Opinion ID: 4526081
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Petitioner’s Experience in Ghana

Text: Petitioner was born and raised in Ghana’s capital, Accra. He first realized he was gay when he was fourteen years old. He came to this realization after sharing an intimate encounter with another boy, whom he had met at Muslim school. One afternoon, the two boys were spending time together in Petitioner’s bedroom and, after sharing a toffee that 1 Because we believe this case can be disposed of on the merits of Petitioner’s asylum claim, we will not resolve his withholding of removal or CAT claims at this time. 3 Petitioner had bought for his schoolmate, they had sex for the first time. Over the next twelve years, the two young men continued to see each other but kept their sexual relationship hidden. Being gay in Ghana, Petitioner believed, was simply “not acceptable.” JA101. He could not speak to his family about his feelings because he worried that, as Muslims, they would disapprove of his sexual orientation or, even worse, that his father would kill him. When Petitioner was twenty-six years old, his anxieties materialized into a harsh reality. One morning in January 2016, his father unexpectedly entered Petitioner’s bedroom at the break of dawn and discovered him having sex with his partner. His father went into a rage and began shouting that “his son was hav[ing] sex with another man,” JA215, and called on others to “come, come and witness what my son is up to[!]” JA99 (Tr. 37:20–21). He demanded answers from his son and condemned his actions: “Why do you engage in homosexuality? You have brought shame to this family and I will make sure you face the wrath of this evil deed.” JA166. Upon hearing this uproar, a crowd of neighbors gathered at Petitioner’s house, forming a violent mob. Together with his father, the mob began to beat the two young men with stones, wooden sticks, and iron rods, and dragged them into a courtyard. Some in the mob wanted to report the young men to the police, but others began to argue over how best to punish them: death by burning or beheading. Petitioner believed the death threats were real. He remembers being doused with kerosene, and hearing calls to set him on fire. He also saw someone in the mob brandish a “cutlass,” JA215, a curved sword with a sharp edge like a machete. Fearing that his life was in danger, he managed to 4 escape and ran naked, hurt and bleeding to a friend’s house about ten minutes away. Petitioner told his friend about the attack and about his sexual relationship with his partner. His friend, too, became afraid. He worried that they could both be killed if people found out that Petitioner was hiding there. Too frightened to call the police, or seek medical care, Petitioner asked his friend to drive him to neighboring Togo. But Petitioner did not feel safe there either; he was concerned that the Togolese government and people disliked gay men too. Within about two weeks, he retrieved his passport from his home with his friend’s help and arranged to fly from Ghana to Ecuador. Petitioner has heard that his father has publicly disowned him for being gay, that he is still looking for him, and that he intends to kill him if he finds him. Petitioner still worries about his partner of more than ten years. Despite numerous attempts, he has not been able to reconnect with him since that horrific day.