So, now tattoos “can turn you gay”?

A Ghanaian religious leader has warned that getting tattoos will result in young people becoming gay or lesbian.

Described as a “spiritualist”, Mallam Yaa Wadudu from the coastal town of Apam, told local media that the practice is “the cause” of homosexuality.

“Some people are tattooing themselves with all kinds of symbols without knowing the meaning of those symbols they put on their bodies,” he said.

In addition to homosexuality, the symbols could also lead to prostitution, alcoholism and stealing, claimed Wadudu.

He explained further that tattoos were new to the country and were an example of the negative influence of foreign cultures and the decline of the nation’s customs and traditions.

“Those who put the symbols on their bodies have to be delivered from the influence of the spirits in the symbols”, Wadudu insisted.

Ironically, he cited the Bible in its outlawing of tattoos.

Gay sex is illegal in Ghana and carries a sentence of three years in prison. The country has been plagued by a series of mob attacks against LGBT people over the past year.