LGBT Activism, Social Media, and the Politics of Queer Visibility in Ghana

Abstract

Abstract This chapter explores how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and sassoi (LGBTS) Ghanaian activists use social media to mitigate the tensions around their desire for political visibility and need for personal safety. Same-sex sexual relations continue to be a criminal offense in Ghana under the carnal knowledge clause instituted by the British during colonization. Although the law does not specifically mention same-sex sexual relations, the carnal knowledge clause criminalizes all forms of nonheterosexual sexual activities, creating room for the legitimation of vigilante and state violence against LGBT persons. The criminalization of same-sex sexual relations has sparked intense debates about African subjectivity. In Ghana, such debates are largely shaped by anti-LGBT media organizations that have partnered with anti-LGBT politicians and religious fundamentalists both in Ghana and in the United States to discursively frame LGBT rights as part of Western colonial efforts. In Ghana, it is argued that LGBT rights and gay marriage will morally bankrupt the nation and further entrench Western imperialist control of Ghana’s culture and resources. False arguments such as this have created a rationalization for homophobic violence and discrimination against LGBT Ghanaians. Social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram allow for such complex maneuvering to occur by creating room for anonymity and privacy. Nonetheless, such sites are not outside the confines of social hierarchy in face-to-face interaction. As such, these sites should be approached as spaces where desires for social justice intersect with corporate capitalist extractivist tactics and in turn complicate the efficacy of social justice efforts.