Some comments to BU recently have motivated me to blog on the issue of homosexuality in the context of Barbados. Many of us grew-up in a village and would have had to confront the issue of “bullas” and “wickers” in various ways. We all had this amorphous understanding that the issue existed but it seemed so far away. What is it about the issue of homosexuality which always seems to drive fear and some would say irrationality into the behaviour of Barbadians right across the social spectrum?
Simply put I think that the phobia which black Barbadians show towards homosexuals may have its roots in our tumultuous past. Historians recount that the African slaves were ritualistic and relied heavily on religion. The need to bond in the strange lands of the West Indies away from Africa may have embedded a value system heavily influenced by Christian doctrines injected by the slave masters which has seen its legacy effect to this day. In a nutshell Christians react to the question of homosexuality by stating that it conflicts with Christian teachings. I am not overly religious and therefore not the best person to debate on this basis.
Barbadians do fear what the entry of homosexuals to mainstream society may bring. They listen to the news and observed how the developed countries embrace homosexuals as equals; it appears that way on the surface anyway. Perhaps most critical to understanding the fears of mainstream Barbados is the fact that it is now well documented that AIDS/HIV has been proven to be linked to the homosexual lifestyle:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that the number of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses rose 11 percent among gay and bisexual men between 2000 and 2003. Reuters News Service echoed these concerns: “Since the late 1990s… the disease has shown signs of a comeback, particularly among gay and bisexual men.”
Source: HIV, AIDS Cases Rise Among U.S. Gay, Bisexual Men,” Reuters News Service, December 1, 2004
It is not anytime soon that Barbadians will dispense with the cautious approach it has towards embracing homosexuals into mainstream activity; and yes I wrote cautious and not homophobic. BU feels that Barbadians must be commended for being honest about this contentious issue. We continue to feel that the homosexual lobby has become so overwhelmingly strong that it has turn homosexuality into a “human rights” issue. Again there are enough studies which show that homosexuality is a learned behavour in the early life of individuals which means that it can be unlearned:
This University of Western Ontario study, which concluded that there is no apparent biological basis for homosexuality, raises the likelihood that homosexuals acquire or learn same-sex attraction in their formative years. If homosexuality is a learned characteristic, it is logical to assume, therefore, that homosexuals can “unlearn” the same-sex attraction, if there is the will to do so. Certainly, there are a significant number of psychologists and psychiatrists who have successfully treated homosexuals and lesbians in this regard.
Source: Real Women of Canada
John Amaechi the NBA basketball player who recently made public his homosexual tendency made very interesting observations. He stated
“Probably 30 of my former (NBA) teammates have my e-mail and my telephone contacts and probably 16 or so of those I was in regular touch with and there are probably 10 people who I have (on instant messenger). And zero — nobody — who’s active in the NBA has been in touch with me since the day I came out, despite the fact that most of them knew I was gay in the first place,” Amaechi said.
When one juxtaposes his comment against the very public position of the USA it tells us that there must be some hypocrisy present when viewed against Amaechi’s other statement:
And in fact, 95 percent of the correspondence I’ve had have been overwhelmingly supportive and positive,” Amaechi said. “But I will say that the 5 percent that I’ve had have been unbelievably, viscerally, frighteningly negative.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
The question BU asks is its litmus test for Barbadians on whether they would allow Amaechi – a psychologist who works with children – to work with their children if the opportunity was present.
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