Anti-LGBTQ Bill gives ‘immunity’ to international organisations

NPP communicator Kwasi Kwarteng has questioned the rationale behind the newly passed Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, arguing that the legislation may be addressing the wrong problem despite its overwhelming support in Parliament.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Tuesday, June 2, Kwarteng contended that the law, popularly known as the anti-LGBTQ bill, largely focuses on advocacy-related issues rather than dealing with any clearly defined legal gap.

According to him, a careful reading of the legislation raises concerns about its necessity and effectiveness. He argued that the law grants what he described as a form of immunity to international organisations, allowing them to engage in advocacy activities without facing sanctions under the proposed legal regime.

Against this backdrop, Kwarteng questioned the specific problem the legislation seeks to solve. He maintained that lawmakers and political actors must be candid about the bill’s purpose and assess whether it is truly needed before celebrating its political appeal.

“I insist that if you go through the law, it literally addresses nothing because, as I indicated, Section 104 caters for the act itself. The rest of this whole LGBTQ issue has more to do with advocacy. But when you look at this bill, it gives so-called immunity to international organisations. They can advocate, they can do anything, and nothing will happen to them, right?

“We may just be having a misplaced law,” Kwarteng stated, urging stakeholders to critically examine the legislation beyond its political value.

His comments come days after Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, with a number of amendments that exempt certain individuals and institutions from punishment under the law.

Under the revised provisions, lawyers who provide legal representation or advice to persons identified as LGBTQ will not face sanctions. Journalists and media organisations reporting on LGBTQ-related issues in the course of their professional duties have also been exempted.

Additionally, healthcare professionals, including medical practitioners, psychologists and counsellors who provide services to LGBTQ persons, will not be penalised under the legislation.

The amendments, however, drew strong opposition from the Minority Caucus, which argued that the exemptions expose flaws in the original bill that was passed by by the Eight Parliament but never submitted to former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for assent.

Despite the objections, Parliament approved the bill, paving the way for the next stages of the legislative process.