LGBTQ+: More to it than meets the eye

The intense and heightened debate on homosexuality in Uganda that has resulted into the passing of the Anti-Homosexuality bill by the Uganda Parliament brings to the fore not only homosexuality but the myriad of sexual orientation and gender identity constructs that are becoming normalized in Western countries. 

Currently the Uganda social media is abuzz with allegations of forced homosexual acts that have been perpetrated, apparently, even by some religious leaders. Sadly, the victims who are crying out are mature youths who are claiming that they were abused when they were in their teens. Isn’t this one of the key avenues through which homosexuality has been promoted in the Ugandan community?

If Dr. Kitutu and other ministers can be arraigned before courts of law to answer charges of misallocated and/or misappropriated iron-sheets, how much more those who might have destroyed a generation through illegal sexual activity using their privileged position and power? Best if the perpetrators can be convicted by the holy spirit to repent and receive forgiveness from God. 

In the Daily Monitor of April 4, 2023 Dr Muniini Mulera advanced a view that several studies conducted in Uganda in the 1970s revealed that there was evidence of homosexual activities among some Ugandan communities, however I am not convinced this would be justifiable enough to normalise homosexuality.

Upon reading Dr. Muniini Mulera’s article, I decided to solicit views about homosexuality especially its prevalence in Uganda from some five eminent Ugandan academics, including top medics, who were in the age range of Dr Muniini.

None of them subscribed to his view.  
They all agreed that pre-colonial Africa may have had some isolated cases of homosexuals but this is not grounds for justification. Sexual deviance, one argued, can be regulated, or, better prohibited but not promoted. One academic observed that, ‘Just like no one will die if they do not engage in masturbation or bestiality, no one can be hurt because of not engaging in homosexuality. On the contrary the social, emotional and health challenges associated with homosexuality are many and undeniable.

Another academic and health specialist argued that while African communities are majorly concerned with procreation, Western European societies are more preoccupied with recreation thus the promotion of sexual orientations that may be an affront to culturally conservative and religious value laden African societies.

While the western liberal secular world is hell-bent on promoting homosexuality as a sexual right, it has been grappling with thousands of cases of sexual molestation of minors by men, many of advanced age who used their power, money and influence to cause traumatic effects on their victims. Majority of the sexual abusers have now been arraigned in court by now, the grown up men, who were defenceless minors thirty or so years ago.

Many of the court cases have ended up in the compensation of victims with colossal sums of money. If Uganda was to embrace homosexuality, what would prevent us from progressively endorsing bestiality? I have been told of a case of a dear brother in Christ who repented of having sex with a goat during the 1970s and he used to testify about it freely until he was advised against the confession by elders. He is a very happily married man now! If this gentleman perhaps lived in some western countries, he might have been affirmed in his act of bestiality. There are countries in the world where bestiality, or better sanitized, Zoophilia is legal or where it is practiced since there are loop-holes in the laws of some countries. Some of these include Romania, Hungary, Finland, Mexico, Cuba, Chile and about nine states of the United States of America.

In some European countries, animal sex tourists are a common phenomenon. Question is, since some countries do not frown upon bestiality, should Ugandans too embrace bestiality? 
Isn’t it possible that from homosexuality we shall be faced with the prospect of promotion of bestiality?

The sexual revolution of the increasingly liberal secular western world illustrated by the sexual orientation and gender identity acronym LGTBQ+ is an indicator that there is much more to the homosexuality debate than meets the eye, thus the + which suggests more is yet to come.

Rt. Rev. Dr. Fred Sheldon Mwesigwa (PhD.)Associate Professor of Religious Education.