GHANA LGBT GROUP URGES VICE PRESIDENT TO COME OUT
Dr Henry Nii Ojengba Coleman, National Co-ordinator for The Ghana Gay and Lesbian Forum, said that Amissah-Arthur “must not be ashamed of being gay”.
Coleman commented in a statement released last Friday that he is “really excited that for the first time in the history of our country, the ruling NDC [party] has broken the yoke of oppression and has transformed the political landscape by selecting a gay man to be the Vice President of Ghana”.
He went on to say that “we are beyond ourselves with joy, excitement and we are proud to celebrate Africa’s first gay Vice President and potentially future first gay President, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur.”
The group condemned media attacks against Amissah-Arthur, who is married to a woman with two children, following reports that he had a gay affair with an old schoolmate.
The Vice President has, however, insisted that the claims are false. “It is not true, it is absolutely not true. I have not seen this gentleman for 40 something years. I saw him once just for about two minutes. He came to my house to ask for money and I gave him a little money and I have not seen him again.
“It absolutely cannot be true of the claims that are being made,” Amissah-Arthur, formerly Governor of the Bank of Ghana, stated in Parliament in August.
The Ghana Gay and Lesbian Forum, which claims to have 5,000 members, is not convinced and urged him to speak out against the injustices perpetrated against LGBT people and to tell “Ghanaians there is no shame in loving another man as he has done before”.
Coleman added: “His silence is a worry to us as he has attended previous meetings we have held twice when he was governor of Bank of Ghana and at these meetings he always promised to protect our interests. We hope as Vice President he will speak up for us.”
Under Ghanaian criminal law, consensual same-sex sexual activity among males is illegal with penalties including imprisonment for three years.
Why are they forcing hi to come out, it’s his right to stay in closet and come out when he feels it is right. this is the same treatment gays receive when they are oppressed to stay in the closet (why force someone to come out, he has a family). If he doesn’t wanna come out, it is his right. Some people are comfortable bn in the closet, so let him be, if you have the strength to come out, doesn’t mean others are. What proof do they have that he’s gay? This is sick because we always fight for our rights as gays yet we don’t respect the rights of those who want to stay in the closet. As much as you have the right to be gay, he also have the right to stay in the closet and come out when HE feels it is right for him, not for the gay community.
I’m very disappointed with the behaviour of these activists. How can they be so cruel and selfish as to force this man out of the closet? This is a married man with a career that could be destroyed because of them.
We should be very careful when outing people. If they are gay bashing then they are fair game. If they have not come out because of them not being comfortable it is irresponsible to out them.