A Professor of Journalism and Mass Communication, Kwame Karikari, has disclosed that he together with a few of his colleagues who are fighting for the rights of homosexuals to be respected in Ghana will hold a public forum to debate the subject.
He explained that the current anti-gay bill which is being promoted by Ningo Prampram lawmaker,;Samuel Nartey George, and some of his colleague legislators,;is dangerous because it seeks to promote hate for homosexuals in the country.
He intimated that any law that seeks to create problems for LGBTQ should be rejected adding that gays and lesbians are human beings and deserve to be respected and protected as any other person.
“We will hold a debate on this subject. Hopefully,;the media may also want to pick up the debate,;debate them so that the public will instantly get to know the views that we hold and the views that the proponents of what we consider to be a dangerous bill,;also hold. We think we live in a democracy and we must be grateful to God that we live in a democracy so that whatever Parliament,;the executive or any branch of government does,;it will be openly discussed and people can therefore take their decisions and then;the lawmakers and the executives can also take some wisdom from the public debate.
“We know that most societies have prejudice against homosexuality,;lesbianism and these other social practices. But we are not at all surprised that the overwhelming majority have prejudiced or even hate these small minority of people in society. We have no problem with that.”
Professor Karikari
LGBTQ Bill setting minority up
Professor Karikari averred that the law which is being pushed to be passed is setting the minority [LGBTQ] up but the nation’s democracy frowns on discrimination. He added that LGBTQs are protected by the constitution, so any law that is made to arouse, promote engineer and mobilize hate against that minority is against the rights of those minority people and should not be passed
“Our constitution does not discriminate about humans beings unless the proponents of this bill,;unless the 95 per cent say they don’t like homosexuality. We want them to say that homosexuals,;lesbians are not human beings. Are they human beings or are they not human beings?”
Professor Karikari
Professor Karikari, a hypocrite
Responding to Professor Karikari, Ningo Prampram Lawmaker, Samuel Nartey George, described him as a hypocrite following his submission on the anti-gay bill that is currently before Parliament. Sam George said Professor Karikari’s submission was very hypocritical as well.
“He has made so many sweeping comments;and I expected that he would have been held to strict proof. His argument is hollow and if I was marking this as a script he will score an F. This is someone who says the constitution protects people. We read to him a section of the bill which provides protection for persons who identify as LGBTQ from extra judicial treatment and he tells you it is a hoax.
“This is the same person asking us to provide proof of the health challenges,;the public risk that the LGBTQ community proposes;and he is telling you that our bill is a hoax without any proof.”
Professor Karikari
