Seventy-six countries still consider being gay a crime. Now, in Ghana, people found "guilty" of homosexuality may also face jail time, Foreign Policy reports. "All efforts are being made to get rid of these people in the society," said Paul Evans Aidoo, an MP from the western region. Ghana's Bureau of National Investigations has been directed to track down and arrest anyone suspected of being gay.
In a recent op-ed for the Ghana Broadcasting Co., the Rev. Stephen Wengam stated, "If homosexuality is tolerated, very soon the human race will be extinct."
Aidoo has asked landlords to keep an eye out for "people they suspect of being homosexuals" and to inform the police of any suspicious activity. And one member of parliament, David Tetteh Assuming, recently hinted that more permanent punishments will be instituted for those found guilty of homosexuality, saying, "I believe that they are treading on dangerous grounds and they could face lynching in future."
Ghana won't be alone on the African continent when it comes to criminalizing homosexuality (not to mention wasting time and energy that could be used to address countless other pressing issues). In Nigeria, for example, those convicted face death by stoning.
Read more at Foreign Policy.
In other news: Race and the Debt-Ceiling Debate.
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