On Aug 21, 2017 the Winnipeg Free Press reported: For two weeks during Folklorama, they collected more than 5,200 signatures from Canadians supporting the LGBTQ* asylum-seekers’ petition.
The eight men outside the pavilions who donned pink T-shirts that said “Ghana Pavilion” on the front and “LGBTQ rights now!” on the back were embraced by thousands of fans of multiculturalism but, closer to home, they raised some hackles…
The media attention the group received in Canada has amplified their voices back in Ghana — the country they say they fled because of persecution for their sexual orientation.
News of their petition urging Ghana to decriminalize homosexuality spread to online news sites in Ghana such as Yen.com.gh, where it has been viewed nearly 29,000 times. Virtually all of the 579 comments posted as of Monday afternoon were negative. Commenters said the gay and bisexual Ghanaian men in Canada are “animals” who should be ashamed, shut up, burn in hell or die. Some posted outright death threats.
Read the full story at: Pavilion-petitioning refugee claimants make headlines back home – Winnipeg Free Press
