UPDATE: Ghanaian prophet says gays “cursed by God”

Ghana has been in the spotlight recently for its treatment of members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

[NEDS/SUBS: adding comment where prophet says rights must be respected but not the acts]

CAPE TOWN, April 1 (ANA) – Controversial Ghanaian prophet and the founder and leader of the Prophetic Hill Church Prophet Nigel Gaisie has said that gays are “cursed by God“ and their acceptance in Ghana will lead to consequences.

Anybody who is a homosexual is cursed by God and those around you are also cursed by God. That's how serious it is.
Heaven is against it and the good book is also against it – Prophet Nigel Gaisie (General Overseer, Prophetic Hill Chapel) #StarrChat

— Starr103.5FM (@Starr1035Fm) March 31, 2021

Gaisie was speaking during an interview by Accra-based radio station Starr FM on Wednesday.

In the interview he said that homosexuality is a sin against God and must not be accepted by any leader in Ghana.

“I gave a prophecy on LGBTQI in December that by February it will become a national issue. The records are there, we can check. Anybody who is a homosexual is cursed by God and those around you are also cursed by God. That’s how serious it is. Heaven is against it and the Good Book is also against it,” the prophet told host Nana Aba Anamoah, reported Pulse Nigeria.

He said “it will not be in our time that we’ll legalise homosexuality”.

According to Ghana Web, Gaisie added that while the rights of homosexuals must be respected, their acts must not be accepted or legalised.

Ghana has been in the spotlight recently for its treatment of LGBTQIA+ members after authorities raided the office of an LGBTQIA+ advocacy and support group on February 24.

A number of international celebrities and influencers have spoken out in support of the LGBTQIA+ community in the West African country and condemned the attack on the community.

However, concerns about the rights of LGBTQIA+ people in Ghana are not new.

According to reports, rights advocacy group Human Rights Watch said in 2018 that queer Ghanaians “suffer widespread discrimination and abuse both in public and in family settings”.

According to the BBC, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo stated recently that same-sex marriage will “never” be legalised while he is president.

There is no law in Ghana that says being LGBT is illegal, but same-sex relationships are criminalised, with offenders potentially facing up to 25 years in prison.

– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher