The heart felt personal tale of discrimination against gays and lesbians in Ghana rings true for many. The late President Atta Mills refused to accept that such discrimination exists throughout Ghanaian society despite the overwhelming anecdotal evidence to the contrary. Perhaps the December 2012 elections will usher in a more realistic view of the deplorable state of human rights violations against the LGBT community. In August 2012, the writer is aware of 6 arrests of gay men in the privacy of the own bedrooms, charged with ****** and facing huge 'fines' to the police or the prospect of 3 years in prison if they do not pay up. In one case, the couple had just undressed when the police came bursting in the room, taking photos of them naked and not interested in the fact that no sex and therefore no crime had occurred. These cases show the police have the resources to spend on victimless crimes where there is a 'booty' to extort from poor families or wealthier foreigners. The religious and political leaders seem to have no concern at the corruption and extortion that is carried out in the name of morality.

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I have a lot of problems with this article.

There is a problem amongst people who feel they are oppressed. They start to believe that everything bad that happens to them is because of the thing that makes them different. A Ghanaian friend in London who had trouble with his work said it was because he was black. His ex-boss, another Ghanaian, says it’s because he was unable to recognise his mistakes.

Are things really this bad in Ghana? Take Henri's Place. Everyone in the area, even the taxi drivers, knew what went on there. It wasn’t burn downt, raided by police and there were no systematic attacks on its customers. It would be the case if this were Jamaica.

The author claims that most of the gay men in Ghana don’t have good jobs. Do all the young straight guys do have good jobs? Do the gays not have jobs because they are gay or because there are no jobs?

The author says that most people think gays are promiscuous but then says that gays turn to prostitution! Is this true? Why would gays do this? Do non-gay people become prostitutes when they can’t find work? Is there something genetic in gays that makes them turn to prostitution? If it is true, then gays have a problem.

And the comment about the man saying the author had no right to speak to his wife as he was homosexual. In Ghana, getting married, then having children is a sign of growing up, becoming mature and showing responsibility. If you have not done this, people question your ability to criticise in these area. How can you tell someone how to raise their children when you do not have any of your own? Is it because the author was homosexual or because he was not seen to be an mature?

I get the impression this article was written for a foreign audience but would be interested to hear if Ghanaians believe this it speaks for them.

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