Gay Culture: Progress or Ruin

Two decades ago my former teacher from Jamaica came to The Bahamas, she asked her class what was their perception of homosexuality in The Bahamas. Most of the class exclaimed that gays and lesbians did not exist in their world. Now, it is the year 2007 and many views have changed. Gay culture is not only present but expanding greatly. How does the general public feel about this? Can the influx of gay culture be seen as Progress or Ruin? Personally, I believe that gay culture in The Bahamas is not progress but more precisely progressively ruining our culture and children, creating new culture, quite possibly a more flippant society. Furthermore The Bahamas is a Christian nation built on the foundation of Christian morals and beliefs and the flourishing of gay culture would erode the standards we were built on, warp the innocent and malleable minds of our youth, and could possibly open the door to many other immoral activities.

First of all The Bahamas is a Christian nation, one of the morals society was taught constantly was, no sex before marriage. Normally, homosexuals explore this lifestyle for sexual reasons. They are, for the most part, viewing same sex relationships as a new and exciting sexual experience. Since marriage of the same sex is illegal, and we were taught that we should be married before we engage in sexual intercourse, it goes against what we were raised believing. The church has a strong impact on who we are as a people and gay culture is directly against Christian views. Many people attend church every week and are involved in weekly church activities such as youth meetings and bible study where they are told to avoid homosexuality. The spread of gay culture negates the values that these church activities have taught. The biblical perspective on this epidemic of gay culture does not change. It is against what the bible teaches, and what the churches as well as some parents try to instill and reiterate to every one. With the growth of gay culture it loses what it means to be Bahamian because it hides what we have known ourselves as, a Christian nation.

Moreover, children are fragile and can easily be molded and exposure to gay culture will warp their minds. Gay culture being forced into their lives because of the intensification of it may make them feel as though this is normal behaviour. Infecting their minds with something they cannot completely grasp causes loss of innocence. In a local high school two females were caught performing lewd sexual acts on each other. This should be a cause for alarm! Schools seem to no longer be institutions of learning, rather they are “hook up spots” for children mimicking what they have seen in many public places, which is the development of gay culture. I have witnessed our youth, females no older than fourteen engaging in homosexual relationships. I recall asking the young girl, a former friend of mine, “Why are you in this gay relationship?” Her response to me was, “Everyone else is doing it.” Her early exposure to homosexuality made her desensitized and more susceptible to engaging in such activities herself. Children watch television shows like “Will and Grace” and “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”, that promote homosexuality. They have friends who have been directly exposed to the homosexual lifestyle. They watch men in the mall with polished toes, relaxed hair, and hair extensions. Children then become confused as to what is normal. This forces on them complexities that need not burden their little minds. It influences them to do as gay culture teaches, confusing them, shaping them to indulge in a behaviour they may not have never even considered.

Furthermore, our acceptance for this immoral behaviour may only be a start, opening the door to many other lifestyles that could ruin us. Being accepting and tolerant of gay culture is one thing. If we are willing to bend and break the rules for one thing we once viewes as wrong, where will the line be drawn? Soon people may not view bigamy and prostitution as immoral. When is it ok to speak up against what could be destroying us as a people, as Bahamians? It is like my mother say to my brothers and I. “If I give you too much rope, you will hang yourselves." Which means the more she allows us to do, the more we will try to get away with. We can not and must not be lenient with homosexuality and not expect that other wrongs could possibly be next, expanding and ruining us.

There is no disputing that gay culture is here. It has become so popular, with the erection of gay clubs and bars all over town that it is hard not to notice. Some may disagree by taking the stance that gay culture in the Bahamas is progress. Liberals believe that this gives society a more open minded way of thinking and prepares for us for globalization. These people may say that this gives individuals the choice to feel free to discover what their sexual preference is. False! Someone does not have to go to jail to know that they do not want to be there. Some things are better off not being experienced. Hence we don’t need to explore sexual relationships with the same sex to know that it is not something we should engage in.

However, focus has been lost on developing gay culture rather than students focusing on school, rather than society continuing to propel Christianity and creating space for other immoral activities to be apart of our culture. It has infiltrated our speech accommodations to gay culture. I feel though that it is becoming a strain, segregating and manipulating our Christian views, our Christian nation. I think we should make progress by not allowing this to continue to ruin us because it is.