Anti-LGBTQ bill debate heats up as Sam George criticises AIDS Commission over ‘lubricant distribution’.
The Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation and Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, has criticised the Ghana AIDS Commission over what he described as the distribution of lubricants to men who have sex with men, questioning the public health rationale behind the move.
His remarks were made during parliamentary deliberations on the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2025, where debate has intensified over the scope and implications of the proposed legislation.
Mr George, who is the lead sponsor of the bill, argued that the allocation of such resources contradicts the Commission’s core mandate of combating HIV, suggesting that funding should instead be directed towards other pressing healthcare needs.
“We have evidence of Ghana AIDS Commission officers meeting with pro-LGBTQ groups and giving them lubricants. If the Ghana AIDS Commission is supposed to fight HIV, why are you giving lubricants to men to have anal sex with men?” he said.
Public health approach questioned
The Minister rejected explanations that the distribution is intended as a harm-reduction measure to limit the spread of HIV among high-risk groups, insisting that such interventions risk reinforcing the behaviour they seek to manage.
“And the excuse given is that these are people who already have HIV, and so they don’t want them to spread it. So they are giving them lubricants. That in itself is an activity that continues to perpetuate anal sex between men,” he stated.
Call for reprioritisation of resources
Mr George further maintained that limited public health resources should be channelled into areas he considers more urgent, particularly maternal healthcare and infrastructure deficits in the health sector.
“If they really want to fund public health, they should go and give maternal beds for women who do not have beds for delivery. This one, we won’t open the door,” he added.
Debate intensifies over proposed legislation
The comments come amid ongoing scrutiny of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, which seeks to criminalise same-sex relations and related advocacy. The bill is currently under clause-by-clause consideration by Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs.
The Ghana AIDS Commission has yet to publicly respond to the remarks, but public health experts have previously maintained that targeted interventions for high-risk populations form part of broader strategies to curb HIV transmission.
