Uganda, a previously virtual unknown, came into the spotlight by drawing the ire of the developed world with its uniquely homophobic stance. The speaker of parliament fended off an attack by a Canadian official while at an international event and earned the adulation of several Ugandans for her bravery in the face of what is perceived as a neo-colonialist lecture on what our values are. In as much her defense of our sovereignty is a laudable act, the real bone of contention is how Uganda as a country plans to confront the ascendance of homosexuality.
On a personal level, I have suffered a deep internal conflict concerning my position. Having painstakingly tried to construct an image for myself as an incontrovertible liberal, who subscribes exclusively to the concept of personal freedoms as a mainstay of public life, this has come into direct divergence with my vague but still significant spiritual standard as a practicing Christian. Safe to say, am on the fence about this, but first, homosexuality.
Origins
As it is with a lot of several aspects of the human condition, the origins of homosexuality as an obvious deviation from the mean, is far from being decidedly conclusive. One school of thought contends that homosexuality is essentialist. That is a fancy way of saying that homosexuals were “born this way”. Some scientific studies of adult men find there to be apparent differences in hormonal composition between heterosexual and homosexual individuals. This is popular in the gay community because it discredits the notion that they can somehow be ‘fixed’ or ‘treated’ and so by this token, it is beyond anyone’s control, least of all theirs. As a result, they deserve to be accepted given that they are simply that way, for all intents and purposes. The flaw that can be cited with that proposition is one to do with retrospect. Studies done on adults whose sexual orientation has already been decided is done retrospectively and as such there is bound to be hormonal imbalance by that comparison. By virtue of being a practicing homo or hetero, certain aspects of one’s chemical composition will change along the way. That is science.
The other argument lies with the psychological factors. And this is one which I am partial towards. Social construction postulates that a number of precipitating environmental factors conspire to shape one’s sexual orientation and so dysfunctional childhood scenarios are known to cause various imbalances one of which can be assigned to homosexuality. At a subconscious level, which is where I believe sexual orientation is determined, we are fair game for the environmental stimuli to cause imprints in our personality. Absentee parents, abusive childhood, or difficult experiences in early life can manifest in outliers such as homosexuality, development of effeminate characteristics by men, or general personal deficiencies like social ineptitude and other shortcomings. Knowledge of this reality can help us better understand that this deviation does not occur in a vacuum but is a systematic outcome of a series of early environmental factors encountered by an individual
Gay, Aye or Nay?
In the Ugandan perspective, a lot more people are against this ‘vice’ (to put it in their words) than those who are for it. This would not be complete without exploring their reasons for opposition. Foremost among them is the African traditional culture. It is the much vaunted conservatism of the African traditional culture that dictates that it cannot stomach the idea of same sex relations and it goes against everything by which the culture of an entire continent has come to be understood. A very compelling argument, however there are some holes. Culture has never been a one size fits all remedy. By its very nature, culture is dynamic, and for that reason therefore within an enduring theme of conservatism, there exist pockets of liberal warriors who have travelled further down the line in terms of what they ascribe to culture. Are those consequently doomed to be under the thumb of conservative crusaders who happen to be majority? Many people have discarded several aspects of their traditional culture which they deem impractical in the context of the zeitgeist.
The most convincing I heard was one I picked up from a blog post by Agaba Primus. Given the anatomical nature of men and women, it is obvious to see that homosexuality is non-complimentary especially given that they cannot procreate and essentially in a biological or reproductive dimension are not able to complement one another. This gives credence to the view of homosexuality as a mere perversion and not be awarded any undue dignity with sophisticated arguments. I was swayed by this until I became party to a counter argument which says that in as much as men and fellow men cannot engage in proper or symmetrical sexual acts, homosexuality cannot be zeroed down to a sexual act. No allowance in Agaba’s argument has been made for the occurrence of scenarios in which a man derives sentimental and emotional intrinsic worth by being with another man or woman with a counterpart. Without refuting the obvious unnatural sexual reality of homosexuals, people of this persuasion cannot have their orientation simplified to the level of a sex act. It is much more than that. That is where it loses steam and where most Ugandans get it wrong and I will not deny having been held captive by that misinformation.
Finally, however, even though both sides have very credible arguments; the issue is far from being extinguished. I know that I will never see cause for imprisoning gay people or persecuting them, but I also know several fellow countrymen take deep offense to homosexuality and their revulsion is to the extent that it might diminish the quality of their lives significantly should they be made to live side by side with homosexuals. I recommend an open mind. Safe to say, I am still on the fence about this one.
Very interesting to read your gay debate. This is what I have been missing. A gay debate in a civil manner. A debate that looks att all views, ideas, research from different angles. The issue needs to be diskussed in a openminded way if we are going to fully understand whats going on in Uganda and many other countries. It does not help when ppl lock themself in one idea and stick stubbornly to that. Tank u for question all notions abt homosexuality. It is so needed to get a deeper diskussion started.
thank you equal love. a frank discussion is indeed imperative bse as they say the time for equality is always today. So it should not be off bt dealt wth immediately.