The Supreme Court of Ghana has dismissed a lawsuit to block parliament from passing the anti-Lesbian Gay Transgender (LGBT) Bill paving the way for its ratification.
The Ghanaian parliament has debated a bill since August 2021 that would criminalize same-sex relations, being transgender and advocating LGBTQ rights.
Most of the Members of parliament are in favour of the bill.
According to critics and campaigners, passing the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values bill would further restrict liberties in a nation where homosexual acts are already criminal by up to three years in prison.
On July 7, academic researcher Amanda Odoi filed a lawsuit contesting the bill's validity, claiming it will affect donor aid and other financial support.
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On Wednesday, Ghana's Supreme Court determined that her reasons weren't strong enough to support an injunction.
The decision made it possible for the measure, one of the most discriminatory towards the LGBTQ population in Africa, to pass the final parliamentary test before becoming law.
The measure in Ghana, which has the support of traditional and religious authorities, calls for up to 10 years in prison for those who support LGBTQ rights.
Publishing anything viewed as pro-LGBTQ or questioning traditional binary gender identities may also result in legal action.
The bill will create "a system of state-sponsored discrimination and violence" against sexual minorities, according to the UN in 2021.
The bill's opponents assert that it promotes conversion therapy because it allows for reduced sentences for people who plead guilty and request treatment. U.N. experts have cautioned that this might result in torture.
