The issue of homosexuality has for
the past year lingered on and it is not surprising several
fundamentalists have emerged to either condemn or throw their weight
behind the actors.
Human Rights Activists have emerged all over the world claiming everyone has rights to be protected; a reason homosexuality should be critically analyzed to weigh its merits against its demerits.
One cannot rule out the fact that homosexuals are humans as every person on earth and therefore cannot be viewed as very strange aliens in the universe. But is the argument really about whether homosexuals have fundamental rights or not?
Now, most Ghanaians would agree though not admitting that every citizen has rights that should be protected being it sensible or insensible.
Let us take a look at fundamental human rights but first "what is a right?"
According to my word web dictionary, a right is "an abstract idea of that which is due to a person or governmental body by law or tradition or nature."
This definition clearly makes it simple to explain the real purport of human right. Every person is naturally supposed to have some rights that he or she can exercise. No one in specific terms has got right to restrict anybody as to what to do or not to do.
So, when one decides to move; it is said to be freedom of movement, same with freedom of association.
Nobody has got any right to determine which right should be accepted or protected and which one should be abhorred. The point here is if homosexuals have got rights and that their rights are the same as any person's, therefore must be protected; then who is an authority so far as the protection of human rights is concerned?
Is it not a right then to steal? or Maybe, parade yourself as a lady in the night for emotional, financial and physical support from men or even women?
Now, enough of confusing the readers…
The driving force of this writing is the incessant controversy surrounding the recent issue about whether the gay rights should be legitimized or not in the country.
Gender Activist of the Human Rights Advocacy Centre and Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur is currently the cynosure of all eyes in Ghana and probably beyond.
She has been bombarded with all sorts of queries concerning her stance on the issue of homosexuality in the nation. She is widely known for some utterances she made during the late President Mills’ era. She is quoted to have said that irrespective of the late President John Evans Atta Mills’ abhorrence of homosexuality, the rights of gays should be protected since they do not infringe on any person’s fundamental rights.
Several civil groups and persons have fiercely released their fury on her for espousing the rights of homosexuals; something the critics say will be detrimental to the integrity and image of the country, especially when some foreign countries have already legalized gay rights and have sought to coerce weaker countries to follow suit.
Her appointment as a Minister added salt to injury since her critics fear she may compromise the position of Ghana on the matter. During her vetting before the Appointments Committee in Parliament, the undaunted Nana Oye Lithur did not swallow her words that she will always ensure the protection of homosexuals in the country.
Well, she tried to put it in a more euphemistic way; saying she seeks to protect the rights of all Ghanaians including homosexuals. But is the argument really about fundamental human rights or rather gay rights?
How can one protect the right of something bad but not support the thing? How can a person protect gay rights but won’t protect the act?
Obviously, every human being, for that matter every Ghanaian has got a right to something and if we really want to be all-righteous and principled; then everyone should be left unpunished when he or she goes wrong.
In the first place, what is even the criterion for measuring fundamental human rights?
The anti-gay activists do not argue that homosexuals are not from the human species and so, must be extinguished. It is common sense for everybody to know that homosexuals are part of mankind and therefore not monsters to be trampled upon. And in fact, who has said homosexuals don’t have the right to live, eat, talk, move, join an association, go to church, smile, laugh, have eternal life among others. Who has said they can’t prance about in town or go anywhere?
Why, don’t people see several men and women who resemble lesbians and gays in town? Don’t people even have friends who are homosexuals? The point is not that they have rights or not…Nana Oye Lithur!!
We all know they do. But the point here is what should be done about their sexual orientation. Is it natural or not and what’s Nana Oye Lithur’s real position on the unnatural offensive sexual preferences of these gays and lesbians?
Now, let us argue on the lines of principle.
Does everybody in the country not have rights? Who is justified to restrict anybody? Do you even know that most armed robbers, adulterers and other deviants think what they do is their fundamental human rights? Why are they arrested for exercising their rights? Why are deviants arrested and put in prison, clipping their wings to fly in freedom?
Do prisoners not have rights to stay in the comfort of their homes?
These are some questions that creep into mind when somebody decides to defend the rights of gays and lesbians.
Now to Nana Oye Lithur;
Nana Oye Lithur should better come clean on the issue because we have seen Pastors and other very influential people not only supporting gay rights but they, themselves, actively take part in the act.
Now, this is where I make my position on this homosexual issue;
I cannot understand how an activist will protect gay rights but not promote the act. Which rights at all are we talking about here?
In America, Britain and other foreign countries, is it not the rights of gays they have legalized or am I wrong, since when the British Prime Minister David Cameron admonished Ghana to legalize the act – he said in no uncertain terms that Ghana should legalize their rights.
So, Nana Oye Lithur should just stop playing all righteous on us and come clean on this homosexuality issue since today, she probably is going to head a Ministry that gives her every right to implement policies.
Now to my gays and lesbians…Human Rights Activists have emerged all over the world claiming everyone has rights to be protected; a reason homosexuality should be critically analyzed to weigh its merits against its demerits.
One cannot rule out the fact that homosexuals are humans as every person on earth and therefore cannot be viewed as very strange aliens in the universe. But is the argument really about whether homosexuals have fundamental rights or not?
Now, most Ghanaians would agree though not admitting that every citizen has rights that should be protected being it sensible or insensible.
Let us take a look at fundamental human rights but first "what is a right?"
According to my word web dictionary, a right is "an abstract idea of that which is due to a person or governmental body by law or tradition or nature."
This definition clearly makes it simple to explain the real purport of human right. Every person is naturally supposed to have some rights that he or she can exercise. No one in specific terms has got right to restrict anybody as to what to do or not to do.
So, when one decides to move; it is said to be freedom of movement, same with freedom of association.
Nobody has got any right to determine which right should be accepted or protected and which one should be abhorred. The point here is if homosexuals have got rights and that their rights are the same as any person's, therefore must be protected; then who is an authority so far as the protection of human rights is concerned?
Is it not a right then to steal? or Maybe, parade yourself as a lady in the night for emotional, financial and physical support from men or even women?
Now, enough of confusing the readers…
The driving force of this writing is the incessant controversy surrounding the recent issue about whether the gay rights should be legitimized or not in the country.
Gender Activist of the Human Rights Advocacy Centre and Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur is currently the cynosure of all eyes in Ghana and probably beyond.
She has been bombarded with all sorts of queries concerning her stance on the issue of homosexuality in the nation. She is widely known for some utterances she made during the late President Mills’ era. She is quoted to have said that irrespective of the late President John Evans Atta Mills’ abhorrence of homosexuality, the rights of gays should be protected since they do not infringe on any person’s fundamental rights.
Several civil groups and persons have fiercely released their fury on her for espousing the rights of homosexuals; something the critics say will be detrimental to the integrity and image of the country, especially when some foreign countries have already legalized gay rights and have sought to coerce weaker countries to follow suit.
Her appointment as a Minister added salt to injury since her critics fear she may compromise the position of Ghana on the matter. During her vetting before the Appointments Committee in Parliament, the undaunted Nana Oye Lithur did not swallow her words that she will always ensure the protection of homosexuals in the country.
Well, she tried to put it in a more euphemistic way; saying she seeks to protect the rights of all Ghanaians including homosexuals. But is the argument really about fundamental human rights or rather gay rights?
How can one protect the right of something bad but not support the thing? How can a person protect gay rights but won’t protect the act?
Obviously, every human being, for that matter every Ghanaian has got a right to something and if we really want to be all-righteous and principled; then everyone should be left unpunished when he or she goes wrong.
In the first place, what is even the criterion for measuring fundamental human rights?
The anti-gay activists do not argue that homosexuals are not from the human species and so, must be extinguished. It is common sense for everybody to know that homosexuals are part of mankind and therefore not monsters to be trampled upon. And in fact, who has said homosexuals don’t have the right to live, eat, talk, move, join an association, go to church, smile, laugh, have eternal life among others. Who has said they can’t prance about in town or go anywhere?
Why, don’t people see several men and women who resemble lesbians and gays in town? Don’t people even have friends who are homosexuals? The point is not that they have rights or not…Nana Oye Lithur!!
We all know they do. But the point here is what should be done about their sexual orientation. Is it natural or not and what’s Nana Oye Lithur’s real position on the unnatural offensive sexual preferences of these gays and lesbians?
Now, let us argue on the lines of principle.
Does everybody in the country not have rights? Who is justified to restrict anybody? Do you even know that most armed robbers, adulterers and other deviants think what they do is their fundamental human rights? Why are they arrested for exercising their rights? Why are deviants arrested and put in prison, clipping their wings to fly in freedom?
Do prisoners not have rights to stay in the comfort of their homes?
These are some questions that creep into mind when somebody decides to defend the rights of gays and lesbians.
Now to Nana Oye Lithur;
Nana Oye Lithur should better come clean on the issue because we have seen Pastors and other very influential people not only supporting gay rights but they, themselves, actively take part in the act.
Now, this is where I make my position on this homosexual issue;
I cannot understand how an activist will protect gay rights but not promote the act. Which rights at all are we talking about here?
In America, Britain and other foreign countries, is it not the rights of gays they have legalized or am I wrong, since when the British Prime Minister David Cameron admonished Ghana to legalize the act – he said in no uncertain terms that Ghana should legalize their rights.
So, Nana Oye Lithur should just stop playing all righteous on us and come clean on this homosexuality issue since today, she probably is going to head a Ministry that gives her every right to implement policies.
In order not to sound offensive; is it not stupid to make sexual advances at your fellow man or woman? When gay Elton John and his husband wanted children, what did they do?
Why didn’t they have the kids naturally through their womb? ******useless****
Now what the word of God which I believe says in Leviticus 20:13 is;
“If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. (NKJ)”
But thank God, we are all saved by grace…
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 also reads: "Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers - none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."
(This is to the christian brethren and sisters who in one way or the other support homosexuality or are gays and lesbians.)
The way forward;
The way forward is not to attack nor kill homosexuals but rather pray for them and find a way to change their sexual preferences.
The way forward is not to debate about whether they have rights or not but encourage them to come out of such attitude.
Homosexuals are human beings; the act is alien but they are part of mankind. Let’s help them out.
Arguments about the legitimacy of Nana Oye Lithur’s appointment as Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection will only be like using a sledgehammer to kill a fly. What can she alone do?
The revocation of her appointment does not suggest that the act is exterminated from society. So, my advice whether heeded or not by the anti-gay activists and their colleagues who dissent to their stance is let us join the campaign to help them (homosexuals) out…
The homosexuality controversy has given us the awareness of future consequences, so the earlier government and the entire nation begin to conduct an intensive public education into curbing the invasion of the situation; the better.
By Adu Gyamfi Ameyaw
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