Gay thinking must fall

Tumie Modise | Monday March 21, 2016 16:43

As the homosexual debate rages on, I am literally pulling my hair out right now. I sincerely wish we all could just snap out of it already and just let everyone get on with their lives, mind our own business. It is now getting to a point where it’s both disturbing and very annoying. As a country we have many unimaginable problems; drought, failing students, HIV/AIDS, road accidents, high unemployment rate, crime, people with drinking disorders and cattle roaming freely in the streets of Gaborone. Lately horses and donkeys have found their way into town too. A handful of gay people cannot and shouldn’t be among those if we are really talking ‘problems’.

I know with this one I am going to rub a couple of people the wrong way. Look, I am as straight as they come, straight as the Kgalagadi highway; that is if it is still straight like it used to. But I just don’t get this brouhaha over homosexuals. As far as I am concerned, someone being straight or gay doesn’t change the price of bread, most importantly it does not affect anyone’s life, it won’t fill Gaborone dam. What people do in their own private spaces should never be anyone’s business.

My issue isn’t so much about whether homosexuality is normal or immoral, it’s about how we sometimes use religion as an excuse to discriminate against and harm others, only when it suits us. Instances of institutions and individuals claiming a right to discriminate in the name of religion aren’t new. At the height of apartheid in the neighbouring countries, we saw institutions object to laws requiring integration in public spaces such as restaurants and schools because of sincerely held beliefs that God wanted the races to be separate. What a load of nonsense. Interracial dating was scorned, heck; even our first president was exiled on the same grounds! In those cases, we recognised that requiring integration was not about violating religious liberty; it was about ensuring fairness. It is no different today. It is now water under the bridge that last week homosexuals (I hate the word) scored a major victory against the government with their case where they were simply seeking recognition. When the news of the appeal court outcome seeped into the public domain, once again this sparked an emotional debate. Some people celebrated in solidarity with the group while others dug out their dusty Bibles and started speaking in tongues. Tongues because most of them are the worst sinners you have ever seen, even Satan would be ashamed of them. But they somehow found their morality voices and swore on the Bible that single day. I am a Christian and although I occasionally stumble and fall, I still regard myself as one. I occasionally miss church, I still struggle with the 10 Commandments and I am still suspicious of tithing.

Based on my own shortcomings, obviously I am the last person to throw stones at anyone. I am too busy worrying about my own salvation and how I will eventually bow out of this world. Sometimes I even think of the menu at my funeral. My mind is preoccupied with important things like that. I got no business worrying about what other adults get up to in the privacy of their own homes, even whether they will make it to heaven. Not that I don’t care about the former, only that my mind gets preoccupied with many things. Plus churches have now mushroomed all over, they are even on TV where you can even touch your flat screen and get instant deliverance! This warped thinking where we are obsessed with homosexuals and their way of doing things is just a waste of time and taxes in my view. Homosexuality is old, its being there since time immemorial and no one is going to stop it, and no law will abolish it. I don’t understand it; I only know that I am not attracted to girls. Someone likes Fanta and I am addicted to Coke, these things happen.

What I find unjust and unfair with this type of discrimination is that other morality misdemeanours get less attention and this makes homosexuality look like it’s the worst thing since the garden of Eve debacle. What I hate most, is seeing adulterers, liars, con-artists and gossipers condemn this group of people when four fingers are pointing at them. Wouldn’t life be fantastic if we all minded our own business, loved our neighbours and left all judging to the one above?