Opinions of Thursday, 16 January 2014
Columnist: Peter Osei-Adjei
A few months ago, I visited Ghana on two occasions in a month’s span due to some family emergencies. While in the country, there were two major hot topics blurring on the airwaves, in the various newspapers and social network sites. First, there was pretty much a daily discussions on the 2012 general elections court petition as people waited anxiously for the supreme court judges’ decision, and second; the debate on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender; popularly known as the LGBT community.
When I left the shores of Ghana for my further studies abroad, about a decade ago, the issue of LGBT rights and the associated moral trepidations was not a concern to an average Ghanaian. Most Ghanaians at that time didn’t pay attention to those issues, even though we knew it was being practiced in some tertiary institutions and few other senior high schools in the cities. Ten years later, this has become a national debate, but unfortunately, shrouded with such a gore, venom, fury and hatred.
Though I’m a regular contributor of online radio programs and other newspapers in the US, I never tried to chip in these hilarious debates during my entire two-week stay in Ghana. The reason is that, I was too busy dealing with family emergencies and had very little or no time to voice out my personal opinion.
However, during my second visit, a friend of mine who generously hosted me in Accra, happened to give me and my niece a ride to my hometown to attend my late Mom’s burial and memorial service. Half way down the road, he tuned in his old fashioned stereo to one of the popular FM radio station which was having a discussion about the unfair treatment of homosexuals in Ghana (LGBT). When I looked at his usually smiling face, I knew intuitively that there was something wrong! I could see his frowned face as he nodded his head to signal his disappointment. So I politely asked him, “What is your opinion about the ongoing LGBT discussion in Ghana?” To my surprise, he was very furious and told me “I don’t want to talk about it, because it makes me mad anytime I hear about this nonsense. I wish we could round them up and lynch them just like armed robbers”.
I just couldn’t believe my ears hearing such spiteful and vindictive words coming out of a young man who is full of compassion, very kind and very entertaining. I greatly respect him due to his caring heart, honesty, perseverance and hardworking spirit. Immediately, I knew in my heart that I must do something. I responded that if such unforgiving words could come out of a young man, whom I highly respect and anticipated to be very compassionate, then we Ghanaians especially the youth (irrespective of your current status) really need education about human rights. I didn’t want to have a prolonged argument with him, so I had to end it by asserting that “I’ll be back with my reasons why the LGBT community needs love compassion and help rather than hatred”.
A day after my arrival in my hometown, a longtime friend of mine who accused me of not looking for him during my first visit came and picked me up to show me his new apartment which was about four blocks from my house. On our way, we could hear a loud radio discussions from the nearby grocery kiosks (at least about 3 of them) blurring all over the place. Once again, the discussion was about LGBT. This time, I decided to change my strategy of questioning. This friend has been a well-respected high school teacher, a journalist and a radio presenter for over a decade. So I asked him “What will you do if one of your kids becomes a gay or lesbian?” Right away, he told me “I’ll slash his or her head” In disbelieve, I replied him, “really”? He responded by saying “Let them try and see”. Unsatisfied by his answer, I then asked if he is aware that some very famous and notable journalists in the US are part of the LGBT community, and whether he will attack and lynch them if they visit Ghana. Surprisingly, he told me “oh no, I’ll never do that because I respect them a lot”. At that moment, I knew this is a serious issue that needs urgent attention. For many of us, I think it’s just a sheer ignorance. Again, I promised him that I will be back with my reasons why his strategy is wrong. And here we are today;
Please, let me be very clear; I’m not by no means endorsing, encouraging or clinching my support to legalize ‘homosexual practices’ in Ghana. I’ll leave that for the sole decision of the law makers and the Ghanaian populace. However, my main concern is the violence against the LGBT or the homosexuals in our community. Currently, the spiteful debates, the injustices and discrimination, the violence and the mob attacks, all boils down to two main topical issues: Religious prejudice and the eccentricity of our moral practices and culture in Ghana, which I completely understand.
First, I want to express my opinion why the LGBT needs our help based on the moral grounds. This is one of the main reasons why people are so furious at the moment. I’m a Ghanaian by birth, raised, and had most of my education in Ghana, so I’m no stranger to the norms and taboos in our society. At the same time, I’ve had the opportunity to live on three different continents (Africa, Europe and North America). In all these three continents, there is nowhere that lynching or violence is justified on any grounds. Let’s not forget the fact that, just as in Europe and America, violence and lynching are also illegal, unlawful and morally baseless in Ghana. Numbers don’t lie! Those with doubts may check the score board. The laws of the land clearly state that we cannot and must not take the laws into our own hands and punish those we feel are wrong. Excuse me to say that, this kind of behavior is typical of the ‘old stone age era’
Additionally, if people want to argue that “homosexual practice” is a taboo, offensive, unmentionable, forbidden, prohibited etc., to our culture, I have no problem with that and do perfectly agree. However, my question is very simple; does it mean that we must be so violent to the extent that we want to lynch those who go against those taboos and norms? Please, let’s not forget the fact that apart from ‘homosexualism’, infidelity, rapists, child molestation, sexual harassment mostly at work places, prostitution, kidnapping, tribalism, promiscuous sex , the widespread corruption, adultery, witchcraft, death penalty, teenage pregnancy, arm robbery, corn artists, swindlers and tricksters, fake religious leaders, quack doctors, corrupt politicians, child labor, widespread unemployment among the youth, neglect of the mentality deranged people in the streets, kids dying of hunger and curable diseases, indiscipline and lawlessness among the youth, carnage on our roads, drunk drivers etc, are all considered immoral practices in the Ghanaian society. Right? If so, why don’t we round all these people up and lynch them as some people claim? Of course, NO!
Let’s be honest with ourselves and answer this simple question; how many Ghanaians can boldly come out and declare that they are not guilty of any of these immoral practices? In one way or the other, we are all guilty of our own taboos and norms but that does not mean we turn into a society of violence and barbaric behavior. These are characteristics of the dark ages.
That’s why there are rules, laws, by-laws as well as leaders to guide and punish us when we go wrong. Until there are laws that ban that practice, under no circumstances should any homosexual person be lynched, discriminated against or punished unjustifiably. Even under those circumstances, then the laws must take its course. We all agree that two wrongs don’t make one right! The point here is that if violence meted against humanity can force people to comply, then Al Qaida should have transformed all of us to follow them and rule the world as well. Instead, violence brings more violence and ultimately results in resilience measures to withstand and counter those violence.
I know a couple of friends and loved ones whose family members are part of the LGBT community. What they do is frequently organizing counselling services for them, and praying for them in church services and on prayer lines. Some even go to the extent of doing a 21-day fasting and praying for their salvation. They haven’t abandoned them, because they really want the best of life for them. And some of them do change and live a straight life. That’s what we should be doing in Ghana. Violence against homosexuals will not take us anywhere. That’s rather a typical sign of a defeatist attitude.
In his famous book “The power of positive thinking” Rev. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, the father of positive thinking and one of the most widely read inspirational writers of all time says; The best way to overcome your fears is to confront it with positive thinking and attitude with realities, not violence. This is very true because, my personal failures, struggles and experiences as an immigrant student in America have taught me that one of the best ways to change people without arousing resentment is to forgive and love them. We can win this battle easier than we think if we make the conscious effort to confront all these challenges through nonviolent means and prove that we care and want the best for them.
Second, as a Christian and someone born and raised as a catholic, I’ve decided not to go through the biblical details of what the bible says about homosexuality. The reason is that I find it very disheartening and disgusting why someone will question about the various warnings in the scriptures against homosexuality. It doesn’t make sense to organize some kind of Sunday school classes at this time to teach people when the evidence is overwhelmingly clear. To me, any argument about homosexuality being an abomination in the Ghanaian culture is absolutely preposterous! Majority of those of us who hold the Christian faith know that homosexuality is a sin just as all other sins (Galatians 5:19).
I’d prefer to leave the other religions alone and comment on my Christian faith about what the bible teaches about homosexuality. There are seven mentions of homosexual acts in the Bible.