Vik Kouassi

'Slavery was justified with fake science (Scientific Racism); don't repeat that injustice against LGBTQ people' — Sister Deborah says you can't criminalise people and call them mentally ill at the same time Ghanaian musician and LGBTQI+ ally Sister Deborah @deborahvanessa7 has criticised the use of outdated scientific claims to justify discrimination against LGBTQI+ people, drawing parallels with historical pseudoscience that was once used to legitimise slavery, racial oppression and the dehumanisation of Black people. Speaking in an interview with Adu Kumi on Asempa FM's Showbiz programme, Sister Deborah argued that society should learn from history rather than repeat it. She noted that scientific theories once falsely claimed Black people were intellectually inferior to white people, providing justification for slavery and systemic racism. According to her, those theories have since been discredited, and she believes outdated claims that classify LGBTQI+ identities as a mental illness belong in the same category. "It was outdated research. During slavery they said Black people were dumber than white people, and that was considered scientific research at the time," she said, adding that those who continue to rely on such narratives are promoting ideas that modern science has rejected. Sister Deborah questioned what she described as an inconsistency in efforts to criminalise LGBTQI+ people while simultaneously claiming they suffer from a mental illness. "You are passing a bill to criminalise lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex people, allies and advocates, but at the same time saying it is a mental illness. If you truly believe it is a mental illness, why would you jail someone for it?" she asked. She also challenged claims that children can be "recruited" or influenced to become LGBTQI+, arguing that sexual orientation cannot simply be changed through exposure or education. "If hearing about LGBTQ people could make someone gay or lesbian, then by now I should have become a lesbian," she said, explaining that despite years of advocating for LGBTQI+ rights, her own sexual orientation has not changed. Sister Deborah further argued that comprehensive sexuality education is often misrepresented. She said such education is intended to help children recognise abuse, understand consent, identify grooming tactics used by predators and appreciate that people are different, rather than recruit children into any sexual orientation or gender identity. She also expressed concern about violence and abuse directed at LGBTQI+ people, claiming that some families have subjected their own children to abuse because of their perceived sexual orientation or gender expression. According to her, fear, stigma and misinformation are driving division and harming vulnerable people instead of addressing more pressing social issues affecting children and communities.