Global and diasporic pressure and accountability: We believe that with international pressure, the homophobic and trans-antagonistic politics of Ghana can change. If Ghanaian politicians, including parliament, the courts, and the executive branch feel the pressure of the world’s eyes on them, they are less likely to pass and support anti-queer legislation.
Cultural change through education: We believe that by educating Ghanaians in the diaspora and other allied constituencies, we can help create more tolerance for queer Ghanaians, whether they live abroad or in Ghana, and thereby transform the culture to support queer freedom.
Delegitimizing homophobic and trans-antagonistic forces: By empowering more people to speak out in support of queer Ghanaians and affirm their belonging in the country, we believe that the powerful, yet relatively minority voices of antagonism will be delegitimized, thus creating a more accepting cultural space.
Agents of Change
Diasporic communities: Ghana’s reputation abroad has historically been a welcoming one. Each year, large numbers of heritage tourists and “returnees,” immigrants who go home to holiday, arrive in the country. Anticipating their arrival, the local culture and landscape alters to accommodate these diasporic communities. Our popular education programming targets Ghanaians in diaspora and other allies to empower them to use their position to further push the local culture to be more open and accepting of queer Ghanaians. We believe that by coordinating diasporic communities through educational campaigns, in alignment with our work with communities of faith, international missions, and NGOs, we could create a more inclusive culture that supports legislative changes.
Communities of faith: Christian and Muslim religious organizations have historically been outspoken advocates against LGBTI+ freedom in Ghana. However, we believe that working closely with organizations such as the Glorious Interfaith Initiative, Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa, indigenous spiritual houses, and the Ghanaian Catholic Church, who recently spoke out against a homophobic bill introduced in Parliament, we can motivate new ways for religious communities to engage in the work of queer freedom.
Human Rights NGOs, Missions, and other aligned institutions in Ghana: Ghana has a close diplomatic relationship with the US and EU, whose missions in the country are already working closely with existing LGBTI+ rights groups to pressure the government not to pass anti-queer legislation. In addition to embassies, progressive NGOs such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the International LGBTI Association (ILGA), Center for Democratic Development and the Africa Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) also address issues that have implications for queer lives. By working in coordination with these institutions and existing local queer rights organizations, Silent Majority, Ghana will amplify international and local pressures to not only undermine existing anti-queer legislation but also create queer friendly laws.
Corporations: In Ghana, historically, private corporations have been silent about the inclusion of LGBTI+ employees. Yet, we believe that this is an untapped area for partnership. Our goal is to transform this silence into language and action by offering corporate trainings (i.e., DEI workshops), soliciting corporate sponsorship for our work, and encouraging Ghanaian based corporations to be vocal about their support of LGBTI+ communities.