Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has issued a strong assurance that President John Dramani Mahama is ready to assent to the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill—commonly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill—the moment Parliament passes it.
Addressing concerns raised by the Minority Caucus on the floor of Parliament on Friday, February 6, 2026, Ayariga dismissed claims that the government is intentionally delaying the controversial legislation. He clarified that the President remains fully committed to signing the bill into law.
The Majority Leader revealed that the government had initially offered to adopt the legislation as a government-sponsored bill.
However, the original sponsors have opted to maintain its status as a Private Members’ Bill.
He noted that because the sponsors rejected the government’s request to take ownership of the bill, the executive branch has stepped back to allow the parliamentary process to take its course.
He further emphasised that the Majority Caucus has no objections to the bill or its specific contents.
The Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has expressed grave concerns regarding the Majority Leader’s apparent disinterest in matters pertaining to LGBTQ, specifically the omission of the issue from the Business Statement despite its referral to the Education Committee for investigation.
According to Assafuah, it is concerning that the Majority Leader now asserts that LGBTQ is not a government priority, a stance that raises crucial questions about the government’s willingness to revisit the bill and suggests a pattern where the Office of the Speaker appears to be dismissive of motions aimed at fostering meaningful parliamentary discussion on the matter.
But Mahama Ayariga has assured that President Mahama will sign the bill when it is passed by Parliament.
“I think the ‘Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill’ is a Private Members’ Bill. I think when a member introduces a private members’ bill, the duty is for you to engage with the Office of the Speaker and, if there are issues, iron out those issues. The Bill was passed. What was outstanding was for the former President to sign, and the former President [did not] sign. It came back and government says that we are willing to take it and own it as a government bill. But again, that was rejected. The Private Members want to own it.”
He added “President Mahama has indicated that he is waiting 24/7; if the bill is ready, he will sign it.”
Background
Parliament passed the bill in February 2024, but former President Nana Akufo-Addo refused to sign it, citing pending Supreme Court challenges concerning its constitutionality and fiscal implications.
The Ministry of Finance cautioned that the bill’s enactment would jeopardise billions in World Bank funding.
After the 2024 elections, the bill was reintroduced in March 2025.
President John Mahama has expressed support for the bill’s objectives, despite ongoing legal debates regarding alleged human rights violations.
The bill proposes penalties for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies, including 3-5 years in prison for identifying as LGBTQ+, 5-10 years for promoting LGBTQ+ activities, and bans on public displays of affection, LGBTQ+ associations, gender-reassignment surgery, and teaching about more than two genders.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana