CAPITOL HILL, Monrovia – The House of Representatives has mandated its joint committee on Gender, Health, and Judiciary to review a draft bill calling for tougher punishment against the practice of homosexuality.
By Gerald C. Koinyeneh, [email protected]
The bill, submitted by Johnson S. N. Williams (District #3, River Gee County), is titled “Anti-Homosexuality Law of Liberia 2024.” If passed, it will amend Chapter 14 of the penal code to make homosexuality a criminal offense.
In a communication accompanying the bill, Rep. Williams stated: “This draft bill, when passed into law, will fulfill Article 5(b) of the 1986 Liberian Constitution, which states that ‘the Republic shall preserve, protect, and promote positive Liberian culture ensuring that traditional values compatible with public and national progress are adopted and developed as an integral part of the growing needs of the Liberian society.'”
The bill’s preamble outlines that Liberia’s cultural diversity contributes to its rich value system, which is sustained by the provisions of the 1986 Constitution. These values and practices oppose same-sex marriage and its associated behaviors.
The bill notes that there has been no same-sex marriage or practice among the sixteen indigenous tribes in Liberia and that such practices are strongly disapproved of and forbidden. Allowing same-sex marriage or the promotion of any form of same-sex relationships in Liberia, the bill argues, would undermine the nation’s value system and heritage.
The enactment of the “Anti-Homosexuality Law of Liberia, 2024” aims to preserve Liberians’ enjoyment and protection of their African culture and value system.
Offenses of Homosexuality and Aggravated Homosexuality
Homosexuality
The bill defines an act of homosexuality as involving two or more persons of the same sex engaging in a sexual relationship or activities. However, it clarifies that a person is not guilty of homosexuality if they are merely alleged or suspected of being homosexual but did not engage in sexual acts with another person of the same sex.
Aggravated Homosexuality
The bill outlines that a person is guilty of aggravated homosexuality if the offense is committed under specific conditions, including, the offense is committed against a child; offender is a parent, guardian, or relative of the victim; victim contracts a terminal illness as a result of the sexual act; offender is a serial offender and offender is in a position of authority over the victim.
It outlined that the victim is a person with a disability or suffers a disability as a result of the sexual act; the victim has a mental illness or contracts one due to the sexual act and the victim is of advanced age (75 years and above); the sexual act is committed through threats, force, fear of bodily harm, duress, undue influence, intimidation, or misrepresentation of the act and the victim was unconscious or in an altered state of consciousness due to the influence of drugs at the time of the offense.
Meanwhile, the joint committee is expected to report within two weeks after the House returns from its second-quarter break.
