President Ian Khama has apparently directed various organizations, including the Police service and Immigration department to be on the lookout for suspected sex workers and homosexuals who are foreigners. Should these organizations come across such suspects, the president has directed that they be arrested and deported. Now if this doesn’t shock you, then your shock absorbers are out of this world. I must say though, it’s a real pain in the neck when it comes to deliberating on some of the issues that come out of the Government enclave because while one may want to call spade a spade, so as to drive the message home, the conservative nation of ours still restricts us from using straight-forward language in our discourse. We tend to prefer to beat about the bush when we deal with some of the issues and this has always led us straight into the bush.
Look, the reason our country came so late in addressing issues of HIV and AIDS is because of our fear, then, to openly use relevant and direct language that purposefully relates to the issue. Even as we knew the real causes of HIV/AIDS, we deemed it a taboo to use phrases such as sexual intercourse, despite the fact that you can never meaningfully talk about HIV/AIDS without talking about sex. We always shy away from real and pertinent issues. Right now we are dealing with the issue of gays and lesbians and we are clutching at straws because we don’t want to be blunt in our approach. For us to fully and successfully tackle issues, we need to be open about them. We must educate ourselves on issues at hand and the only way to comprehend those issues is when we become blunt in our discourse.
This issue, of homosexuality, involves people who engage in sexual activities with people of the same sex/gender. Just like in heterosexism, homosexuality involves consenting parties, with the sole purpose of attaining sexual gratification. Yes, homosexuals do rape but the same applies to those who are into heterosexuality. Heterosexual people rub tummies and break the cake with their partners in their private space, the same way homosexuals do. None of the two groups display doggy practices through having sex in public. Just like heterosexuals, homosexuals contract and spread sexually transmitted diseases. Just like heterosexuals, homosexuals do have human rights and are entitled to their choices. Look, I’m straight but I will die defending the rights of homosexuals.
I don’t know why I was wired to prefer the opposite sex and I also do not know why homosexuals came about and as such, it is only fair that I do not judge or fiddle with their sexual freedom when they have no qualms with mine. Yes, for me the thought of having sex with another man gives me goose bumps. To me, it must be such an unbearable pain which can only make me cry and not come in joy. I mean, I already know the pain that comes with answering to the call of nature while constipated and as such I cannot even begin to imagine the pain that must come with having another man insert his member from my behind. Yes, I choose not to engage in homosexuality because it won’t give me any sexual pleasure. Why then should I criticize those who derive pleasure from homosexuality when their act doesn’t harm me in any way? Let us be honest, the many people who criticize homosexuality only do so because they allow their imaginations to place them in the same sexual position. It’s no secret, gay men engage in anal sex with other men. The act may be disgusting, even when just imagined. Why then should gay people be persecuted for our imaginations?
Perhaps they too are disgusted by our heterosexualism and this is why we don’t go about having sex in public because, after all, sex is meant to be an intimate activity that has to take place in private because, really, how two consenting people engage in sexual activity has to be determined by the involved parties and not by government . The role of government is to ensure that no one acts in a way that causes harm to other people. Government prosecutes people who infringe on other people’s rights and I do not see how homosexuals can be included in this category. Gay people should only be prosecuted when they rape, just as it is done with those who are not gay. The government’s decision to cull foreign homosexuals marks a dark turn on human rights. It is shocking that Khama’s government seeks to kick out foreigners who engage in homosexuality based on the ludicrous assumption that they contribute to the wide spread of HIV/AIDS. It is so painful to watch the very people who are supposed to protect and uphold human rights being the ones who lead in the persecution. I still don’t understand how the Police are going to detect homosexuals from the rest of the public. I mean, unless they sneak into our private spaces and check how and with whom we have sex with, I don’t see how they will manage to tell our sexual orientation. Are they going to screen us based on how we dress and the gestures we make during conversations?
Are they going to arrest and deport any foreigner who displays gay tendencies? And what really constitutes gay tendency? In my view, this homophobic move by Khama’s government borders not only on xenophobia more closely to insanity and lack of thinking. Khama may be trying to emulate Russian President Vladimir Putin who in June signed into law a bill banning homosexuality in Russia and limiting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. Of the nearly 500 members of parliament in Russia, not a single one stood up for gay rights. In fact, I even feel scared for people behinds such organizations as BONELA because in Russia, after they allowed this bizarre law to pass, a Dutch lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) rights activist, 33 year old Kris van der Veen was arrested and prosecuted for advancing the rights of those people in Russia. Botswana seems destined to follow the same route where people like Uyapo Ndadi will be arrested for championing the rights of LGBT. In Russia, hefty fines and other penalties are brought down on individuals, NGO’s, media groups and foreigners who are viewed to be promoting the rights of gay people. America went public and announced that it was absolutely against the new law and that it was concerned by the overall direction in Russia in regards to the treatment of the LGBT community.
Now imagine if America can have problems with such super power country as Russia, what more will they say about Botswana which from time to time begs for assistance from America? We must be worried as a nation when laws are implemented to appease a certain section of the leadership without a care for the general population. It started with Khama almost banning alcohol consumption just because he personally abhors bottle. A few years ago MP Pono Moatlhodi said gay people must be killed and I cautioned him to be very careful of what he wishes for because unbeknown to him, some of his family members may be gay. Another lost soul by the name Monang Monang has posted on Facebook that he has no time to waste on gays because he has to attend to the needs of his people and not gay people. This is the same moron who wanted to be allowed to stand for the BNF presidency and you ask yourself what makes him to believe gay people do not make part of ‘his people’ as a politician. For those who are not stuck with BTV, you always see successful homosexuals running their own shows and holding positions of authority in their countries and this therefore goes to prove that homosexuality is no impediment to success in life, both personally and professionally.
Our diamonds are sold to rich people overseas, some of whom are gay. Our tourism is boosted by visits from foreigners, some of them gay. Now if we foolishly put a ban on gay people, are really ready for the consequences that may come with the boycott by the gay community worldwide? It’s a pity that our leaders have the tendency to pass laws based on their emotional and personal outlook in life and not necessarily in the best interest of the nation. It is a fallacy to even suggest that just because it is claimed the majority of our populace don’t condone homosexuality it therefore has to be banned. A democratic republic does not need a majority consensus to protest the rights of the marginalized. For all we know, we may be having homosexuals in our current leadership and we have no reason to suspect their misguided leadership is the resultant.
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