Statement on Same Sex Marriage In Ghana... Update
I wish to state categorically and unequivocally the following:
a. That neither I, nor my organisation WiLDAF Ghana, have ever and nor will we ever advocate for the criminalisation of the rights of LGBTI communities in Ghana.
b. I and my organisation WiLDAF Ghana do not support discrimination in any form against lesbians or gays.
c. That as a women’s rights activist, I support and have been working for the human rights of all women irrespective of ethnicity, religion. age, race, disability, sexual orientation and so on. The principle which both I and WiLDAF, Ghana work to advance and uphold is that all women are entitled to the full enjoyment of human rights provisions and protections by the State in Ghana and by all other duty bearers. It is this principle that both I and WiLDAF, Ghana have been working to over the past 20 years, through law advocacy. I am confident that the record that both WiLDAF, Ghana and I have established over the years will attest to this fact.
d. The remarks attributed to me by this journalist in an interview after the forum have been made totally out of context. They were mined from a discussion in which I gave an assessment of the various scenarios in Africa in which marriage was being assessed in similar constitutional review processes . Some such as the South African context, I explained to the journalist, have been redefined to accept same sex marriage whereas others have not. Asked if I was for or against same sex marriage, I responded that as a women’s rights activist, I support the rights of all women. I thought that was the end of the matter.
I recognise that this entire episode has been the source of much dismay and anguish for many of our friends, colleagues and partners both in Ghana and elsewhere. I wish to apologise sincerely to you all for this. I take my responsibilities to the constituency of Ghanaian women very seriously and would not, either willingly or otherwise seek to cause such distress - especially to fellow women who have been as marginalised as those from LGBTI communities.
I hereby reaffirm my commitment, and the commitment of WiLDAF, Ghana to ensure that all women in Ghana can enjoy their full rights.
Bernice Sam