 |
| 1960s Gay Rights Movement |
Following the Supreme Court in India's decision to ban homosexual conduct & Russia's implementation of the anti-gay propaganda law, this topic has been of interest.
These events made me wonder at what point I became an advocate of individuals that identify with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Intersex, Queer and 2-Spirited community, otherwise known as 2SLGBTIQ. I identify as heterosexual, was brought up in a hetero-normative environment and always viewed these individuals as people with a different preference. That being said, in high school, when my peers and I began learning about gay rights advocates, it didn't really affect me in any way. It was just another movement happening in the world, just another group of people fighting for equality.
Because the my region can be quite segregated, I never encountered those who thought of homosexuality as a crime. Until I traveled to the continent of Africa, it never occurred to me how extreme or radical opinions could be, which taught me to look at my communities more critically.
There were many things upon the arrival in Uganda - what a boda-boda was, the frustration of citizens with the international perception of their country, the emphasis placed on family, the problems faced with a severe lack of education and of course, the opinion majority of the people I spoke to had for the LGBT (because LGBTIQ2S isn't something they were aware of) community.
Well.
It was at this point that I researched the source of this hatred. As expected, I received many answers. One which gave me an overall view of the situation was given by previous leader of the organization I was involved with.
He spoke about Uganda's diversity of about 56 tribes and how these tribes had/still have problems integrating with one another following imperialism. When the British arrived and placed 'borders', they grouped either many tribes together or a few. Those countries which have only a few different tribes are generally more wholesome than those countries which do not.
Marrying someone of a different tribe was frowned upon at one point in time but with each generation, the culture becomes more open-minded. With this mentality in place, when the concept of homosexuality was introduced or revealed, many Ugandans couldn't handle it.
So if this mentality was always in place, this made me wonder if Evangelicals were spreading hatred for gays as they were accused of or if they were building upon a foundation - the British of the 19th century disliked the idea of homosexuals and were very vocal about it. Now, it's apparent a branch of Christianity had links to this hatred but as to how strong is debatable as people will say different things. In comparison to Canadian standards, religion has a very strong influence on Ugandan citizens yet it's not as in other countries.
Seitz-Wald, the writer of Evangelicals Are Winning the Gay Marriage Fight -- in Africa and Russia reported that Uganda's Robert Kayanja, who runs the Evangelical church the First Lady worships at, believed that murder and homosexuality were on the same level. Furthermore, the country's President, Yoweri Museveni, while stopping the infamous anti-gay bill from passing through, declared Uganda as a country "in the service to God". I find this statement ironic because the petty crime rate is quite high...honestly, not one country world wide has the backing to claim that.
Museveni, like the majority of politicians in the world, has a questionable record but despite this, as President of Uganda, he's still considered an influential individual. By claiming Uganda is in the service of God, he could be reinforcing what religious leaders were saying against homosexuals. Even though he reminded religious leaders to stay away from his business as he does theirs, he seemed to have a separate opinion of the origin of homosexuals.
While I'm glad he stopped the bill from going through, I wasn't initially impressed by his opinion of what causes people to be gay (sexual starvation, "random breeding", bad economy). I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when I read his short response but perhaps this opinion will spur further innovation for the country's economic and social development.
Although this was the reported opinion by Aljazeera, Tymoe Ahumuza, a Uganda citizen, had this to say:
I believe [M]useveni’s reason for not signing is because he claims that according to scientific research, people are actually born gay and their sexual orientation is [actually] not heterosexual but rather homosexual from the time they come out of their mothers womb.
So what was his true opinion? What was being reported internationally and what was being said internally? We may see a solid opinion with the upcoming 2016 Federal Elections.
Now, along with the notion of most major religions (everyone should keep in mind that all holy books have been reprinted at one or multiple points in time and of the politics which surround the content) that homosexuality is wrong, there's the argument of the LGBT community not fitting in with what is considered the traditional African family.
Emmanuel Waiswa, a Ugandan advocate, has brought up this point more than once and responded to the question of "what do you think is the cause of hatred for gay individuals in Uganda?" in a well thought out manner, including a scrutiny of protection laws which does not include individuals of the LGBT communities. Following an analysis of law which dated back to British rule, he had this to say: There has also been absence of research and verified data on African sexuality . This can be partly attributed to the fact that African socialization is heterosexual. African families are also structured along the same line of male domination and that's why some people claim that homosexuality is a threat to family . Gay men may not be compatible with this definition of family but are compatible with why each one needs a family
From what I understand, the traditional way was being challenged and I noticed that the Ugandan society was patriarchal and male-dominated. There were multiple times I was asked "aren't you afraid of a man?" when I questioned why something was happening or when I encouraged a woman to stand up for herself but that's almost a different story altogether.
So a traditional - or stereotypical - family can be defined in this context as one where the male is dominant, female is submissive and both have biological children?
Is it right to say by placing a man in the submissive female role in a family, confusion is created? African men are said to be incredibly masculine to the point of repressing their emotions, according to some of my female African friends. So placing a man into a role of the submissive female, one who is more in-tune with emotions supposedly, a man loses his masculinity. If this happens, then the traditional view of a man is in danger.
Is this a possible interpretation of complications homosexuality brings to the traditional view of families? I look forward to the other interpretations of what homosexual relations does to a family.
Even if homosexuality complicates the traditional family framework, I agree with Emmanuel's opinion of family being needed by everyone, not merely heterosexuals. For the sole reason of being gay, a characteristic that cannot be helped, people identifying as members of the LGBTIQ2S community shouldn't be stripped of the right to have families. We human beings are social creatures, needing interactions and relationships with other human beings and/or animals, otherwise we become incredibly lonely. This increases the rates of Depression, Anxiety and other mood disorders.
Since homosexuality challenged the current way so much, it is being accused of being a Western influence as citizens claim they had not seen it in their communities prior.
Would it be too much to consider homosexuality has always been present and hidden because anything that is abnormal from tradition is taboo? I hope the new generation considers this instead of agreeing that all homosexual men are pedophiles. Pedophilia is also a problem among the heterosexual community - ever heard of Sweetie?
All in all, there are many opinions among Ugandans and I feel increased education or research on the matter may distinguish fact from fiction. The anti-gay bill is still being debated and has a chance of passing through, whether or not the President approves it.
So let's take a step away from Uganda and onto a country which already legalized a bill against homosexuality: Nigeria.
Now, when I was younger, the most I heard about Nigeria was the infamous Nigerian prince scam. It was amusing but unfortunately, people have fallen pray to this. Then, because of African rivalries or politics, I'm not entirely sure, one would hear negative stereotypes about the country. One positive trait I would commonly hear is that Nigerians are worldly people and are making impact worldwide in various ways.
That's wonderful.
Then the anti-gay bill is passed in Nigeria and it gets some people angry. Last month, the President, Goodluck Jonathan, passed the bill which denies same-sex marriages, prison for up to 14 years for homosexuals and up to 10 years for supporters of gay groups. A short but insightful conversation between Lynn Neary & Jonathan Cooper can be read here, for those interested.
The bill had been condemned by Navi Pillay, the Chief of UN Human Rights. She believed this law does violate fundamental human rights and will increase violence against gay individuals. It's also said that the police torture those who are arrested in order to receive names of other homosexuals, which is awful should it be true.
Nigeria had been pressured against signing the bill by the U.S., - which is slightly hypocritical since the country as a whole doesn't agree with gay rights - as it sends aid to the country but the bill was signed anyway. Their economy is doing well enough that pressure from Western countries can be disregarded. More so than disregard, there seems to have been backlash when John Baird, Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister, had this to say:
Canada is deeply concerned that Nigeria has adopted a law that further criminalizes homosexuality...[w]e call on Nigeria to repeal this law.Following this statement and other matters, Canada had been badmouthed in Nigerian media, it seems. On a unnamed popular website cited in the original article, the following comments were found:
Nigeria should withdraw their embassy from idiot Canada now and let Canada leave Nigeria now,
Canada can go to hell...Nigeria cannot succumb to their bullying.
These are just sample comments. I'm sure there have been many more for the pressure the Western world has placed on countries which desire to criminalize homosexuality, such as Malawi and Uganda. For many Africans, it seems homosexuality is a sin, an evil that must be eradicated.
My thought at the end of the day: homosexuality is not a sin, an evil or a threat.
It is a different path individuals take to reach the same outcome because it is their natural preferences. Love between two consenting adults should not be deemed inappropriate and they have the right to start families. There are many broken homes among the heterosexual families so claiming heterosexuals as superior or right doesn't seem legitimate - we are all flawed people in the end.
I'm among those Westeners who criticize countries which allow criminalizing of homosexuality and that is because we ourselves have gone through a period of debate in regards to homosexual rights. It's been nearly 9 years since Canada legalized gay marriages and for that I am proud. Should've happened earlier but oh well.
Even though homosexuality isn't completely accepted across Canada, I am happy Canada recognizes them as individuals and not as deviants. The struggle to convince all of our citizens that homosexuality is not wrong will continue for years and years but at the very least, they have laws protecting them and the right to begin their families.
I truly hope one day, not solely Ugandans and Nigerians but every individual in the world understands that the LGBTIQ2S community are people too. Recently, Kenyan author Binyavanga Wainaina admitted to being gay. He has great insight to the debate happening of this topic and can be read here. I hope everyone reads what he has to say with an open mind and not harshly judge him for his sexual orientation.
Wainaina, along with other gay individuals, do not deserve hate and to me, it's the similar type of hatred seen in racism. We can't help our ethnicity or race, can we? The same goes for sexual orientation. If you think otherwise, please watch this and consider.
For those who want a better grasp of homosexuality perspective on a global scale, this image by The Guardian helps tremendously:
We don't live a world that opinions can immediately be changed but we do live in one where we can respect the opinions of others. Even if you can't accept homosexuality, place yourself in the shoes of someone who does. Think about the constant hatred these individuals encounter, some more often than other depending on the country. Maybe it's difficult for your opinions to be changed but challenge yourself to learn more and withhold any negative commentary. Then think of this:
[Originally Published February 4th, 2014]