The Gay Agenda in the Bahamas

by Craig Butler

It is so amazing what we in this country think about gay people, or should I say what we appear to think.

Before going further I wish we would first of all stop and think about our families. I doubt seriously that there is a single person who can truly say that their family does not have a person in it who practices an alternative lifestyle. That being the case I really don’t think that we love them any less or treat them any differently. Then why is it that we choose to single the gay community out as a group?

The church is attempting to set the public agenda. I want to say off the back that the church acts out of what they perceive to be their religious duty and obligation based on the bible and its teachings. Indeed that is what the majority of Bahamians expect of the church.

Because of the request by a particular group for the local cable distributor to carry a gay lifestyle channel we have seen the church or more particularly the Christian Council come out and strongly oppose this. Pastor Lyall Bethel of Grace Gospel Chapel has been named to lead this opposition.

I’ve known Pastor Bethel since schooldays and he has always been a straightforward and decent person. Now he has become our local equivalent of Jerry Farwell in that he is championing a "moral majority". He successfully led the charge to close down a purported strip club and, in the circumstances, he is probably the right man for the job. Pastor Bethel is well-intentioned and acting in the manner that I’m sure he feels the Lord would expect of him.

There have been calls by other groups to have the laws of the country changed in a draconian fashion to make homosexuality illegal, whether practiced in private or not. This is preposterous to say the least.

It appears that all of these people and organizations operate from a premise that being gay is not only wrong but results from a personal choice. This contradicts all of the latest studies which seem to suggest that many in the gay community are as responsible for their sexual preference as are those who the "moral majority" would consider normal.

When a lady whom I know very well found out her son was gay she went to church to pray for him so that God would change him. What was amazing was that watching him grow up everyone was of the opinion that he was gay, but apparently until he told his mother she was oblivious to this fact. I believe she chose not to see what was obvious to everyone else.

I would agree that there appears to be an ever increasing number of people who are practicing a gay lifestyle because of financial inducement. In essence they are prostituting themselves. But is this any different from what takes place in the heterosexual community?

I am writing on this today not to endorse or chide any of the respective parties. What I am concerned about is the limited scope of the attack. If the Christian Council is serious about addressing the moral dilemma in our country, then all aspects of what is considered to be immoral behavior need to be addressed.

In that regard how can the Christian Council call for a ban on a gay channel when there is hard-core pornography openly sold in the stores, on the sides of the street, or available at the touch of a button on the television through cable?

Further there are many who would call for a ban on the gay channel but yet are themselves indulging in pornography in the privacy of their homes, or are living on the down low. It seems hypocritical to me. And by the way, these same pornographic channels also offer lesbian and gay episodes.

I realize that our society is faced with many problems today. I wish we had the answers to these and other problems. But is this cry really resonating with the man on the street? I don’t think so. When you listen to what the people are saying it is clear that many find it hard to accept this position as the church has apparently lost the moral authority to speak because of its own scandals.

Some have pointed to the homosexual scandals that plague the Catholic Church and the huge amounts they have paid out in settlements. Closer to home they say that they can't believe Bahamian pastors as they are before the courts for sexual misconduct and that many are themselves gay.

We have all heard the innuendo surrounding certain high-profile ministers of the gospel - the rumours that some use the pulpit only as a means to please themselves sexually as they are surrounded with women who hang on the every word.

And there is no guidance provided by our political leaders as they themselves are besmirched with questions regarding their own moral values, integrity and sexuality.

All of this said, what do we expect? It seems as though we are destined for failure. The Christian Council needs to readjust its focus. The problem is not with a gay channel or even the pornographic ones. The crux of the matter is personal choice.

Over the past two decades we have suffered from a lack of prominent figures from the religious, political, academic or sporting world, who practice what they preach and can be held up as role models. Coupled with that is the failure of our educational system and the failure of individuals to take responsibility for their actions. We are constantly looking for someone else to blame.

When we can find a way to ensure that each person is willing to take personal responsibility then we can move ahead. Gay or pornographic TV are not going to make a difference in a society that is aware of it’s actions. A person who is able to think would realize right from wrong and accordingly be in a position to make reasoned decisions.

If we don’t address the situation from the standpoint of personal responsibility all we will be doing is attempting to legislate individual morals and values. History has shown repeatedly that this method inevitably fails.

A person's sexual orientation is not the determining factor, and should not be held out as the reason for moral turpitude in our society. Let’s begin to address our problems and not look for a panacea.

Comments

[EB Christen]

Excellent point. You give a sound and healthy voice to what I hope is the silent majority of 'normal, good thinking and reasoned' people in our Bahamaland.

One more thing, we should never give the police the power to invade one's home and one's private space without very, very thoroughly thinking through the ramifications of how those powers can be used/abused. There is more to this argument than just gay rights. There is also the question of a citizen's right to privacy in his/her home.

It is worth thinking of how readily such laws could be abused for nefarious purposes.

[lashan fox]

we should not be going against gods laws because in the bible in 1 chronicles 6-10 it says no adulterer or bi sexual shall see the kingdom i will prepare for them so lets be positive and stick
with the word of christ .vote for christ not bi sexuals.when the day comes for us to be judged we will see the punishment for allowing people to be bi sexuals inthis world .lets all protest against the bi sexual thing that is wanted to be put on piblic television

[Steffan Antonas]

Craig,

This was an excellent, controversial article. Topics like alternative lifestyles and censorship need to be heavily discussed publicly in the Bahamas, especially in a society like ours that is dominated by outspoken conservative groups like the Christian Council. I got the sense when I was reading your article that you were subtly hinting at the fact that, although the public conservative voice seems to be a majority, it may not be a true majority at all…and that, in actual fact, there is more likely a silent majority of more progressive thinkers out there and that the outspoken ones are actually just a very loud, dominant minority. This is an astute observation and it’s an important one for the following reason: In a conservative society like ours, when policy decisions are being made that affect future generations, we have to be careful not to allow important public decisions to be made by a dominant few without debate.

The truth is, when it comes to issues like alternative lifestyles, it’s easy for conservatives to find the motivation and courage to get up and speak out – you’ll find that, with a lot of highly controversial issues, like abortion for example, the people that are the most outspoken tend to be the ones who feel they have “God” on their side – they speak out with loud, righteous voices to affirm their piety and to show the world just how devout they are. What’s worse is that the more justified they feel internally, the louder they become externally. And when it’s a powerful minority group like the Christian Council sending the message in a public arena - that being gay is wrong, for example - it becomes a hard message for individuals who don’t agree to oppose publicly. Because of the deep-seated conservatism we have in the Bahamas, anyone who speaks out risks public scorn and a damaged reputation, especially as there is already so much conservative public consensus. Put another way, it is easier for people who think more progressively/liberally in today’s Bahamian society to be silent than to risk scorn – and that’s the choice that most people make – by not sticking your neck out, you risk nothing. Unfortunately, for this very reason, I think it’ll be years before that silent majority might stand together publicly and say in one voice “Being gay is not a choice, it is a fact of biology - a statistic we must accept and understand to move forward and progress as a country.” One can only hope that we, as a united people, will come to understand and accept that whether you’re gay, straight, bi, atheist, agnostic or a devout Christian, the only truth in this world when it comes to being human is that variety IS nature’s reality – you can censor the public all you want, but it will only prolong social change, not prevent it. To this end, I think you’ll see progress made when our education system gets funded and organized better – but that’s another conversation for another day.

So where do we stand on the issue of a gay channel? Isn’t this just an exercise in censorship by conservatives? If we ban a pro-gay channel, what next? No movies or books with gay images and commentary? What about songs by gay singers? Where would censorship end? It’s a slippery slope, isn’t it? More importantly, muting people’s ability to chose to consume pro-gay media in the privacy of their own homes seems wrong, doesn’t it? Instead of banning a gay channel, why don’t we just advocate the use of and advertise technologies like the v-chip so that parents can effectively censor what their children/families see and let the rest of the world do as it likes? The bottom line is that policy makers and figureheads should seriously consider the negative impact of censorship before making any decisions that affect people’s right to chose for themselves or express thoughts freely.

Thanks again, Craig for having the courage to encourage discussion around these issues.

[EB Christen]

@Lashan Fox
If people can respect your point of view and your right to believe in whatever it is that you want to believe in, then why can't you respect the rights of others to do the same? Do these people harm you? Do they come to your home and tell you how to live? What is that Golden Rule that is attributed to Jesus again? I have read the bible many times; it is my understanding that Jesus asks you to look to your own actions and doesn't ask you to judge others for theirs. Perhaps you should study your own religion a little bit more closely? Perhaps you should also consider that societies where priests of whatever faith take power have failed over and over again - you can look at this anywhere in the world today and throughout history.

Your kingdom that you crave is a heavenly one, not an earthly one. Religion should be about your own personal relationship with God and shouldn't be something that priests and politicians can use to manipulate you and your feelings. I am sure that if you read your own scriptures more closely and don't listen to foolish pastors, you will see this. Don't let hate mongers poison the religion that is supposed to preach love, tolerance and forgiveness. You will be losing the true meaning of Christianity if you do.

[Gail]

It is no business of mine, or the public whether one chooses to enjoy sexual acts with a man or a woman. Who cares? The more these "anti-gay" committees are promoted, the more "gay" people come out proclaiming their preference and the more chickens running around without a head!
As you said, these people should spend some more time looking into Adultery, Prostitution, Fornication, Disease etc. instead of running after one issue that possesses a higher stigma!
If that is who you are, so what? Keep your business to yourself!