‘Poverty responsible for rise in homosexuality’

An academic and Dean of Students of the Dominion University, Dr Justice Appiah-Kubi, has attributed the rise in homosexuality in Ghana to poverty.

According to him, about 97 out of every 100 homosexuals he had interacted with had told him that they started the practice because of poverty.

He did not indicate the number of homosexuals he had dealt with but said almost on a regular basis, he had been interacting with some of them.

“Poverty is the main cause of homosexuality in Ghana. Sometimes I cry when they (homosexuals) ask me what they will do next after they stop the act,” he said.

In an interview with Graphic Online last Thursday, Dr Appiah-Kubi, who is also a reverend minister, said the homosexuals, who were mainly the youth, were exploited by powerful and influential men in the country.

Homosexuality has become a thorny issue in Ghana.

Some churches and other interest groups have spoken against the legalisation of the practice and vowed to resist all attempts from any quarter to make it lawful.

In May this year, the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, served notice that he would resign over any amendments aimed at decriminalising gayism or lesbianism.

Example

Citing an example, Dr Appiah-Kubi said a rich businessman in the Greater Accra Region was said to have promised to help a teenager further his education.

In exchange for his generosity, the businessman slept with the boy as often as he wanted, he said.

But the teenager left the businessman when he could no longer stand the ordeal.

“Little did the teenager know that the businessman, who had employed only young men, had had an affair with some of them. Few months after leaving the businessman, the teenager was diagnosed of HIV,” Dr Appiah-Kubi said.

Dr Appiah-Kubi, who was called to counsel the boy, said a number of Ghanaian youth were perishing because of homosexuality.

“These people are actually our young generation, we are wiping our young generation out with sickness and diseases. And where are we going as a nation,” he asked.

More jobs

Dr Appiah-Kubi, therefore, called on the government to create more job opportunities to prevent the youth from practising homosexuality.

Underscoring the need for counselling and jobs for the youth, the Dean of Students said lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBTs) also needed medical help, since they were prone to sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, as well as depression.

Suggesting a way to contain the trend, Dr Appiah-Kubi said homosexuals must first be willing to stop the act or quit the practice.

Such homosexuals, he said, needed to be delivered from a spiritual bondage, since there was a spiritual angle to the practice.

Love

Declaring that homosexuals should be loved and not condemned, Dr Appiah-Kubi further urged Ghanaians to ensure that all politicians declared their stance on homosexuality before offering themselves for political positions.

“We hear some Members of Parliament (MPs) who will say that they are human rights activists so they believe in homosexuality. If you do it, I respect your opinion, but you are not there to represent yourself, you are there to represent me,” he said.

Dr Appiah-Kubi also called on churches and their leaders to speak up on the issue, adding that they had been mandated in the Bible to deal with such practices.

“We are sick and tired of the church leaders who keep talking about politics but are running away from practices against the teachings of the Bible and religion because they are afraid that they will be denied visas by some embassies in Ghana,” he added.