Outing the (s)cold

By Johan de Haan --

As Thomas Jefferson, founding father of a nation and now an absentee from the Texas school curriculum, once said “My opinion is that there would never have been an infidel, if there had never been a priest.” These words are for all intents and purposes as true for the cause of the gay and lesbian community, which in many ways is a flagship of the universal attempt at a secular society. It represents in an unparalleled manner the conflict between old superstitions and prejudices and the liberties and rights of the individual. Its existence is, like the infidel, dependent on the insistence of the priest that there is something untoward in such a lifestyle.

The furtherance of the cause of homosexuals as equal human beings is as much a litmus test of the strength of our societies as any. Where the rights of people with an “alternative” choice of sexual lifestyle are trampled upon, their conduct criminalized and their choices ridiculed, it reflects a failure on the part of us all to adequately enshrine their protections and to stand by our own claims and propositions. It is indeed as shameful as our tolerance of the ability of the state to prohibit women from owning a camel or parents to choose their child’s life partner.

It was with a feeling of dread and personal failure that I read the story of Tiwonge Chimbalanga and his partner Steven Monjeza who are facing the threat of imprisonment in Malawi for the “criminal offense” of publicly confessing their commitment to each other and for having the courage and conviction to stand by their love and personal choice in facing the charges and resisting the primitive, despicable prejudice of their communities. The sight of these two men walking into the courtroom, handcuffed and hand-in-hand, whilst the contemptuous hordes laughed and harassed, was a damning indictment against not only Malawi but the entire world. The idea that in the 21st century adult human beings could still harbour such primitive ideas and legislate to enforce them at the expense of the individual is indescribably disheartening and a stark reminder of just how backward our global morality really is.

The production of a just and secular society which protects and respects the rights of all individuals is not a matter for institutions or governments, it begins with us all as individuals in the manner in which we treat others and respect their rights as equivalent members of the same species. Of course it would be melodramatic to attach any specific significance to this incident, afterall we tolerate the censure by middle-eastern regimes, the continued discrimination against women in countries such as Saudi Arabia or the physical dis-figuration of small children in the name of religion without a second thought. Whilst we live our lives generally inconsiderate of these continued idiocies, the significance of the trial in Malawi was placed in contrast with the Belgium Pride March held this past week. During the march 35000 people took part in a celebration of their personal choice, their lifestyles and their rightful place as equal participants in their society regardless of their personal preferences. They were accompanied by people from all walks of life, of all ages and many of the more “traditional” sexual persuasion. To see this coming together of people in celebration of both their similarities and differences without preconceptions, without hang-ups and without limitation by the writings of dark age nomads was a welcome exhibition in secularism and a celebration of humanity. To see it in contrast with the wailing, giggling simpletons who heckled Tiwonge and his partner was indicative both of the long way some of our species have come and the spectacularly long way others still have to go.

One should have no illusions about the origin of this primitive behaviour. The only real difference between our western societies and the repressed rabble in Malawi is time and location. Mere centuries ago our forefathers were as primitive in their opinions as any backward village in the foothills of the great lakes or dusty corner in Afghanistan and the regular assaults of homosexuals on the streets of London, Amsterdam and Berlin suggest that within our communities their remains a credible portion of simpletons sufficiently impressed by the moral teachings of their preachers and imams to perpetuate the kind of infantile reasoning that has seen Tiwonge and his partner at the mercy of an institutional mob.

In the long term the production of a just and secular society which protects and respects the rights of all individuals is not a matter for institutions or governments, it begins with us all as individuals in the manner in which we treat others and respect their rights as equivalent members of the same species. However, when we are confronted with governments and legal systems that enshrine primitive superstition without room for criticism and without compromise we must be prepared to go beyond that personal call of duty and insist that our own elected governments and leaders enshrine the principle of a separation of church and state and prevent the primitive conceptions that religious adherents maintain from tainting the fabric of our communities. But for such persistence and insistence we too may find that all who have the courage of their convictions to lead a life extraordinary are left out in the cold.

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