Is LGBTQI+ bill what’s on students’ mind?

Adabraka, Accra Nov. 16, 2021

By Salomey Safoah Sakyi

What’s new? Social trends on campus

In recent times students have taken the center stage of conversations that border on nation building. With a population of 1.7 billion people across the globe, the voices of students have become more powerful on issues that affect society, from politics to health, all the way down to religion.

With the introduction of social media, it has become easier for young people to share their views on national issues and offer solutions.

The case is not different in Ghana. The average Ghanaian student discusses everything that may impact nation building both on campus and on social media: from healthcare, to relationship, entertainment, to sex, politics to sports, and religion.

At the African University College of Communications, AUCC, the conversation of whether LGBTQI+ rights should become legal or not seems to be dominating discussions among level 400 students. One half of the student population think same-sex marriage is against Ghanaian values and norms as a society and should therefore not be allowed; the other half are of the opposite view. They believe there are more pressing issues to be solved than to worry about what two consenting adults want to do with their lives.

This discussion has become prominent after a proposal was sent to parliament to criminalize same-sex relations and advocacy in Ghana. This controversial draft bill has since sparked conversations among academicians and the student body in Ghana.

A cursory survey on AUCC campus revealed that Level 300 students are more concerned about sports and entertainment. For example, the recent arrest of pop stars Shatta Wale and Medikal is a more pressing issue among the students.

For Level 200 students, it’s more of their social life and a bit of politics. The most common thing they talk about is their relationships.

This clearly shows thats at every point in time, students have a lot to say about the happenings in society. Their impact and ability to sometimes offer innovative and brilliant solutions to problem hasn’t been talked about enough.