The Homosexuality Debate
19 January 2014 By Abiodun Giwa
Museveni and Jonathan
Is homosexuality a human rights issue? Should Western countries the right to force African countries to embrace accommodation of homosexuals as a human rights issue? Is homosexuality in-born or a learned behavior?
These are some of the questions that have surfaced in the raging debate over the conflict between western countries and African countries, following the Nigerian government's enactment of a law that criminalizes homosexuality, and Ugandan president's restraint about how his countries should go about tackling the challenge he says homosexuals pose to the society.
"You cannot call an abnormality an alternative orientation. It could be that the western societies, on account of random breeding, have generated many abnormal people. Aside from young people who were homosexuals for "mercenary" reasons, lesbians were often women who failed to find a husband and sexually starved," President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda was quoted in a widely reported speech following his restraint against his country's rushing to enact a law that will criminalize homosexuality.
The United states' immediate response to Nigeria's new law against criminalization of homosexuality is that the new law encroaches on the freedom of association and assembly. This has been followed by Britain's threat to pull aid from countries that are criminalizing homosexuality. Against expectation, the Uganda's president, Yoweri Museveni, refused to assent bill criminalizing homosexuality in Uganda, but nonetheless made a hard observation about homosexuality and widely publicised in news reports by the BBC and the Los Angeles Times.
Marvin Alleyne of Ovid Apparels said he had the opportunity of working in residences owned by homosexuals and explains that they are humans and highly placed people in the society. He views Some African countries' opposition to homosexuality as inhuman and unwelcome, even though he is not a homosexual and does not believe in it as a sexual orientation. He thinks that if laws are enacted against homosexuality, homosexuals will be driven underground and be like they are being denied existence. He sees the issue of homosexuality as beyond poor people, because he believes it is one sexual orientation the powerful and those who control the society have embraced. However, he does not think that western countries should compel governments in African countries against their peoples' wish. He does no approve polygamy practiced in Africa and would never welcome it. He says Britain has every right to withdraw aid from countries in Africa that receive aid from her and would not do her wish. He says that if African countries wants to be fully independent, they should be able to live and take care of their needs without aid from powerful countries.
Richie Arlington of Ideal Interior says it is wrong for western countries to determine African countries' decisions. If Nigeria's 98 percent of the population have said they don't want homosexuals and those who don't want it are in majority and the country practices democratic form of government, let them have their wish. He approves Museveni's assertion and that a whole lot of wrongs are cropping up in the society under the banner of human rights. Arlington calls the reporter's attention to the issue of Sochi Olympics, the Russia's position on homosexuality and the gay rights group objection to Vladimir Putin's position that the law in Russia is merely against drawing minor's attention to the gay propaganda and that the homosexuals are working hard to change the world's definition of morality. He sees some western countries tendency to influence the African society to embrace homosexuality as an undue exercise of power.
Emmanuel Diaz said that if African countries practice democracy like most of the western countries and they are not communist countries, they have no choice than embrace the freedom that is the tenet of democracy that gives people freedom to choose their religion, living conditions, expression and sexual orientation. "This is my viewpoint from the practice of Government. Personally, I am very much against homosexuality but have nothing against homosexuals. I know the practice has been around for a long time and almost not given a chance by any of the religions." He acknowledges the existence of homosexuality in Sodom and Gomorrah, the destruction of the city and Apostle Paul's sermon against what he termed an unseemly act in a letter to the Romans 1:27-28. But Diaz cannot say whether marriage is a political or religious issue, but he sees the matter now in the realm of politics more than religion.
Diaz's view brings to memory certain lines in reports about homosexuality that say Christian Churches in the U.S. are the ones sponsoring opposition against homosexuality in Africa, and upon which an observer said he has not seen a stout opposition against the act in the U.S. and then ask how can American Churches be held responsible for what is purely Africans' decision against a lifestyle they regard as heretic. And Unlike Diaz who said Museveni may not understand how long homosexuality has existed, though he agrees with the view... both Alleyne and Arlington share and approve Museveni's view about the evolution of homosexuality in the Western world, against some others' view that Museveni's view is stereotype and should have been avoided.
The homosexuality debate is raging. Museveni's view has also led to discussions about whether homosexual is inborn or learned behavior. Abram Vals says it is inborn. Sadak Hussein says it is a learned behavior. But after considering experiences and their knowledge of homosexuals, both agree that it can be inborn and it can be learned. None of them is homosexual, but they feel their existence don't bother them.
There is a report published by the New York based Sahara Reporters - an online publication - that the Canadian Government had cancelled the Nigerian president's proposed February 2014 visit to Canada. The report said that the cancelation was conveyed through Nigeriia's ambassador to Canada, the same week that President Jonathan assented the anti-gay bill in Nigeria. But the Canadian Government has not officially said the anti-gay law is the cause of the Nigerian president's proposed visit's cancelation.
These are some of the questions that have surfaced in the raging debate over the conflict between western countries and African countries, following the Nigerian government's enactment of a law that criminalizes homosexuality, and Ugandan president's restraint about how his countries should go about tackling the challenge he says homosexuals pose to the society.
"You cannot call an abnormality an alternative orientation. It could be that the western societies, on account of random breeding, have generated many abnormal people. Aside from young people who were homosexuals for "mercenary" reasons, lesbians were often women who failed to find a husband and sexually starved," President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda was quoted in a widely reported speech following his restraint against his country's rushing to enact a law that will criminalize homosexuality.
The United states' immediate response to Nigeria's new law against criminalization of homosexuality is that the new law encroaches on the freedom of association and assembly. This has been followed by Britain's threat to pull aid from countries that are criminalizing homosexuality. Against expectation, the Uganda's president, Yoweri Museveni, refused to assent bill criminalizing homosexuality in Uganda, but nonetheless made a hard observation about homosexuality and widely publicised in news reports by the BBC and the Los Angeles Times.
Marvin Alleyne of Ovid Apparels said he had the opportunity of working in residences owned by homosexuals and explains that they are humans and highly placed people in the society. He views Some African countries' opposition to homosexuality as inhuman and unwelcome, even though he is not a homosexual and does not believe in it as a sexual orientation. He thinks that if laws are enacted against homosexuality, homosexuals will be driven underground and be like they are being denied existence. He sees the issue of homosexuality as beyond poor people, because he believes it is one sexual orientation the powerful and those who control the society have embraced. However, he does not think that western countries should compel governments in African countries against their peoples' wish. He does no approve polygamy practiced in Africa and would never welcome it. He says Britain has every right to withdraw aid from countries in Africa that receive aid from her and would not do her wish. He says that if African countries wants to be fully independent, they should be able to live and take care of their needs without aid from powerful countries.
Richie Arlington of Ideal Interior says it is wrong for western countries to determine African countries' decisions. If Nigeria's 98 percent of the population have said they don't want homosexuals and those who don't want it are in majority and the country practices democratic form of government, let them have their wish. He approves Museveni's assertion and that a whole lot of wrongs are cropping up in the society under the banner of human rights. Arlington calls the reporter's attention to the issue of Sochi Olympics, the Russia's position on homosexuality and the gay rights group objection to Vladimir Putin's position that the law in Russia is merely against drawing minor's attention to the gay propaganda and that the homosexuals are working hard to change the world's definition of morality. He sees some western countries tendency to influence the African society to embrace homosexuality as an undue exercise of power.
Emmanuel Diaz said that if African countries practice democracy like most of the western countries and they are not communist countries, they have no choice than embrace the freedom that is the tenet of democracy that gives people freedom to choose their religion, living conditions, expression and sexual orientation. "This is my viewpoint from the practice of Government. Personally, I am very much against homosexuality but have nothing against homosexuals. I know the practice has been around for a long time and almost not given a chance by any of the religions." He acknowledges the existence of homosexuality in Sodom and Gomorrah, the destruction of the city and Apostle Paul's sermon against what he termed an unseemly act in a letter to the Romans 1:27-28. But Diaz cannot say whether marriage is a political or religious issue, but he sees the matter now in the realm of politics more than religion.
Diaz's view brings to memory certain lines in reports about homosexuality that say Christian Churches in the U.S. are the ones sponsoring opposition against homosexuality in Africa, and upon which an observer said he has not seen a stout opposition against the act in the U.S. and then ask how can American Churches be held responsible for what is purely Africans' decision against a lifestyle they regard as heretic. And Unlike Diaz who said Museveni may not understand how long homosexuality has existed, though he agrees with the view... both Alleyne and Arlington share and approve Museveni's view about the evolution of homosexuality in the Western world, against some others' view that Museveni's view is stereotype and should have been avoided.
The homosexuality debate is raging. Museveni's view has also led to discussions about whether homosexual is inborn or learned behavior. Abram Vals says it is inborn. Sadak Hussein says it is a learned behavior. But after considering experiences and their knowledge of homosexuals, both agree that it can be inborn and it can be learned. None of them is homosexual, but they feel their existence don't bother them.
There is a report published by the New York based Sahara Reporters - an online publication - that the Canadian Government had cancelled the Nigerian president's proposed February 2014 visit to Canada. The report said that the cancelation was conveyed through Nigeriia's ambassador to Canada, the same week that President Jonathan assented the anti-gay bill in Nigeria. But the Canadian Government has not officially said the anti-gay law is the cause of the Nigerian president's proposed visit's cancelation.
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