Trinidad & Tobago Newsday
Thursday, January 25 2007
Gay people should laugh at songTHE EDITOR:
The song “Woman By My Side” seems to have stirred up some comments on the use of Leviticus in the lyrics about men lying with men being an abomination. It seems some gay people and straight-but-not-narrow-minded people are offended and see the song as homophobic. I just wanted to put my own amusing observations on the matter.
I may personally disagree with religious views that express condemnation of gay people just as I disagree with religious views that express condemnation of people of other faiths or cultures. I personally believe God is not as preoccupied about what two consenting adults in love, do with their genitalia as some humans throughout history seem to be, including the humans who wrote the Bible.
However, in a democratic society, the songwriter has every right to free speech and I respect that, just as long as people are treated with respect and tolerance.
Remember “tolerance” is one of our nation’s watchwords. Disagreeing with a gay person for being what they are is someone’s right. Punishing oneself with guilt while trying to hide and go against one’s innate orientation or forcing one’s still dependent child or fellow religious members to do so, because, of doctrine is also one’s right.
It may be cruel and hurtful to the gay person, but as long as it does not involve ill-treatment upon others via verbal and physical abuse, harassment and discrimination, it is not a hate-crime or human rights violation.Second, as hard as I try, I find it hard to be offended by this song. It makes me laugh just for the simple fact that it speaks to a kind of ridiculous religious hypocrisy endemic in our society, especially when it comes to gay people.
Only gay people seem to bring out this pathetic attempt at Biblical references by people who do not follow the scripture in every sense in their own lives. It never ceases to amaze me how people pick and choose from the Bible what to condemn according to their own personal prejudices. Does the songwriter or even the majority of us for that matter, actually follow the entire book of Leviticus or even apply everything in the Bible seriously? No, of course not! We busy eating our roast pork, curry shrimp, tattooing and piercing our bodies, shaving our beards, wearing fabric comprised of two types of material and we certainly not quarantining ourselves when we have our periods or experience a nocturnal emission. All of these are abominations according to Leviticus and as such we all should be stoned.
My advice to my dear gay and lesbian Trinis and their friends and family who feel offended by this song is, just laugh this off.
You cannot take the average Trini seriously when they suddenly “find biblical religious piety” just because suddenly the topic is homosexuality and it makes them squeamish and insecure.
So love who you were born to be and if you enjoy your Carnival, sing along, loud and proud to those Leviticus lyrics while enjoying the sweet irony of the fact that you are chipping along the road with people who are drinking alcohol like crazy (drunkenness is a sin in the Bible); revelling on the road (revelry is also a sin in the Bible); grinding down the place in public (debauchery is a sin in the Bible); having sex with prostitutes, (fornication is a sin in the Bible) or with a “deputy” (adultery is a sin in the Bible) lying about horning or being sick on Ash Wednesday (lying is a sin in the Bible) and last but not least maco-ing and gossiping about the bacchanal (also a sin in the Bible).
Even if they call you sinful, at least your orientation is innate, not an anti-social disorder and does not threaten anyone else, you cannot say the same about the majority of them. I guess this is why Jesus said, “He who is without sin cast the first stone.”
JESSICA JOSEPH
Diego Martin
