Man stabbed, beaten and called ‘batty boy’ by group of boys who suspected him of being gay
A man suspected of being gay was stabbed during a dust-up in Ghana. (Screen capture via Twitter/SVTV Africa)
A man was stabbed, beaten and called a “batty boy” by a group of boys who suspected him of being gay in Tema, Ghana.
Perry Ato Inkoom told SVTV Africa that in the early evening of 19 December he was attacked by the young people following a birthday party.
In Tema, a coastal city 16 miles east of the capital Accra, Inkoom was walking along Site 14, community one, when the kids targeted him.
Inkoom was walking back from a children’s party that he worked as an MC at. “A daughter of a friend attended the party too,” he recounted.
“So a friend and I went to her house to find out of she arrived home safely.”
“On our way back, we met a group of friends.” Suspecting him of being gay, the group began to taunt him and call him “batty boy”.
“My friend recognised one of the boys and mentioned his name,” he told the television station, then they started beating us.”
Inkoom blacked out during the beating, he recounted. But his friend said they the group stabbed him with a knife before fleeing into a nearby house.
“The only thing I remember was being at the Tema General Hospital the next day,” he added. “But we had been to the community one police station for a statement form.”
During the interview, Inkon shows the wounds across his hand, chest and neck that nearly one month on are still healing.
Activists warn of further ‘torture and abuse’ as anti-LGBT+ bill looms
Rightify Ghana, one of the country’s top LGBT+ rights groups, previously warned to PinkNews that since the bill’s introduction, anti-queer violence has surged.
The wide-reaching “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021” would introduce a raft of policies punishing everything from sex toys and anal intercourse to trans healthcare and LGBT+ allyship.
From those providing or receiving gender-affirming healthcare to those who are an ally, the legislation would threaten countless members and supporters of the LGBT+ community with three to five years in prison.
Simply holding hands or kissing a member of the same gender on the cheek would be criminalised.
Its powerful supporters have described their hopes for state-sanctioned conversion therapy, where queer Ghanaians could be hunted down and forced to undergo treatment.
If passed, Rightify Ghana said in a statement to PinkNews, the bill will mean one thing for LGBT+ Ghanaians: “Torture and abuse”.
“We condemn the continued assault on LGBTQ persons in Ghana,” the group said.
Slamming the leadership of the Ghana Police service, the group added: “We know how they have improved their services in combating and prosecuting other crimes, however, we have not seen them pay similar attention to the violent attacks and threats on LGBTQ Ghanaians.
“Our message to the Parliament of Ghana is that they should be guided by the happenings of how LGBTQ persons have experienced violent attacks and reject the far-reaching anti-LGBTQ bill.
“Passing the bill will mean legislation of torture and abuse against LGBTQI persons.
“The attacks on LGBTQ Ghanaians clearly shows that things will worsen and people may get killed if this bill is passed and signed into law.”
