The debate on homosexuality begins…

Editor: A previous letter called for a national debate on homosexuality. There have been several national debates on this topic in the past, which have generally all been one-sided and negative, making it not a debate in fact, but a lynching. A debate is supposed to illustrate two sides to an issue.{{more}}

I would therefore like to put forward a rebuttal to the several ‘debates’ that have been published condemning homosexuality.

Firstly, let us address the biblical references that are always used in the condemnation of homosexuality. It’s interesting to note that throughout history the Bible has been used to justify a myriad of atrocities and inhumanities against mankind, including slavery, persecution of people of different faiths, racism and segregation. Also interesting to note is that several issues condemned by the Bible are disregarded by our modern society. For example, it says in the Bible if it is discovered that your newly wed wife is not a virgin, she should be returned to her father’s house and stoned to death. Certainly not acceptable by our modern standards!! So, it is obvious that with evolution and development of a society, it must be understood that some teachings of the Bible are not applicable to our present situation. Homosexuality is not even mentioned in the Ten Commandments, while adultery is… yet the adulterer and fornicator are held up in our society as a “stud” and “macho man.” This selectivity, of which parts of the Bible are adhered to and which are not, borders on hypocrisy. It can be noted that all of the basic biblically based arguments used against gay relations (abhorrent to God, unnatural, contributing to the deterioration of mankind) were the same used in the arguments against interracial relations.

Secondly, the issue of homosexuality being a choice… There have been many studies, none of which have been conclusive, as to the cause of homosexuality, but it is quite evident that homosexuality is not at all a choice, but possibly a combination of genetic and hormonal factors during fetal development. Most self-defined homosexuals would describe same sex attraction from childhood or adolescence, and rapidly learn to hide these urges in a hostile society. Most homosexuals have never made a conscious decision to be gay, have not been forced into being gay by other homosexuals… it just happens. The only variation from this is probably opportunistic or institutionalized homosexual behaviour, where a choice is made by a person to engage in homosexual activity for profit, or for sexual release during incarceration. These men do not self identify as homosexual and do not have genuine homosexual urges.

Which brings me to the strange statement made in the aforementioned letter about “children’s innocence being taken away and young people not being given a fair chance to grow up and choose their own path.” Firstly homosexuals are NOT pedophiles… there are homosexual pedophiles and there are heterosexual pedophiles, but I am sure statistics will show that the incidence of heterosexual pedophilia is a far greater social problem than homosexual pedophilia in our society. One only has to look at the number of cases of statutory rape of girls and underage pregnancy that present in our legal system… and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Then, what about the homophobic music that bombards our airwaves; the anti-gay rhetoric that is spewed weekly in our churches; the bullying that occurs in schools of the young man who is viewed as being soft and effeminate… I don’t see how any of this can contribute to making a young person decide to “choose” the homosexual lifestyle; in fact it would appear to be quite the opposite… It would stand more to reason that the present environment would turn all homosexuals straight! The life of most homosexual young people is emotionally traumatic and filled with self-loathing and insecurity, due to the homophobic society we live in. The exposure that our young people get from viewing the homosexual lifestyle on television etc. only provides them a perspective that broadens their minds and promotes tolerance, but it could never persuade a person to become homosexual if he is heterosexual.

I can’t see how our society would be accepting of the many negative and violent images that our children see on television and cinema, their idolization of artistes who are thugs, ex-convicts and criminals, even murderers, the foul language used in the music they listen to, and not bat an eyelid; yet the image of two men kissing would create an issue. Is it that it is more acceptable that our young people are influenced to choose the path of violence and criminality, than to be gay? Where is the logic in this? How many readers have ever been directly harmed by a person’s homosexuality?

Finally, I must address the even stranger statement made in the same letter that “we risk facing tyranny of the minority, where the rights of the minority take precedence over the rights of the majority.” In a democratic society, everybody has rights, and all should have equal rights. If your argument held validity, there would still be slavery in the United States. Many men and women in the U.S. fought and sacrificed to overcome the tyranny of the majority, so they could have their human rights. If the issue of abolition had been left to public vote, slavery would not have been abolished!! The Civil Rights movement would have failed, Blacks would be unable to vote, and interracial marriage would be illegal, if these issues had not been pushed by a minority struggling against the thinking of the majority. In a truly democratic society, the goal in fact is protection of the minority, so that their human rights are not trampled upon and disregarded by the majority.

So, I hope that this discussion has provided some insights. There are many homosexuals in every aspect of our society, from the lowest to the highest strata. There is easily at least one homosexual in every family in the country. Most are law-abiding and productive citizens who contribute greatly to the development of St Vincent. Many adopt a “straight” lifestyle, marrying and starting families, an adaptation for survival, similar to the way that light-skinned blacks in the southern states of the US straightened their hair and would pass for white, in an attempt to avoid discrimination. But as a black man trying to pass for white remains black, a homosexual man remains homosexual despite his wife and children, as several public scandals involving religious and political personalities have brought to bear. Note that, invariably, these cases involved a person who was vehemently opposed to homosexuality… there are many sheep in wolves’ clothing!

In essence, all the average homosexual wants is the ability to live his or her life and love without fear of discrimination, persecution and prosecution. Fortunately for him, history has proven that despite the longevity of hate, it can be tempered by the growth of tolerance and destigmatization that is evident in our modern societies.

Sean Macleish
Vincy Chap