Published: October 31, 2025
CAPITOL HILL, MONROVIA — The House of Representatives descended into chaos Thursday after heated clashes over a controversial anti-homosexuality bill and stalled district development funds, forcing Speaker Richard Koon to abruptly adjourn the session amid shouting matches and disorder.
The pandemonium started when River Gee County District #3 Representative Johnson Williams petitioned the plenary to discharge from committee a bill seeking to criminalize homosexuality and amend Chapter 14, Subchapter D of the New Penal Code.
Speaker Koon, however, deferred the communication, a move that drew an angry backlash from several lawmakers who accused him of blocking debate on what they called “a national moral issue.”
“The House is a place for open debate, not suppression,” Maryland County District #2 Representative Anthony Williams shouted across the floor as tensions rose and lawmakers crowded around the Speaker’s chair.
Despite repeated banging of the gavel, Koon struggled to restore order. He eventually ordered Rep. Williams out of the chamber for what he called “disruptive behavior.”
Outside the chamber, Williams blasted the Speaker’s handling of the debate.
“The Speaker cannot continue to silence elected representatives when national issues are raised,” he said. “This is the people’s House, not a private office.”
“He who claims equity must come with clean hands,” Williams added. He recalled that President Boakai had recently sent a bill to ban harmful traditional practices. Without hesitation, it was sent to the committee room to be reported on in two weeks, and it will pass. “What about the Homosexuality Act?” he asked. “We want to discuss it so to world can know we don’t accept homosexual activities,” he said.
A Controversial Bill
The proposed legislation, titled the “Anti-Homosexuality Law of Liberia 2024,” seeks to amend existing statutes that already criminalize same-sex activity under the Penal Law of 1976. Under current law, “voluntary sodomy” and “deviant sexual intercourse” carry a maximum penalty of one year imprisonment, according to the Human Dignity Trust. But the new bill would drastically expand penalties, introducing sentences of up to 10 years for “homosexuality” and life imprisonment for “aggravated homosexuality.” It also proposes criminalizing advocacy, use of premises for homosexual acts, and even imposes sentences of three to six years for minors between the ages of 10 and 18.
Human-rights organizations, including JournalRage and Human Dignity Trust, have warned that the proposal deepens Liberia’s already hostile legal climate for LGBTQ+ persons. They note that the bill mirrors Uganda’s controversial Anti-Homosexuality Act, which drew international condemnation earlier this year. Advocacy groups fear the measure could expose Liberians to persecution, social violence, and international sanctions if enacted.
The House’s decision to defer the petition, rather than open it for plenary debate, touched a nerve in a legislature already under fire for perceived unresponsiveness and lack of transparency on pressing governance issues.
Parallel Friction Over District Funds
The uproar did not begin with the anti-gay bill. Earlier in the session, Montserrado County District #9 Representative Frank Saah Foko demanded clarity on the disbursement of district development funds managed by the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE). “Mr. Speaker, our people are asking for their money; we want the people’s money,” he declared, drawing applause from several colleagues.
Koon, reportedly angered by the repeated interruptions, ordered Foko out of the chamber. Moments later, Montserrado County District #10 Representative Yekeh Kolubah joined in, accusing the leadership of ignoring the cries of ordinary Liberians. He, too, was expelled. With two expulsions and rising tempers, the session devolved into shouting matches and procedural confusion.
Legislative staffers speaking to The Liberian Investigator on condition of anonymity said the chamber’s dysfunction runs deeper. Frequent electrical outages, poor sound systems, and undisciplined conduct, they said, have turned regular sittings into scenes of disorder. “Every session ends in confusion,” one staffer remarked. “Either the lights go off, or lawmakers are yelling across the floor. It’s embarrassing and shows poor leadership.” Another aide added that selective handling of issues “breeds frustration” among members. “The Speaker needs to be firm and fair, not reactive.”
A Fragile Speakership Under Strain
Richard Koon’s election as Speaker in May 2025 was meant to signal a new era of unity. He won 43 votes to 26 in a decisive contest that ended months of leadership disputes following the resignation of former Speaker J. Fonati Koffa. Yet, the aftershocks of that political fight still reverberate. In interviews, Koon himself admitted that Koffa’s ouster was driven by political motives more than procedural concerns, deepening factional mistrust across party lines.
Koon has since tried to rebrand his leadership as inclusive. He has proposed reserved legislative seats for women and persons with disabilities and courted the diplomatic community to restore the Legislature’s credibility. But Thursday’s events suggest those efforts have yet to translate into a stable, disciplined chamber.
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