When Patrick Williams told his mother he was gay, she packed his bags and threw him out of the house, disowning her son for what she saw as an evil act.
The 21-year-old Ghanaian had known he was gay since he was 13, but had hesitated to tell anyone.
“I was scared and I knew in our society, it was not accepted. It was best for me to keep it inside until I saw someone who was similar,” he said.
When a schoolmate told his mother of rumours that the 18-year-old Patrick was having sex with another boy, he admitted he was gay.
“She said because of what I chose to be, I was no longer her son. Was the whole world against me? This was the biggest question in my mind. My own mother sometimes says she wishes I was dead,” he said.
His experience is by no means unusual in the West African country, where homosexuality is seen as an unnatural sexual act and, as such, is illegal.
But as the country celebrates 50 years of independence, UK gay rights activist Peter Tatchell is calling on President John Kufuor, who is visiting London this week, to speak to his country’s gay community.
“As Ghana celebrates 50 years of independence, it is time to repeal the anti-gay laws,” Mr Tatchell said.
“There will be attempts to get a letter to President Kufuor urging an end to the persecution of gays and lesbians in Ghana. In particular, we want the Ghanaian government to open a dialogue with gay and lesbian groups,” he added.
Source: GhanaWeb
