The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

The craze on the topic of homosexuality has been overwhelming recently. A few days ago, Dr Myles Munroe lashed out at the LGBT community for “hijacking” and “raping” the civil rights movement in an effort to fight for their cause. Yesterday, Terneille “TaDa” Burrows, according to The Nassau Guardian, accused Dr Munroe of using the LGBT issues as a distraction. Additionally, conversations, discussions and disputes have taken over social media on this subject.

The homosexual lifestyle is without a doubt an alternate one. I cannot begin to imagine the legitimate challenge it must be to live in normalcy with a lifestyle that in fact is not normal. It is understandable that this community would want to protect its rights and well-being, as it should. To be fair, however, there truly is absolutely no comparison between these two causes.

During the Civil Rights movement, blacks were being lynched because of the colour of our/their skin. They were not allowed to ride in the front of a bus as it was reserved for whites; they/we were not allowed to check into hotels, swim in public pools, or use public restrooms, to name just a few. Blacks were enslaved, at which time wives were raped and the husbands disallowed to defend them – because of the colour of their skin. Blacks have been getting over this because time has passed and we must move on; but there is no way that anyone can claim that in the Bahamas in 2014 (or ever) were gays treated anything like this. In fact, homosexuals are all over our islands, holding the best jobs, having the highest positions – without any opposition from the public because of their sexual orientation or preference. For this reason, I must agree with Dr Munroe that it is beyond far-fetched that this community would in any way compare its issues to those of the persons fighting for freedom and equality during the Civil Rights Movement.

Terneille is a cousin of mine – daughters of two brothers in a very close family, and I love her dearly. Personal sentiments aside, however, I must call a spade a spade and disagree with the charge she has made on Dr Munroe, claiming he is “using the LGBT issue as a distraction”.

Dr Munroe spoke out against what seemed to him to be an attempt to cause the public to perceive homosexuals as being mistreated or slighted in this society, which they are not. He was spot on with his comments and I commend him. This is as real an issue to this nation as are other issues.

On the other hand, I must also agree with Terneille on the hypocrisy of the church. I must agree that while they are very vocal on this issue, they are too silent on other issues that plague this country. Leaders of all kind – religious, government, educational, community – should cease every opportunity to attack issues that lend to social ills in this country, as well as crimes that threaten the safety and stability of our islands and people.

So I fully support Terneille’s charge to our leaders to do better. But saying we need not address this issue because we have bigger issues is like saying we need not teach History in schools because Math is more important. As a society, we need to pay attention to them all.

Again, I support Dr Munroe in his recent statement(s). The time of the Civil Rights movement involved segregation, rape, murder, torture, and living in conditions that threatened the very lives of the blacks of that time. It is ridiculous to claim that this in any way resembles the plight of the LGBT community. I hope we can move on from this and stand together to help heal our nation.

LAURELL BURROWS

Nassau,

September 4, 2014.