Homosexuality not our priority

Once upon a time a male child was born in the village of Guna in Gulu District. The boy grew up to become a man except he never became one. His voice never broke and his external genitalia remained that of a child.

All along the boy enjoyed doing those things that little girls did. As an adult, he stayed in the company of women. He fetched water from the river with women, collected firewood with women and ground millet with the women.

In the absence of the help of a psychologist, the village termed his behaviour as ababa (mentally deranged). However, his family and his village accepted him as he was. He was not ostracised or condemned. To them, that was an act of God.

In the medical world it is well known that a person can be born with the anatomy of a male but the physiology of a female and vice versa. The individual has no control over this “split” physiology. This is the work of nature over which man has no control.

The Anti Homosexuality Bill 2009 is born of anger and not of morality. The Bill is against the fly-by-night pastors of dubious churches which have been licensed by the same government which seeks to pass this Bill. These pastors have been accused of acts of homosexuality against minors. The Bill expresses anger at the allegation of funds being sent to Africa to “convert” the youth into becoming homosexuals. Stories abound of these “donors” who demand that the recipients of the funds prove that homosexuality is indeed being practiced by making videos during the act.

The author of the Bill is incensed by all these acts and seeks to punish those involved. The problem is, can this law be enforced? Apart from being draconian to the nth degree, it is a law that can be used to destroy an individual who is not remotely involved in this sex practice. Your political opponent who is not married or separated from his wife or husband and lives with a same sex person in a house is a likely victim. The Bill ignores the privacy of people’s homes.

For it is in the privacy of their homes that homosexuality is mostly practiced. The law enforcers will come to a suspect’s house in the middle of the night to look for what? “Any artificial sexual contraptions” as the Bill states. What about married couples who use contraptions. What is their punishment? Imprisonment for life? There are so many loopholes in this Bill that the author should take it back to the drawing board hopefully to find a resting place in the archives.

Homosexuality as a moral issue is a concern and a very serious one to the majority of Ugandans. Most Ugandans abhor this practice. It threatens our way of life, family values and everything that is considered good in married life. But this attitude should not blind us from seeing the “other side” of who engages in same sex practice.

There are broadly two types of “those people”. There are those born with the anatomy of one sex and the physiology of the opposite sex. In a strict society, these people grow up and get married and have children but the desire for the same sex never dies. They live with it until death. Where there is an opportunity to be with the same sex partner, they come out of the closet”.

The second group that we all despise are those that engage in homosexuality for monetary gain. To these people the public can preach morality. This group has no physiological drive. They are engaged in this practice for money.

The Bill in question should be crafted to deal with this category of offenders. The only problem is that the “buyer” may be driven by genuine physiological need.

In some countries the attitude adopted is that since it is not possible to eradicate the practice of homosexuality, allow “to kiss and not tell”. In the UK the original law was to allow the practice “between two consenting adults”. That was in the ‘50s. Fifty years down the road “partners” now have equal rights.

Today, Uganda faces many problems. To me, homosexuality is not a priority. Homosexuals do not necessarily steal public funds with impunity. We have failed to deal with people who steal public money. I refuse to use the word corruption because it is too respectable a word to describe these thieves.

It is painful to know that the thieves are well known and they have been at it for some time. They appear to be above the law. Glaring examples abound but no “big fish” has ever been caught and put in the cooler. In Uganda you can dip your hand into the till and you actually get praised for it. Each time funds are stolen, the trail leads to the same doors. Knock at these doors if you dare. These boys have broad shoulders and they bite.

Hon. David Bahati, if you are serious about morality in Uganda, why don’t you draft a Bill that will round up the big boys who treat the public coffer as their personal funds. By now, Hon. Bahati, you must be wondering about my sexual orientation. Wonder no further. My sexual orientation is written all over my face. What about yours?