Queer Activism in Ghana: An Ongoing Struggle : Part II
Anima Adjepong and Shakia Asamoah
History of queer and trans* organizing in Ghana
It is difficult to construct a comprehensive history of queer activism. This difficulty arises because activists have organized in silence to avoid censure and heightened violence. However, recent events including the increased visibility of queer people and changing material conditions have made it much easier to take account of contemporary queer organizing in the country. It is important to note that LGBTQI (or in its earliest formations, “the homosexual”) as an identity category is relatively new. This newness is not to say that same-sex sexuality or gender expansiveness are new, but rather to call attention to how recent the formation of an identity around sexuality and sex acts is. In many parts of the world, same-sex eroticism and gender expansiveness while potentially falling outside of certain social norms, were not met with the levels of violence, derision, and social exclusion that we find in predominantly Christian colonial contexts. Given the recent developments around sexual identity and the subsequent push for rights (a shorthand for the acknowledgment of the humanity of affected populations), it makes sense that queer organizing, writ large, also has a relatively short history in Ghana.
Although queer people have always been part of Ghanaian society, it was not until 2006 that a major media and political campaign against an alleged gay and lesbian conference launched. Following an interview with Prince Kweku McDonald (a pseudonym), director of an organization identified as the Gay and Lesbian Association of Ghana (GALAG), news media spread rumors about a so-called gay conference to be hosted in the country. Picking up on the media storm, the then minister of information Kwamena Bartels launched a government campaign against lesbian and gay people and the alleged conference. Despite Ghanaian films and novellas providing moral education against queer sexuality, and religious condemnation from the church, most accusations were found in gossip and entertainment columns. These did not have the same effect on communities as a government-led attack. With the rumors about the conference, the discourse reached a fever pitch. Since that time, religious, media and political attacks against queer Ghanaians have amplified, causing increasing stress, marginalization, and violence against those accused of being LGBTQI.
Prior to 2006 and the debacle around GALAG’s alleged conference, the Centre for Popular Education and Human Rights, Ghana (CEPEHRG) was the foremost community service organization (CSO) doing work with and for queer Ghanaians. Although CEPEHRG was founded in 1998, founder MacDarling Cobbinah disclosed that the center was “denied registration several times because we called ourselves an LGBT organization.” It was not until they changed names, that the center was legally recognized by the state. Over 20 years later, the newly formed LGBT+ Rights Ghana faces similar barriers to government registration.
Since the formation of CEPEHRG, other CSOs have popped up, primarily organizing under the guise of providing sex education to mitigate the transmission of HIV amongst men who have sex with men (or MSM as funders call them). The over focus on HIV prevention amongst MSM is reflective of a funding landscape that prioritizes health outcomes and other quantifiable outcomes over and above the social, cultural, and psychological needs of queer people. All the same, groups did the best with the resources they received from external funding sources including foreign embassies, United Nations entities, Amnesty International, and other human rights outlets. CSOs active in the organizing landscape include POS Foundation (est. 2005), Solace Initiative (previously Solace Brothers Foundation, est. 2012), and LGBT Rights, Ghana (est. 2018). Since 2016, the Alliance for Equality and Diversity (AfEd) has organized several independent CSOs, including Hope Alliance Foundation (est. 2012), Courageous Sisters (est. 2015), and Alliance for Dynamics Initiative (est. 2017). AfEd deploys a membership model to coordinate organizing efforts against legal discrimination, police violence, access to healthcare, community building, amongst other things. The vague names under which LGBTQI CSOs organize is reflective of the constrained landscape on which they engage their work for liberation.
In addition to existing community focused organizations such as the above, a number of allied groups are also working to empower queer Ghanaian communities and create a cultural shift in the country. They accomplish this goal through strategies that include mobilization, educational programs, leadership development, social events, and art activism. Amongst these allied groups are feminist collectives, Drama Queens, Adventures, Young Feminist Collective, and Silent Majority, Ghana. The newest of these, Silent Majority, Ghana came together during the February 2021 state-, media-, and religion- sponsored campaign against the LGBTQI community. The group initially had a simple mandate to articulate solidarity for the community by raising a collective voice of support. However, over time, the transnational collective recognized the power they held to challenge the violence of the government, religious institutions and the church. Existing CSOs and allied groups compise a network of activists organizations working in their various capacities towards the goal of queer liberation in Ghana. While some of these groups have been in existence for several years, their work during the most recent wave of anti-queer state, religious, and media violence has placed Ghana on the international stage. Through this activist work, they have strengthened calls for the Ghanaian government to respect the rights of queer Ghanaians and protect them from all forms of violence and discrimination. The network of queer activist organizations in Ghana faces meaningful challenges to their work.
