The recent ban on a gay/lesbian conference that was scheduled to be held somewhere later this month in Accra has raised a lot of comments. Prior to that, a young man proclaiming to represent gays in Accra gave an interview on Joy FM, demanding rights for gay and lesbian people and decrying state their persecution. These stories have generated a lot of commentary, some of it very vociferous indeed. What I find interesting about this all is the very fact that discussion of homosexuality takes place at all. Whether you take this as a positive development or see Joy FM as an agent of Lucifer for giving this young man a platform to speak his mind is purely a matter of opinion.

Exploding the myths:

Reading some of the comments that the gay stories have generated on this forum, many a gay Ghanaian man can be forgiven for allowing himself both a small mischievous smile and some pity for those who have eyes but are simply unable to see around them. The comments make various sad assumptions and project some irrational opinions, and an attempt is made below to deal with some of them

1. We’ve copied white men

This is one of the most common mistakes a lot of people make. Homosexuality is not white. It is human, and cuts across all societies, creeds and ethnic groupings and has been part of human sexuality since time immemorial, from biblical times through to ancient Greece and beyond. A major difference between western and African societies is that we are less demonstrative of our sexual feelings and/or practices. That is why you do not usually see straight black couples publicly passionately kissing in western cities, where displays of public affection is acceptable.

Many of my gay friends I have chatted to discovered they had feelings for other men long before they ever set eyes on a white man or read about it. Of course, they had to suppress their feelings, battle them and attempt to blend in with the rest of their peers, but the feelings never went away, even though each thought at the time he was the only one with feelings for guys. Interestingly, it was the white colonial government that made sex between two males a criminal offence, a fact many do not know.

2. It is un-African, and against our culture

That is one of my favourites and flows from point 1 above. It makes me wonder what those who cite this think of oral sex, or kissing, both of which are clearly un-African, and whether they engage in such acts. And I wonder whether Christianity is African? And by the way, why don’t we maintain widowhood rites, human sacrifice, and female circumcision, or passionately advocate beheadings when certain chiefs die?

Culture is dynamic and is evolving all the time. The Ghanaian family system is slowly evolving from the extended to the nuclear model. Few nephews now inherit their uncle’s property. These are signs of a society on the move, and long may it continue to be so.

Anyone with an open mind and a sense of history should know that homosexuality has not always been part of western cultural practice. In the UK, it was not in fact decriminalised until 1957.The poet Oscar Wilde went to jail for it in the late 19th century, as did many others. In America, it took the Stonewall riots of 1972 to light the path of gay people struggling for acceptability. Gay people in western countries have had to fight the system to get where they are, and even now, in western countries, homophobia is rife.

3. It is un-biblical/un-Christian

Interesting, but flawed argument. Those who dust down their bibles and triumphantly fish out stern edicts from Leviticus 20:13 and from Paul’s teachings on the subject could be making valid points if they adhered to other biblical laws in Leviticus, and were not fornicators, adulterers, or had ever masturbated. All these are sins, as the bible makes clear. It is most amusing to see a man who routinely cheats on his wife and neglects his children suddenly get a moral attack and condemn you to eternal damnation in the hottest part of hell simply because he’s found out you are gay. You wonder whether they are aware of Jesus’ edict to remove the log from their eyes before they remove the dust from their neighbour’s. The question is; are some sins more serious than others? Is homosexuality more of a sin in the eyes of God than adultery is? If so, why are we more accommodating of adultery?

And despite Jesus expressly forbidding divorce, many who call themselves Christians flout this. Why pick and choose which biblical admonitions to obey or ignore? He who is without sin…

4. It is Immoral behaviour

Morality is a complex issue, and I do not intend to go into moral relativism here. I do not believe sexual conformity equals morality, as so many Ghanaians seem to believe. We believe we are a God-fearing nation and yet corruption, crime and selfish behaviour eat the fabric of our society. The crass hypocrisy is breathtaking. Why should a man who has no sexual attraction towards women be pressurised by society to marry when he does not feel right about it and ends up bringing misery not only on himself but also on a blameless woman who he clearly does not love, and on whom he ends up cheating with other men? Is the dishonesty we force on such men not immoral? Yet we heap approbation on the head of the young man who is honest enough to say ‘ I prefer men’. His own family may even disown him when they find out. What happened to unconditional love? What happened to honesty being the best policy, as we were brought up to believe?

5. Stiff punishments act as deterrents.

Anyone who believes this is just engaging in lazy thinking. You cannot simply legislate against people’s sexual urges and expect these urges to die away. Human sexual behaviour of whatever nature is a complex issue, not always being the product of rational thought. Of course, we all know that we need legislation to protect children, but the issue here is about consenting adults. A ‘crackdown’ by the authorities will not make the slightest dent in people’s desires-they will simply resort to more careful ways of doing the same thing. Repressive societies have not been able to eliminate or even reduce gay sex-it has simply gone underground. No one can be ‘de-gayed’ by the law. I would prefer to see the police spend more time raiding the dens of armed robbers rather than raiding people’s private bedrooms.

Conclusions

Ghanaian gays, like gays everywhere, are not strange freaks that live in isolation on some desolate island somewhere. Some of us do not arouse any suspicions at all and blend well into mainstream society, our sexuality known only to like-minded guys. But we are here, and cannot be wished away. Homosexuality is a fact of modern Ghanaian life. Sometimes you cannot help but smile to yourself when your best friend, who is straight, strongly condemns homosexuality and says he would never associate with such people. Of only he had ‘eyes’, you wonder in amusement…

As a gay Ghanaian man, I suppose I am expected to be rooting for the young man who bravely gave an interview demanding gay rights in Ghana. Paradoxically, however, I think he is foolish and misguided. There are so many gay men in Ghana who would never go near this man’s organisation. And I do not think we need western style militant gay rights campaigns and demonstrations in Ghana. The status quo is fine for many gay men. They live their lives quietly and incognito, and have no wish to marry each other. Yet they enjoy the local gay scene in their own way without anyone parking their nose in their affairs.

As an African man, I have no wish to proclaim my private, adult, consenting bedroom life from the rooftops. And quite frankly, it is no one’s business to come digging, anyway.