Ghana’s AIDS Commission has been forced to defend its work after an anti-LGBTQ+ MP claimed that its distribution of condoms and lubricant promotes homosexuality.
Speaking in Parliament during a hearing on the country’s pending anti-LGBTQ+ bill, MP Sam George criticised international funders such as The Global Fund, which supports the Ghana AIDS Commission’s HIV response.
“Meanwhile, we have evidence of Ghana AIDS commission officers meeting with pro-LGBT groups and giving them lubricant. So if the Ghana Aids Commission is supposed to fight HIV, then why are you giving lubricants for men to have anal sex with men?” George asked Parliament’s Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee.
“And the excuse that they give… is that these are already people who have HIV, and so they want them to not spread it. That is in itself an activity that continues to perpetuate anal sex between men. So please, we will not open the window for anybody to bring any money for public health or anything. If they really want to fund public health, they should go give maternal beds for women who do not have beds for delivery, not for anything related to this one.”
George is a vocal opponent of LGBTQ+ rights and one of the sponsors of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill. His position reflects a regressive, anti-science approach that prioritises abstinence and criminalisation over proven public health HIV prevention strategies.
Commission Defends Evidence-Based Approach
In response, the Ghana AIDS Commission issued a statement defending its work and emphasising that condoms and lubricants are essential, low-cost tools for reducing the risk of HIV transmission.
“Condoms and lubricants are part of the national and global HIV prevention strategy,” said the commission. “They are used by all categories of people, including sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM) and other vulnerable communities and the general population.”
The commission rejected claims that these resources are distributed only to specific groups.
“It is not true that the Commission supplies condoms and lubricants to only members of key and vulnerable population,” it said, explaining that they are made available across all segments of society.
“By providing condoms and lubricants to men who have sex with men (MSM) and other vulnerable communities, the Commission is protecting the nation’s healthcare system. This is a global standard public health strategy known as ‘Harm Reduction’.”
It added that, “Providing access to prevention tools is not about promoting behaviour” and called on the public “to support evidence-based HIV prevention efforts and engage in informed, proactive conversations that reduce stigma and misinformation.”
Draconian Bill Raises Human Rights Concerns
If signed into law, the proposed Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill would criminalise identifying as LGBTQ+ or as an ally. It would also target same-sex intimacy and gender-affirming medical services, with penalties of up to three years in prison and fines.
The dissemination or publication of materials that advocate for the equality or affirmation of LGBTQ+ people would carry prison sentences of between five and ten years. The bill would also disband organisations that support LGBTQ+ rights and ban adoption by LGBTQ+ individuals.
The legislation has drawn widespread criticism from human rights groups, who warn that it could undermine public health efforts and further marginalise vulnerable communities.
