Former President John Dramani Mahama has openly declared his stance on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, asserting that as a devoted Christian and a member of the Assemblies of God, he opposes any form of LGBTQ practices.

John Mahama emphasised that, in his belief, God had a purposeful design when creating human beings.

Speaking on the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, commonly referred to as the Anti-LGBTQ+ bill, before Parliament, John Mahama addressed the government's reluctance to approve private members' bills due to associated costs.

He indicated that the President had expressed unwillingness to endorse bills incurring expenses on the government, as stated by the Attorney General.

During his campaign tour, Mahama urged the Executive and the Legislature to collaborate in addressing the issue.

He stated in a video shared by TV3, "I am an Assemblies of God member; the faith I have does not allow a man to marry a man and a woman to marry a woman. The bill is before Parliament, and the government has indicated that they won't sign because the Attorney General has said a private members' motion can be passed but must not come with a cost on the government. Based on that, the President has indicated that should a bill be brought before him, he should not sign."

Mahama emphasized the need for executive and legislative cooperation to facilitate a resolution, allowing the President to sign the agreement.

On a personal note, he expressed his disapproval, stating, "But for me personally, I don't, as a human being, you will just get up and say I feel I am a woman, yet I was born as a man. God knew what he was doing when he created us as such, so when you ask me, my personal faith is against it."

NAY/NOQ