In a quiet corner of Accra, a young man named J. T. Kugblenu is clinging to hope with all he has left. At 42 years old, he bears the deep scars of a life lived on the run, not for a crime committed, but for the simple, unchangeable truth of who he is: a gay man in Ghana.
Since 2016, Joshua has lived in hiding, chased out of his hometown of Ada by angry mobs and disowned by his community for being gay. His story is one of fear, flight, and survival. He narrowly escaped death after being attacked by a group of men wielding sticks and stones, his only crime: being different in a society that refuses to understand.
Against the odds, Joshua secured a Canadian visa in 2023, a glimmer of light in an otherwise dark tunnel. But that light is fading fast. Without the financial means to buy a plane ticket and cover the initial costs of relocation, his chance at freedom hangs by a thread. “If I can’t leave this year, I will end it all,” Joshua says in a trembling voice during our interview. “I can’t keep living like this. Every day, I wake up afraid I won’t survive the next.”
His fears are not unfounded. Violence against the LGBTQ+ community in Ghana has surged in recent years, with the push for a controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill stoking public anger and legitimizing brutality. Just months ago, a 16-year-old high school student in Kumasi, a boy with feminine features was beaten unconscious by neighbors who suspected he was gay. No arrests were made. No justice was served. This is the terrifying reality Joshua faces every single day.
Human rights organizations have documented a sharp rise in hate crimes and public shaming, yet protection is nowhere to be found. The legal system remains silent, and political leaders, emboldened by public opinion, continue to push legislation that dehumanizes and endangers queer Ghanaians.
“I have no safe place here,” Joshua says. “I live like a shadow, moving from house to house, hoping no one recognizes me. But how long can I live like this?”
His plea now goes out to the world: to humanitarian organizations, LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, churches, and benevolent individuals, anyone who believes in the dignity of human life.
Joshua needs help. Not just to leave Ghana, but to live and to rebuild. To find healing in a place where love is not punishable by violence, where difference does not equal danger.
He has the visa. He has the will. Now, he needs the support of kind hearts that can help him finally board that plane to safety.
If you or your organization can assist Joshua, please consider extending a hand. For him, asylum is not just a hope; it is a lifeline.
By Elvis Washington
