TEXAS Kadiri Moro stood alone amidst the busy streets of Accra on Thursday, wearing pink Speedos and a matching polo shirt. Accompanied by trumpet players and holding banners with bold messages like ‘Why should a society of evildoers judge others?’ and ‘Justice begins where inequality ends!’, he embarked on a one-man protest against a highly contentious bill targeting LGBTQ+ people and their supporters in Ghana.
Moro is an unusual figure in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in this West African nation. Heterosexual, married, a father of six, and a practicing Muslim, the schoolteacher has been tirelessly protesting against the bill, which criminalises members of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as anyone who supports or promotes their rights. The bill also threatens long prison sentences—over a decade in some cases—for public displays of affection or the funding of LGBTQ+ causes.
The bill, passed by Ghana’s parliament earlier this year, has been met with legal challenges in the Supreme Court and is yet to be signed into law by President Nana Akufo-Addo. While Akufo-Addo has not rejected the bill, he has cited the ongoing legal proceedings as the reason for his delay in endorsing it.
‘There are many issues regarding rights when it comes to this bill,’ Moro told the Associated Press (AP). ‘Homosexuality doesn’t affect anyone. There are worse activities in this country, like adultery. Parliament should be addressing more pressing issues like other crimes and pollution.’
The bill has drawn widespread criticism from human rights organisations and members of the international community, concerned about the growing number of similar initiatives across Africa. Despite the controversy, supporters of the bill claim it is designed to protect children and vulnerable individuals from abuse.
Currently, gay sex in Ghana is illegal and punishable by a three-year prison sentence, but the new bill would impose harsher penalties for broader activities, including public displays of affection and the promotion or funding of LGBTQ+ rights.
Moro’s stand has come at great personal cost. He lost his job and has faced hostility from his local Muslim community. Despite these challenges, he remains resolute in his fight for justice. ‘I know I’m doing something that God is asking me to do,’ he said.
To further highlight the bill’s contradictions, Moro submitted a petition to Parliament, urging the government to withdraw diplomatic missions from countries where homosexuality is legal. ‘If they find it so filthy,’ he reasoned, ‘they should have nothing to do with these countries.’
At Parliament House, Kate Addo, Parliament’s director of communications, received Moro’s petition on behalf of the speaker. Addo praised his initiative, stating, ‘We live in a democratic country where what people do in their bedrooms should not concern others. However, we are also bound by the law.’
Even though President Akufo-Addo has delayed signing the bill into law, activists say the mere debate has intensified violence against LGBTQ+ individuals. Joseph Kobla Wemakor, executive director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana, remarked that both physical and psychological abuse against LGBTQ+ people has ‘skyrocketed’ since the bill’s introduction. ‘As soon as people hear you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community, you become an enemy,’ he explained. ‘They want to hurt you, even lynch or kill you.’
Despite the rising hostility, Moro remains hopeful. ‘It takes one man to change the world,’ he said. ‘And if I’ve started this, others will follow, because this bill is a wrongdoing.’
His protests, though solitary, reflect a growing call for justice and equality in a country grappling with complex social issues.
