In the heart of Accra, a lone figure in pink Speedos is making waves. Meet Texas Kadiri Moro, the straight ally taking on Ghana’s controversial anti-LGBTQ bill. This married father of six, a teacher and practicing Muslim, is an unlikely hero in the fight for LGBTQ rights.
Moro has been marching solo for months, armed with banners and trumpeters, against a bill that could land LGBTQ folks and their supporters in prison for over a decade. His message? “Justice begins where inequality ends!”
The bill has got Ghana on edge. It passed parliament but hasn’t been signed into law yet, thanks to a Supreme Court challenge.
President Akufo-Addo is playing it safe, neither signing nor rejecting it.
Moro’s stance has cost him. He’s lost his job and faced backlash from his Muslim community. But he’s not backing down. “Homosexuality doesn’t affect anyone,” he argues, pointing out that there are bigger fish to fry, like adultery.
His protests are stirring the pot. He has even petitioned parliament to pull out of countries where being gay is legal, if they find it so “filthy.”
While some applaud Moro’s bravery, the reality for Ghana’s LGBTQ community is grim. The bill’s very existence has sparked violence and fear. As one activist puts it, “The moment people hear you’re LGBTQ, you’re an enemy.”
But Moro is not giving up. “It takes one man to change the world,” he says. And in Ghana right now, he is trying to be that man.