Man Names LGBTQ+ People, Threatens Violence

Rightify Ghana, a human rights organisation, has issued a safety alert for LGBTQ+ people in Wenchi in the Bono Region after a man appeared in a TikTok video naming people he claims are queer in the town and threatening violence against them.

Not only did he mention specific names, but he also mentioned their places or work and where they live and boldly threatened violence against them.

“We know you. Every corner in Wenchi that you are, we know you. We know you, and we are coming to deal with you live,” he warned. “We know you, we know you. It’s not that we have not seen you,” added said. At least three other male voices can be heard in the video backing the threats.

In the video, a man identified as “Gentle Jack,” also known as “Khalifa,” issued the threat and accused the suspected LGBTQ+ people of trying to “destroy” Wenchi. He described the video as “part two,” suggesting similar threats or incidents may have happened before.

Specific areas and people named

He named a loctician who “locks dread,” claiming “he is gay.” He also mentioned people selling clothing and kenkey in town, and someone he claimed sells tramadol at the lorry station.

He claimed some queer people had rented rooms for others in Bepodo, Koase, Nkonsia and Boadan. He also named Obaa Yaa’s place and Berlin as spots where he alleged queer people move around.

Rightify Ghana, the human rights group that issued the safety alert, said the threats are especially dangerous because they name specific people, their work and their locations. The group warned this raises the risk of forced outing, harassment, physical attacks and displacement of queer people in the area.

The alert follows recent attacks on LGBTQ+ people in Techiman, the capital of the neighbouring Bono East Region. A violent group targeted members of the community there, leaving people injured, causing losses of personal belongings and forcing some to flee their homes.

With Techiman and Wenchi close to each other, Rightify Ghana said the threats need urgent attention and precautionary measures to protect queer people and others who could be targeted in Wenchi.

The group has advised queer people and allies in the town to be extra vigilant and avoid confrontations with anyone making threats. It also urged them not to publicly confirm or share the identities, addresses or movements of community members.

It further advised them to review their digital security and privacy settings, especially location sharing and social media visibility. Where it is possible and safe, they should consider temporarily avoiding the specific locations named in the threats.

Rightify Ghana also said any recordings, screenshots, links and other evidence of threats or harassment should be securely preserved. Immediate threats should be reported to trusted safety contacts and appropriate emergency or protection services, as well as to organisations, their volunteers, or local community leaders.

Where necessary, those at risk should seek a safe location and avoid staying alone if there is credible information about an imminent attack.

Rightify Ghana said it is monitoring the situation and urged queer people and allies in Wenchi to take the threats seriously, prioritise their safety and be more cautious until the situation is better assessed.

“Your safety comes first. Stay alert. Stay connected,” the group said.

Background: A growing climate of fear

The threats did not come out of nowhere. They follow a wider and worsening climate of hostility, violence and legal repression targeting LGBTQ+ people across Ghana.

Ghana already criminalises same-sex sexual relations under Section 104 of the Criminal Offences Act, a colonial-era provision that penalises “unnatural carnal knowledge.” Human rights groups say its existence creates a climate of impunity in which violence against LGBTQ+ people is common and often goes unpunished.

In May 2026, Parliament passed the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, one of the most restrictive anti-LGBTQ laws in Africa. The bill imposes prison sentences of up to three years for people who identify as LGBTQ+, and between five and ten years for those found promoting, sponsoring or advocating for LGBTQ+ rights. It also introduces a “duty to report” suspected violations to the police, effectively turning private identity into a matter of civic surveillance.

Human Rights Watch has warned that the bill “places LGBTQ+ people’s lives at risk” and “encourages citizens to surveil and denounce one another.” The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute said the legislation “transforms private identity into public suspicion, turns compassion into a potential crime and invites a culture of denunciation.”

The violence is already here. In Techiman, a gay man was beaten and dragged naked through sand in an attack filmed and shared on social media. In Kumasi, four men were beaten. In Accra, men were attacked after being lured through dating apps; one victim was stabbed multiple times. In Kasoa, a young man alleged to be gay was hospitalised after a mob attack. Reports have also documented so-called “corrective rape,” kidnapping and blackmail.

Amnesty International has noted an increase in violence against LGBTQ+ people since the anti-LGBT bill was first introduced, with victims often too afraid to report attacks for fear of arrest themselves.

Rhetoric from political and religious leaders has fuelled the hostility. The US State Department reported a notable increase in anti-LGBTQ statements by high-ranking politicians, religious leaders and community leaders. One Ghanaian human rights advocate, speaking anonymously for safety, said simply: “We live in fear of snitches.”

Against this backdrop, the threats in Wenchi, with their specific naming of individuals, occupations and locations, mark a dangerous escalation. They are not abstract rhetoric. They are targeted, and they follow a pattern that has already caused injury, displacement and fear across the LGBTQ+ community in Ghana.