For the last two years Africa has relegated most concerns and discourse to the background by giving extensive prominence to what a Human Rights Advocate like me will term ‘ indictment on our sense of tolerance and commitment to the principles of equality and the rule of law’.
The issue of homosexuals has quickly risen from being a family discourse to a national and a continental problem, with certain countries like Nigeria and Uganda passing atrocious laws to criminalize ‘gayism’ and fetch ‘perpetrators’ the most outrageous forms of statutory punishment.
This is happening at a time some of us thought the concept of liberalism, civilization and adherence to rule of law are finding grounds in Africa. Interestingly, though most African Head of States have not necessarily thrown in a clear indication as to where they and their States stand on the above issue, they’ve passed comments which impliedly suggest that, homosexuals are not what they want and will not be given any legal protections within their jurisdiction.
I have read and heard countless arguments as to why homosexuals should not be entertained, given any sort of legal protection and even must be punished or killed in Africa, ranging from legal to moral, and from religion to culture.
Despite the many arguments which are fussed with complexities, the most reoccurring ones are grounded in religion, morals and our false understanding of democracy (majority acts should take precedence over minority).
Since the ordinary African does not base his or her hatred of homosexuals on legal arguments and complexities, there is no point in spending time with the many western legal precedents which should inform our legislations and dealings with homosexuals—I will rather deal with the corners where they arguments spring from…
Religion
It is common and on the lips of those who do not even have religious affiliations as well as the sons and daughters of God that, “God hates homosexuals and most of these people cite Sodom and Gomorrah” as their biblical precedent.
What most religious people forget is that, apart from the fact that the text can be interpreted in many ways, God does not buy into the concept of hierarchy of sins where HE hates one sin more than another. If the act of homosexualism is a biblical sin, so is the act of lying, fornication, killing, stealing and several others…
Since no sin is greater than another in the sight of God, how do we treat liars? How do we treat our friends who fornicate or commit adultery? And how do we treat or intend to treat homosexuals?
It is obvious from the above that, there is no religious grounds for hating homosexuals, if God actually hates homosexuals, it is His problem and He is the sole punisher, why must we be the ones to execute the punishment? I thought the Bible says, thou shall not judge—and this does not exclude judging people because of their sexual orientation.
Cultural & Morals Arguments
Increasingly, I have heard people including Head of States saying, homosexualism is alien to our African culture and morals—and it is a Western propaganda to corrupt and destroy our indigenous African culture and values.
The above may sound great but the fact is, a lot of things are alien to our African Culture and these include, Facebook, Twitter, Internet, Cars, Mobile Phones and others yet we’ve embrace all of them as part of our continent’s development and growth.
We talk as if homosexuals were ‘germinated’ by the Western world with intent to export to Africa for consumption. People with different sexual preference are born everywhere in the world including Africa. The only different is, the Western countries recognised this earlier and their respect for the doctrines of tolerance, equality and the rule of law made them to open their arms for those with different sexual preference.
What is an indigenous African culture and value today? We are part of a gigantic global village and we must conform and give those who have different preference a right to hold this preference. Is tolerance not an African culture and value?
At worse, if we do not want to give homosexuals such a legal or moral right, we must just let them be…I don’t see the sense in being so much worked out by what two full grown adults decide to do with their bodies to the extent that it has become part of our increasing worries…
The Majority Rules Argument
It is right in every democratic society that the majority holds power and their views are given extensive attention and interest protected. However, democracy and civilisation also demand that, the minority are respected and their views safeguarded.
The fact that homosexuals are in the minority does not mean we should treat then less of the human that they are or criminalize their actions. I am sure if we decide to group people according to their religion, political affiliations, taste for food, educational level, skin shade and others, you will fall within a minority in one of these groupings. Would you want to be treated less of the human you are simple because you fall within the minority?
As John E. E. Dalberg said, “the most certain test by which we judge whether a country is really free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities”—which is sometimes put across as “in order to establish how civilize a society is, just consider how it treats the minority”.
Where do you stand with the whole Gay debate in Africa?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhRe6Jy_Nsw
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ziBLoxraho
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