Ghana: SA Queer Couple’s Photos Used to Push Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill

A political firestorm is growing in Ghana over a photoshoot by a South African gay couple, escalating into parliamentary debates and renewed calls for the passage of the country’s controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill.

The couple, known as Lue and Rue, collaborated with South African LGBTQ+ rights organisation Triangle Project on the #ShowGhanaLove social media campaign. The initiative featured images of the pair showing affection at symbolic Ghanaian landmarks such as Black Star Square (also known as Independence Square) in Accra.

The defiant campaign aimed to draw attention to Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ bill — formally titled the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill — which was recently reintroduced in Parliament.

The images quickly went viral and ignited outrage among queerphobic Ghanaians, including Member of Parliament Sam George, a leading advocate of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill. He condemned the photoshoot as a “disrespect of our national symbols” and called for the couple’s arrest.

MPs Leverage Outrage to Push Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill

The uproar has since spurred further political momentum in support of the bill. MP John Ntim Fordjour accused the couple of “desecrat[ing] our national monuments” and of defying “the dignity and sanctity of our rich Ghanaian values right before our eyes.”

“We shall end this absurdity with the bill,” he declared on social media, adding: “The President, Minister for Tourism, Diaspora Affairs Directorate at Jubilee House, [and] National Security cannot be absolved from this disgraceful act of impunity.”

The matter even reached Parliament, where MPs expressed frustration that “nothing had been done” in response to “two men kissing at Independence Square,” and called for debate on the bill to be brought forward. One outraged MP asked: “Are you in support of LGBT? Is it the case that the government is now supporting LGBT?”

Letter Demands Urgent Action

In an official letter to President John Mahama, MP Vincent Ekow Assafuah described the photos as “a moral affront and a spiritual insult to the conscience of our nation,” and claimed they had “defiled” Independence Square.

He urged the President to ensure that the anti-LGBTQ+ bill is urgently passed and signed into law.

“Condemn what has happened. Speak to the nation. Reaffirm your commitment to upholding our values. And more importantly, take swift legislative action to ensure this never happens again,” wrote Assafuah.

The bill seeks to criminalise identifying as LGBTQ+ or as an ally and proposes severe penalties, including up to five years in prison for same-sex intimacy and up to ten years for advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.

MambaOnline has contacted Lue and Rue, who have since returned to South Africa, via email and social media platforms for comment. As of publication, no response has been received.