Former Black Stars midfielder Michael Essien has become the first football star in the country to openly declare support for the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) group in Ghana.

Essien in a social media post assured the group of his support and urged to continue fighting for their rights.

“We see you, we hear you, we support you. Our LGBTIA community in Ghana,” a post on the Black Stars legend reads.

The post was however deleted after it attracted backlash from some Ghanaians on the platform.

LGBTQ+ continues for be a raging topic on Ghanaian media platforms despite the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo being emphatic on his position that under no circumstance will same-sex relationship be legalized in the country.

The President who had come under pressure from religious institutions said that homosexuality will not be legalized under his watch.

“It will not be under the presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that same sex marriage will be legalized in Ghana, it will never happen in my time as president,” he stressed.