-As Lawmakers Prioritize Anti-Gay Agenda
By Jerromie S. Walters
MONROVIA, Liberia – A piece of legislation designed to outlaw Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriage in Liberia has been derailed in the House of Representatives, not on its own merits, but as a political pawn in a high-stakes confrontation over a separate, highly contentious bill to criminalize homosexuality.
The scene in the House plenary session on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, descended into chaos and defiance, with a team of lawmakers chanting “No gay bill, no FGM bill!” According to them, they would block the “Harmful Practices” bill, which seeks to protect women and girls from long-condemned practices, unless a stalled bill targeting the LGBTQ+ community is given immediate priority and brought to the floor for debate.
The disorder began when the joint committee report on the Draft Bill to Ban Harmful Practices was presented.
Representatives J. Marvin Cole of Bong County, Anthony Williams of Maryland County, and Yekeh Y. Kolubah of Montserrado County led the charge, screaming in unison: “No gay bill, no FGM bill! No gay bill, no FGM bill!” Bong County District #5 Representative Eugene Kollie later joined, “This bill will not appear here,” while the notoriously outspoken Yekeh Kolubah added, “This paper (bill) will never surface on this floor.”
In a brief interview in session, Representative Anthony Williams elaborated on the group’s position. “Since we put the Gay Bill on the floor, it has not been discussed but now they are saying harmful traditional practices… Our fear here is that the most dangerous and detrimental bill is the Gay Bill. That’s what we need to discuss first before going to the FGM Bill,” Williams stated. “The thing about the Gay Bill is something we need to discuss holistically but they say no, we must discuss the harmful traditional practices bill so we say no.”
The Ghost “Gay Bill” in the Chamber:
The specter haunting the debate is a bill petitioned weeks ago by Representative Johnson Williams of River Gee County. It seeks to criminalize homosexuality and amend the New Penal Code, creating what proponents call a necessary law to address a “national moral issue.” However, House Speaker Richard N. Koon
had deferred the bill in committee, a move that infuriated its supporters and kindled the current disorder.
During that earlier session, tensions flared so dramatically that Speaker Koom struggled to maintain order, eventually asking Representative Anthony Williams to leave for “disruptive behavior.”
This earlier confrontation is now seen as the trigger for the current legislative hostage situation. The lawmakers opposing the FGM bill are using it as leverage to force the anti-gay legislation onto the agenda
Cultural Defense and International Standards:
During the tense debate on Tuesday, some lawmakers defended FGM as an intrinsic part of Liberian heritage, directly challenging the premise that it is a harmful practice. “I am still yet to be convinced Mr. Speaker that the mutilation of the female genital part, as its being claimed by the bill submitted, is harmful,” Grand Bassa County District #5 Representative Thomas Goshua argued. “Mr. Speaker this goes along with the culture that we inherited. It’s the way of life of the African people.”
Representative Gbessie Sonni Feika of Grand Cape Mount County District #3 framed the push against FGM as a form of cultural disrespect. “We have different, different kinds of societies in this country. We [have] the western society, the traditional society, and now that we only discuss the traditional society… our culture. We are not discussing the other society so for me I say this is a kind of disrespect to our traditional people,” she said, recommending further consultations with traditional communities.
These arguments stand in stark contrast to the position of global health and human rights bodies. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies FGM as a violation of human rights, highlighting that more than 230 million girls and women worldwide have undergone the procedure. In Liberia, the practice remains prevalent in 11 of its 15 counties, perpetuating severe health consequences for women and girls, including chronic pain, complications in childbirth, and psychological trauma.
A Legislative Compromise:
Following a motion by the very same Representative J. Marvin Cole who had chanted against the bill, the plenary voted to send the Draft Bill to Ban Harmful Practices to all 73 electoral districts for nationwide citizen engagement. The move postpones a final legislative decision for months. The House emphasized that the outreach would balance “human rights, cultural considerations, and national development priorities.”
The joint committee, chaired by Hon. Moima Briggs Mensah, had already signaled potential significant amendments to make the bill more palatable. Most notably, Briggs Mensah proposed renaming the legislation “The Women and Girls Protection Act of 2025,” reframing it from an attack on tradition to a proactive measure for safeguarding vulnerable citizens.
Activists Rally for the Bill’s passage:
The tension in the House of Representatives plenary session came few hours after the Campaigners against Harmful Practices in Liberia, held a petitioning ceremony urging the National Legislature to pass the Women and Girls Protection Act of 2025. “The submission demonstrates the Government of Liberia’s commitment to its obligations under national and international human rights laws,” a representative for the campaigners stated.
They emphasized that the Act is a “transformative milestone” that affirms every Liberian woman and girl’s right to live free from violence and harm.
The campaigners called for more than just the law’s passage. They are urging the government to launch comprehensive community engagement programs.
These initiatives would focus on promoting alternative rites of passage and empowering traditional leaders, particularly zoes (practitioners of FGM), with alternative sources of livelihood to encourage a permanent abandonment of the practice. The coalition also stressed the need to invest in survivor-centered services, including psychosocial support and legal aid, to ensure meaningful protection for those affected.
A History of Failed Attempts:
The current legislative push was initiated by President Joseph Boakai in October 2025, who stated the bill “arises from our national obligation to protect the dignity, rights, and health of all Liberians.” It comes as a decisive shift from non-binding measures to explicit criminalization, complete with penalties and victim support provisions, answering years of advocacy from groups like the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFELL) and other human rights organizations.
The bill’s fate is critical because Liberia’s previous attempts to curb FGM have largely failed. A three-year ban enacted by the previous administration was routinely violated, with bush schools—where FGM is often performed as an initiation rite—operating with impunity. Even after that ban expired earlier this year, a subsequent moratorium placed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs has proven difficult to enforce, with reports of clandestine bush schools continuing to surface.
As one of the few West African nations without a specific law against FGM, Liberia faces mounting international and domestic criticism. The decision to tie the fate of a bill protecting women and girls to a separate, discriminatory anti-gay bill has created a profound moral and political quandary, leaving the rights of Liberian women and children contingent on the resolution of a deeply divisive cultural war.
