Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill: Lets not jail people because of their choices – Presidential Candidate

The Presidential Candidate for the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) in the 2020 general elections, Brigitte Dzogbenuku, says she is against laws being passed against people who practice homosexuality.

According to her, people who engage in LGBTQ practices do so despite facing hate and discrimination because they perceive love in a different way from others.

After nearly three years of deliberation, Parliament finally passed the highly contentious Anti-LGBTQ+ bill.

The bill, introduced in the House years ago, was unanimously approved on Wednesday, February 28, following the completion of the third reading.

The bill was then slated to be forwarded to President Akufo-Addo for his assent.

But speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, Mrs. Dzogbenuku argued that it is not right to pass laws that restrict people from living their lives as they choose.

“So, this is not when we should be thinking about jailing them for their choices; this is when we should be thinking about how we remedy that.

“There are so many circumstances under which people become or choose to be LGBTQ, but ultimately each of them is doing it because of something they want, which will make them feel loved, have affection, or be accepted, and for some of these people, that is the only time they have felt accepted.

“So let us not jump to the symptoms of it. Let us look at the causes”, she stressed.

Mrs. Dzogbenuku said people must also learn to understand what drives others to engage in LGBTQ relationships.

She explained that each person’s experience is different, and there are many reasons why someone might make that choice to engage in LGBTQ activities.

The former presidential candidate emphasized that it is wrong to describe people as abnormal just because they are part of the LGBTQ community.

“You make the choice of who you want to date or marry based on different things; what you would choose is not what I would choose, and if we actually take time to understand them and see why they made this choice and address those issues informing their choices, maybe we could be a bit more compassionate and sympathetic.”