GlobalGayz.com
December 12, 2011
The following homophobic and irrational opinion article appeared in the Nigerian Vanguard newspaper today written by Kola Animasaun. This was written in light of the impending passage of a virulent anti-gay statute in the Nigerian senate.
(I quote the first four paragraphs)
"Where do human rights begin and where do they end? I should think they should begin with al God-given rights and end where God's laws naturally "adhere to proper human rights."
"But the British Prime Minister has extended it to include making homosexuality legal. The British have been doing the best for themselves to redraw the natural laws in the last few years. They have made nonsense of the Bible and the Qur'an. And you want to believe that they do not believe in any of them.
"You hear of partners - male and female - living together and making nonsense of the sanctity of marriage. That of course does not seem to be the limit. Now, you have marriage between man and man; woman and woman."From time immemorial God warned us against both extremes. And he even demonstrated what would happen if we go against His injunctions. We should not forget the people of Lot - many years and many centuries ago - who were punished by turning them into pillars of salts - both sodomites and lesbians..." (read full story here)
Kola Animasaun is an author; one of his books is entitled 'The Voice of Reason'.
My response to this mindless discrimination follows:
Sirs and Mesdames,
Regarding your writer's words "making nonsense of the sanctity of marriage", instead of blasting a very small minority (of gays) who wish to love in private, I suggest the leaders--political, media and religious--of Nigeria look in the mirror and see how much straight married adults make nonsense of the sanctity of marriage by their infidelity and deceptive attitudes toward their vows.
By the tens of thousands, it is well known that husbands stray far and wide from their spouses--as evidenced by the huge increase of HIV cases among heterosexuals. How many of these men have abandoned their wives and children? How many secretly pursue sex with other women--and men? (It is telling that on today's 12/12/11 front page of the Vanguard there is a joke cartoon that openly suggests infidelity between a husband and his laundrywoman!).
In today's issue of PMNews (Nigeria) the author--a Nigerian woman--has written: "We now live in a civilised world where men carry the Bible and Koran on one hand, while they use the other to commit all sorts of crime. People keep using religious words and titles just to cover up for different atrocities they perpetrate. In fact, the pew is now more sanctified than the pulpit. Why go on preaching against people with two wives when clergy have five girls in his church and two from each church he visits? Why do you claim to be very polished and educated that you can’t imagine yourself with two wives when God knows you have ten already?"
Indeed, these are the people who should be demonized and condemned for their sinful and callous behavior--based on today's reality. Gays who want equality and marriage are a very very small minority of Nigerians who only want to be left alone to love in peace and are much more likely to be faithful than heterosexual husbands.Reacting hysterically and disproportionately to these few gays--who could never possibly threaten the institution of marriage--today's alleged Christian leaders think they have found the real demons in the moral corruption in Nigerian society, basing their condemnation on ancient Biblical scripture that is unscientific, historically inaccurate, mysterious and factually confusing. (Not to mention prejudicial and selective: recall that the Bible says the greatest abomination is charging interest on borrowed money!)
Gays are not a threat to modern Nigerian society; corruption, greed, theft, infidelity, poverty and religious warfare are far more dangerous than a few homosexuals who simply want to care for each other. Also, be reminded that countess scientific studies have confirmed that (1) homosexuals have always existed in African cultures and (2) people are born with a predisposition toward sexual orientation; they don't suddenly chose it at the age of seven, fifteen or twenty-three as a fun thing to do in order to get beaten up for it!
Tend to your own morals before you condemn others. I think Jesus said something like that.
Protest the anti-gay Nigerian law
Forbes Magazine: Obama's Threat
The Economist Report
Washington Post Warns of HIV Increase
Other Nigerian homophobic rants online:
Business Day Online
Daily Trust
Nigeria Masterweb Daily News
+ much more