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Bashing Gays Has No Place
in Civilised Society
"Gays have no business fighting for
recognition in Kenya" cannot be allowed to go unanswered. Homophobia of this
kind has no place in democracy.
02 Oct 2007- Kenya- Coming in an
edition of the paper which reports on the illegal seizure of land in Taveta by
Government agents, one wonders whether Kenya is, in fact, turning into Zimbabwe.
Mr Nyamu's words have often been echoed by the twisted, but eloquent, Robert
Mugabe.
Mr Nyamu manages to insult the disabled as
well as homosexuals who have nothing at all in common except for the way they
are mistreated. The truth is, we are all "disabled", but some of us display it
in more obvious ways than others.
Not everyone believes that "one miraculous
intelligence is responsible for life and orderliness on earth and in the
universe." If there is such a being (and of course it would be a male figure for
Mr Nyamu) why has he made such a mess of things?
Had mr Nyamu taken the trouble to see some
dance performances which recently featured "able-bodied" as well as "disabled"
dancers, he would have noticed that someone with polio may have non-functioning
legs but very powerful arm. That another who has only one leg can balance and
use it with a kind of poetic grace that some of us with two legs can't do.
The "generally accepted population
standards" which Mr Nyamu quotes are woefully inadequate, and Kenya is only
beginning to recognise that the so-called disabled are functioning human beings
who have full rights in society, and not curses on their families because of
witchcraft which is what used to be believed.
Then there is the old canard about
everything evil coming from the West. A certain percentage of individuals (and
animals) everywhere is homosexual, but of course, exact figures are difficult to
gauge because in countries like Iran whose President denies the existence of
such "aberrations," young gays are murdered as well as girls seen talking to men
who are not related to them by blood.
Mr Nyamu appears to be unaware that there
are plenty of MPs who are gay, but unfortunately for their peers, do not declare
it, men who live with men but keep a wife and children on the side for
respectability's sake. Good luck to them - as long as everyone is happy.
All along the coast, and in Arab cultures,
homosexuality has long been practised. In Ancient Greece, it was common for
older men to have relations with younger ones, but perhaps Mr Nyamu might not
regard their civilisation as admirable since they did have slaves, and didn't
give equal rights to everyone.
In Haiti to this day, there are
time-honoured voodoo traditions which use homosexuality and transvestism and
which acknowledge the presence of eros in everyday life.
"The writer would like to believe that
these habits were generally not known in traditional African societies until
after independence?" he says.
Concentrate on reality not fantasy, Mr
Nyamu. Wander round Nairobi at night. You will find gay clubs, places where
people need not be ashamed of coming across the kinds of attitudes you express,
where they can feel free to simply be themselves. And just in case you think I
have an axe to grind, I am neither "gay" nor "disabled".
In the end, the God argument just won't
wash. Look at all the damage it has done in Catholic institutions where they are
now having to face up to years of sexual abuse which were swept under the
carpet.
Yes, this is the wicked west again, but Mr
Nyamu you are there promoting an ideal of democracy which also comes from that
part of the world. Make up your mind. You can't have your cake and eat it. These
things have come out in the West because there are at least mechanisms to deal
with them.
As for their "succumbing to persuasion from
Western practitioners through some reward like money" as Mr Nyamu suggests, this
is a quite novel explanation which he ought to explore more fully.
The God approach can't work because God is
supposed to love and accept everyone which very few religious fundamentalists
do. According to the various books, He created us all - white, black, with short
legs or long necks, male and female, bisexual, transsexual...
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