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He reiterated the Catholic Church's position, stating, “Personally, I don’t think that somebody claiming to be a lesbian or gay should go to jail by virtue of that. That is the opinion of the Catholic Church, I’m a Catholic, second deputy speaker here is also a catholic, we are Catholics.
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“And the law is very clear and I don’t think that I should hold a contrary view to what the church has said. The Church says that by the culture of Africans, we are against (LGBTQI activities),” he said.
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“Personally, I don’t think that somebody claiming to be a lesbian or gay should go to jail by virtue of that,” he reiterated.
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Mr Afenyo-Markin emphasized that the law should align with the church's perspective, which opposes LGBTQI activities based on African culture. He highlighted that holding a contrary view would be in opposition to the church's stance.
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Background:
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Cardinal Turkson, in his BBC interview, reiterated his longstanding position that homosexuality is not a crime and should not be criminalized as proposed in Ghana's anti-LGBTQI bill.
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He emphasized that for an act to be criminalized, it must involve an offense against someone, and since being LGBTQI does not constitute a crime, individuals should not be criminalized.
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The cardinal stressed the need for education to help people understand the reality of LGBTQI issues and differentiate between what constitutes a crime and what does not.
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While people have focused on this aspect of his interview, Cardinal Turkson also addressed the Catholic Church's perspective on same-sex relationships, labeling them "objectively sinful" and emphasized the church's non-recognition of same-sex marriage.
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Additionally, he pointed out that Western pressure linking acceptance of LGBTQI activities to aid and trade agreements prompted Ghana's consideration of legislation against such activities in Parliament.
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