United States Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Jackson, wants Ghanaians to be conscious of the rights of homosexuals and treat them equally as heterosexuals.
According to him, contrary to the belief that only a handful of Ghanaians are gays, their numbers may actually be higher.
“Statistics indicate that probably 10% of people are born gay. I think there are far more gays in Ghana than Ghanaians realize but because of societal attitudes, they keep their sexuality very private,” the U.S envoy said on current affairs show ’21 Minutes with KKB’.
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Discussion on gay rights in Ghana is always a controversial topic as many Ghanaians hold the view that homosexual acts are alien to the country’s cultural values.

The law in Ghana also frowns ‘unnatural carnal knowledge’, a term that has come to mean sexual intercourse between same-sex couples, particularly males.
“I believe that everyone should enjoy the same human rights and personally I believe that people are either born heterosexual or homosexual. It is not a lifestyle choice,” the Mr Jackson said on the current affairs show.
He stressed that although the United States is urging that the rights of homosexuals be respected, it is not asking any country or group of persons to change their religious beliefs or to legalise homosexuality.
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“We are asking that all people be treated the same; that they have the same human rights and the same rights to privacy,” he said.