Here’s a recent story in the news – Nigerian gay rights advocates are calling for an end to the country’s 2014 Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act. This is in the wake of the United States Supreme Court 5-4 ruling in favour of legalizing gay marriages across all 50 states. This was cited in a report written by Bisi Aimi, published by the American Center and the New York-based Leitner Centre for International Law and Justice, Associated Press cites.
The Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act is “the constitutionalisation of hate and hate crimes against LGBT individuals,” writes Bisi Alimi in the report. It demands for President Buhari’s intervention against what is deemed discrimination of the country’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. Freedom of expression, association among other human rights are also said to be denied.
The story brings to mind an interesting debate worth considering – How far is too far in curbing immoral practices in our society? From a Christian or Muslim perspective, homosexuality is frowned upon due to its unnatural inclination. Men and men were not created to be intimate and procreate quite frankly, and our largely religious society founded its anti-gay lay on this belief. Hence, the 14-year jail sentence for anyone who commits such an atrocity.
However, the treatment of the community’s members since the bill’s passage is quite alarming. According to AP, a total of 105 human rights violations against gays- including assault and blackmail – have been recorded in Nigeria the first 12 months after the law’s enactment. This means a large part of our population is made to live in fear of life. In all situations, we must be directed by love in all that we do. The principle of loving the sinner and hating the sin must be carried out, with violence and threats to life being a far cry from this line of thought.
What do I think? The law shouldn’t be repealed because I am a Christian and I believe that homosexuality ruins the moral fibre of every community, but the onus lies on our law enforcement agencies to ensure that suspects of homosexuality are treated fairly and justly; they are to be tried in a court of law not on the streets.
What are your thoughts on this issue? Do homosexuals deserve to be maltreated for what is seen as a crime against humanity? Or is maltreatment a crime in itself? Let us know in the comments section below.
