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Sunday, October 19, 2008

Homosexuality

Growing up in a small town on the East Rand of Johannesburg, homosexuality has never been an issue as my surroundings never entertained the idea of homosexuality. Also, being raised in a Christian home, having Christian beliefs and lifestyle, homosexuality is a sin in my eyes. It is an act of denying God’s creation and God’s plan with an individual’s life.
When I came to Rhodes, I was astonished and amazed of the high percentage of homosexuality and how it seemed to be a norm amongst the people living in Grahamstown. Being unfamiliar with such behaviour and also the freedom and support these people get from societies such as
OUTRhodes made me uneasy and unsettled. It is as if I am in another island, another planet, a different world from the one that I grew to know.
I felt like I an alien in the island of these homosexuals, a foreign disease that no one was fond of. I failed to understand the reasons behind these people believing that they were women when they were born as men and others wanting to be men when they were born women. I do not understand how you could impose a character that you are not, are you trying to say that God made a mistake in creating Eric instead of Erika? Or is it because we feel that since God gave man dominion over everything in this earth that we also have dominion and the right to be female when you are male?
I am appalled by how people come from home being young beautiful girls or handsome boys and knowing what they want in life. When they get to Grahamstown, they all of a sudden discover that they are gay. I do not get the logic here, or is homosexuality like Levi jeans, it is a must have before it goes out of style. Because frankly, that is what homosexuality has come to be in our society, it has become a way of fitting in with the ‘in crew’. It has become a way of seeking attention and also gaining recognition from people around you. Being known and visibility has become a main objective of being homo, turning heads has became a mission and goal that people seem to want to accomplish.
What exactly are the reasons of becoming homo? Are there any? It’s become like chicken pox, infectious, contagious and dangerous. Why dangerous? People end up wanting to kill themselves because of being gay; they are ‘disappointed’ at not being accepted by their families and by other people around them. My question is: why must people compromise their beliefs and qualities to please you as a ‘homo’. If you as a homosexual were comfortable with your homosexuality then why do you need acceptance from those who are different from you?
It disgusts me how when things do not go the way people want them to go, they resort to
suicide,. How can you expect to participate in a controversial act such as homosexuality and not expect rejection and hatred? Do gay people ever think of the consequences of going against the course of nature? God made you a man because He knew that you will fail to produce what he wants you to be if you were to be a woman. So what makes people think that if you do it yourself, things will be better and you will be able to live this twisted ‘fashion’ of homosexuality?
This just proves to me that as an individual, you know that what you are doing is wrong and does not represent the inner person that lies within you. You know that everything that happens in life happens for a reason, at a time that God sets it to happen. He (God) knows the reasons why He made you a woman and not a man or a man and not a woman. The bible says that God knew you before He formed you in your mother’s womb. If that is the case, then surely He was sure of what He was doing when He made you a man or a woman.

24 comments:

Candy said...

Hi

I read your piece and was shocked that in this day and age there can be people who are so ignorant and unaccepting. You make it seem like people who are gay have chosen to be that way and by being homosexual are trying to be the centre of attention. I happened to be striaght, but am accepting of homosexuals and their right not to be ashamed of who they are. I also disagree with your comment that people who know what they want in life come to Grahamstown and "all of a sudden discover they are gay". It is ridiculous to assume that these men and women did not know they were gay before arriving at Rhodes. Chances are that they have always known and that Rhodes is the only place they have felt comfortable to be who they really are, but people like you do not make it any easier for them. Another mistake you have made is assuming that just because a woman is a lesbian it means she wants to be a man, and vice versa, this is utterly untrue. I do not mean for this to be a personal attack on your beliefs but have you ever considered that God might have created these people the way they are for a reason, and that them being gay allows other people to learn true acceptance. Homosexuals are not trying to fit into a crowd, I'm sure that if you ask a homosexual if they would choose to be gay they would say no, as it makes life just that little bit harder and they have to work twice as hard to be accepted. I think you should reconsider your conservative and outdated views and try accepting a gay person for who they are, not for who they love.

Take care,
Candy

Meg said...

Dear East Rand Homo-Hater

I have a few things to say to you:
1) go back to the East Rand where ignorant, narrow-minded STUPID and religious-crazy individuals live (i have nothing against your religious beliefs, but find your intolerance levels dangerously high)

2) Why did you come to the most liberal and accepting university in the country? you clearly belong else where (i'm sure a nice little technical college in a klein dorpie would do it)

3) Shut up - although i am straight, i am shocked that you would dare to post something so blatantly homophobic and narrow minded on your blog. i am not only hurt that there is someone like you at Rhodes, but appalled that you would have made it this far at such a liberal institution.

please, in future keep your sad little comments to yourself and your narrow-minded community - South Africa does not need individuals like you who are clearly paddling against the current and going straight back into our discriminatory past.

Regards

Megan

dazedlady said...

Thank you for airing your ignorance. First get your facts straight. Homosexuality has nothing to do with wanting to be the other sex. That would be called transgender and is a different issue altogether. The bible does not actually say who one should be attracted to. Somehow I do not think the bible preaches hate speech either, yet you flaunt it here like a national flag. And yes, university is about experimentation and I think you are being narrow-minded for not allowing for different ways of thinking. Many of the homosexual society in Grahamstown have been out of the closet since before they came to Rhodes, some long before, so be careful about calling it a fashion statement. So they have come out of the closet. I wish you would get your head out of your anus and realise life is not as simple as you are.

Homo-Sapien said...

Firstly, being homo-sexual has nothing to do with God and neither does your gender. In reality an embryo (which is the first stage of production of a foetus) has a 50/50 percent chance of being a male or a female depending on the genes of each parent.
Secondly, the Bible also emphasises that God has unconditional love for everybody and this is irrespective of the nature of your sexuality, gender, race etc. These “boundaries” (intolerance of homosexuality) are created by society in order to feel a sense of belonging.

Sadly, growing up in a small town that is not exposed to contemporary society is a great disadvantage but this is not your fault. However I do feel that you do not have the authority to comment so strongly on an issue such as homosexuality especially considering the fact that homosexuality is on the verge of being a fully accepted practise. Clearly you are unaware of this as a result of your one tract mind.

You mention that you feel “like an alien in the island of these homosexuals”. Similarly these homosexual’s feel like aliens when they are around people like therefore wanting them to change just because you feel uncomfortable is unfair, don’t you think? As they could ask the same of you, yet all they are asking for is acceptance not sexual change.

Lauren said...

Dear Mazet,

You are not grasping the character of Rhodes University – where leaders learn. Where all kinds of people learn – gay, straight, black, white, girl and boy. You are not in the realms of the East Rand anymore. You have arrived in a diverse setting, where the younger generation can truly express who they are and what they stand for. Despite attaining a degree, we are here to find ourselves. Not everyone has to live up to what is considered 'normal' and 'traditional'.I don't think you can justify what normal is by your condescending attitude towards homosexuality. Are you going to base sexuality on personality? On a person's values and character? If so, this university is not for you. Neither is South Africa, one of the most diverse country in the world. The confounds of a your society is still drilled into your mindset. You argue that 'coming out' is dangerous. Perhaps for your own unenlightened mind, but for many it is a feeling of liberation and freedom, exempt from the narrow-minded homphobes like you. You are missing one of the crucial aspects of God. His gift of freewill. You choose what to be. You can choose to have a relationship with God or not – gay or straight.

Consider diversity
Lauren

Nich Mulgrew said...

This post, along with it's super-reactive comments, are exactly the sort of shit that I hate about this bloody university. Ignorance is inexcusable, yes, however calling the original poster a "ignorant, narrow-minded STUPID and religious-crazy individual", and generalising people from the East Rand as such is just idiotic.

One has to facilitate open discourse to resolve issues, not to simply shout your fucking opinion over everyone elses. I don't agree with either side, and this is a heated and extremely complicated issue. The fruitfulness of titling a post called "Homosexuality" is about as great as labelling a post "Whites" and talking about how you don't understand whites because you come from a predominantly black community. Conversely, shouting down someone does not help them understand any issue better. Your anonymity on the Internet does not give you license to tell someone to "get their head out their anus". Would you say that in real life?

Honestly.

Sarah said...

Hi Meg

Although I did not write that blog post, I did take offense to the fact that you said "East Rand where ignorant, narrow-minded STUPID and religious-crazy individuals live"

I completely support human rights and I have nothing agaisnt people who are gay. In fact i support it, because they are standing up for themselves in a somewhat non-accepting society, which I think is a very brave thing to do.

BUT i come from the East Rand. And you made an assumption against anyone who comes from there, calling us STUPID etc which I think really wasn't fair for you to do so. It is then just as bad as my blogging group member having a problem with anyone who is gay.

I'm not trying to start an uproar or anything, I just want to show you the other side of the coin.

Kind Regards

Anonymous said...

Thanks Nich

I agree with you 100%. But, everyone has the right to their own opinion I say, no matter how "rude" it is! I don't understand why people comment so strongly against the poster, pointing out her mistakes and errors when they have clearly not answered any of her questions at all. The poster gave you her background and opinions, now answer her questions from your point of view on the situation not on her opinion!

The poster and I would like to know how homosexuals are attracted to each other in the first place?! Thats how I interpret the predicament the poster is in. Is it the way he/she brushes back his/her hair?! His/her smile?! Remember, this is an opinion piece, don't take peoples' opinions as cast in stone because everyone changes their mind in a matter of seconds!

At the end of the day, it is perceptions of people which result in name-calling etc.. If you are determined to classify people as "accepting" for example, you are immediately implying that there are people who are "non-accepting" and are therefore marginalizing people yourself.

Issues like this do not have facts only personal opinions. Thats why it is complex and should be open to discussion by all "kinds" of people. Rhodes is only made liberal by the people who are here, it's not liberal by constitution! How do you measure it anyway?! You could be conservative with other issues!

Understand my point of view?!

Anonymous said...

Good for you Mazet!

Glad to see you have courage to speak your mind even though I (and clearly most) don't agree with you! :)

Meg said...

Hi

I accept that in the spirit of trying to defuse animosity, my post was almost just as bad as the original poster, which i apologise for because i do see that Rhodes is about educating the uneducated and opening peoples' minds, not shooting them down.

so i apologise to the original poster. however - i must confess that the reason for my harsh words was pure and utter shock. i could not put into respectable english what i felt about the post - which no doubt holds the view of somebody who really needs to be more tactful about the subject they are addressing.

More than appalled, i was upset. i am not gay or even bisexual, but as a human being who believes in the equal rights of other human beings, i could not comprehend the ignorance of the post and the way the poster reduced homosexual people to some kind of lower class or sub species. sure - you dont understand how the whol gay situation works- you dont get how a woman could be attracted to a woman and so on. BUT, when commenting on an issue that you do not understand and that concerns fellow Rhodents, you should at least exercise some tact and learn to be less disrespectful and prejudiced in your views.

i hope that somebody will sit down and explain a few things to you. although i apologise for being blatantly rude in my earlier post, there is no way that i could ever hold a normal conversation with you and remain restrained and calm.

goodluck making your way through the next few years at Rhodes with such an opinion. I hope that by the time you leave your eyes will be opened and your mouth ready to say something nice about people who are born a certain way, and do not choose to sin against your God.

Regards

Meg

Miss Mav said...

Hey Tinapinto

I can clearly see that you understand what the words 'opinion piece' mean. This just shows how people just jump to conclusions without even trying to understand the whole point of this piece I wrote. If I think that the university is too liberal, that does not mean I can not handle the liberation that it believes in. And if it is so liberal then why are people not understanding my point of view of homosexual people? In future guys, the key to commenting on an opinion is by showing your understanding and your perspective not by just going for a knock-out punch that leaves people unconscious. Let's think and not attack!!!!!!!!!

Mazet!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hey Mazet.

I know everyone's going crazy here, but I would just like to say that I know how you feel about the homosexuality issue and how it relates to Christian beliefs.

Being taught for years that something is a sin, and then coming to a place where it is accepted is a very strange postition to be in. What I learnt very quickly is that while I may not believe a certain practice is right, I cannot judge the person. Whatever their reasons, it is their decision and their life, and they can do what they want to. Love the sinner, hate the sin, right?

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" Matthew 7:1-2

Yay. You can calm down now- it's not another mean comment ;)

Anonymous said...

True that Mazet!

If being liberal is all about acceptance.. We should accept the beliefs of homosexuals and heterosexuals!

Andy said...

Your argument is solely based on religion and your social circumstances. Have you ever thought of developing your own perceptions? I will not persecute you for your beliefs but rather to show you the dangers of such intolerant beliefs. Yes Christianity is against homosexuality but is it not the same doctrine that says "he who has not sinned cast first stone"? You write as if you conducted a survey on this issue, "…high percentage of homosexuality and how it seemed to be a norm amongst the people living in Grahamstown", this is a dangerous assumption looking at your facts or rather the lack thereof. Rhodes follows the constitution which seeks to eradicate the inequalities of the past, that is why societies are advocating for human rights be it women, homosexual or class rights. This is what we should be doing; if I fight for my rights as a heterosexual male then I can’t be oblivious of other people's rights. You seem confused about homosexuality; it’s not trying to change one's sex but attraction to the same sex. How do you claim homosexuality is attention seeking behavior and yet "they" as you put it end up committing suicide. How can you assume that a rational person can make a choice which they know is going to disrupt their life? Further more homosexuals do not exist in a vacuum thus the need for acceptance by family, friends and society; does it mean then that just because they are different they should be rejected? Your opinion is you own but the simple fact that it’s an opinion does not make it right.

Chwayitisa said...

My oh my...as a God loving, God fearing Christian I can only say that I am dissappointed in what I have read. If you want to go forward with basing your opinions on religion than please keep this in mind, God is just and fair and as you put it, God knew you and loved you before you were even born. This is true for all of mankind irrespective of their sexual orientation. God is a forgiving Father and we are all his children.

One's sexual orientation does not define who one is, neither does it make one any less Christian. You may not understand the attraction that one may have towards the same sex, and frankly neither do I, but to climb on the religious high horse which we as Christians should avoid, is wrong. God himself asks us not to judge others, for we to shall be judged. To even suggect that homosexuality is 'disgusting' is unexceptable. If you must have all these questions about homosexuality answered then please take the time, to ask people who are homosexual. Take time to listen to them and do not proceed to judge. It is opinions like this which manifest the horrors of zenophobia, homophobia, racism and many other human atrocities. Yes this is your opinion and you should have the opportunity to freely express it, but dear God not like this. Do not persecute others, please we live in a dangerous society and opinions like this only manifest hate.

God Bless the world we live in and forgive us our sins.

Futch

La Schandre said...

Like most that have read your Homosexuality post, my first reaction was shock. Shock that you live on such a liberal campus and in such a liberal world and still have such narrow and judgemental views. I’m not going to get in to the whole religion debate because that is something that is personal to you and in attacking you, I would be doing exactly what the Bible warns us against…judgement. I’m not a hectic Christian, neither am I gay but, I do think that any type of discrimination is not tolerable! Some of us will never understand what its like to be homosexual and that’s because we aren’t. Opposite to that some of us will never understand what its like to be straight because we’re homosexual. Neither will we all understand what its like to be black, white, female, male or any other stereotype. You don’t have to fully understand; cause that’s not humanly possible but, you can however refrain from judgement and rather support and celebrate the fact that we’re all different.

La Schandre said...

Just to add to my previous comment… I have to thank you for your bravery in writing about something that you don’t understand in such a public sphere. There are many people who go through life, with these exact same thoughts and don’t ever get a chance to embrace difference in someone else. You definitely have opened a door of debate within our JMS1 class and I hope that in your time at Rhodes you’ll open your mind to these differences in a positive way.

One of the major issues that I have with some of our campus activists is that they are so caught up in the cause that they don’t take lightly to those that don’t understand what they’re fighting for. Unfortunately there are people in the world who discriminate but, attacking their ignorance does not change their opinion…it just teaches them to shut up about how they really feel. Silence does not bring change.

Jovy-Wovy said...

Hi Mazet

I am still in shock after reading your piece about homosexuality. I must admit to the sheer anger I felt about your clearly misinformed argument about homosexuality. I do understand your right to your opinion, but your piece was borderline hate speech. It seems that you do not even actually fully understand what it is to be a homosexual and therefore your strong opinion on the matter is flawed and your argument is discredited from the start. This fundamental flaw, as well as the sweeping statements and horrific generalisations, makes the rest of your piece null and void.

Once the shock and anger had subsided, I was hit with unadulterated sympathy. You, like so many others, hold onto the ideologies that were instilled in you by mommy or daddy or the church, and are so scared to question them. These ideologies are so strongly set in your mind and I believe this is going to do you a huge disservice, as being this closed-minded is unhealthy. I do urge you to open your mind a little bit because I truly do not know how you are going to be happy at Rhodes for the next few years, let alone functional when you go out into the real world where you will be put in your place very quickly.

Just think about it!

Much Love

Jovy Wovy

Leanne said...

dont you think that if you are going to post such a disturbing message on your blog you will get your facts right before doing it? homosexuality, for your information is not a choice to people...it could be from a variety of reasons, one being family problems. some people dont exactly decide one day that they want to be gay, but you wouldnt know that because you obviously dont have a gay friend do you!i dont know what christian home you were brought up in but the one i was brought up in taught me that only God may judge and that he wants us to treat every person as an equal, regardles of status. if someone is into the same sex then there is nothing that they can do about it. if you are into guys can you change that so that youll be into girls? i doubt it. and i very much doubt that God will want someone living a lie and being with someone that they dont feel anything for. LIVE AND LET LIVE! and get out of your idea that people become gay once they come to rhodes because that is total rubbish. the fact that you see homosexuality as a disease and chicken pox is shocking and what right do you have to question the way others live their lives in the first place. who is to say that you living yours right.and also another fact...homosexuality has NOTHING to do with wantiong to be the other sex. do you see gay people walking around wearing clothes of the opposite sex? i didnt think so.yes this is your opinion,and i think its a load of bull!
leanne

dazedlady said...

Nich,

you are quite right. As soon as a posted this blog I felt slightly grubby. The article made me see red and I thought little about the actual author of the story. However, I am not sure that I would not have said the same thing to the person's face. If Mazet had said this in front of me, I might have seen that same shade of red.
This is not to excuse my actions, however. Even saying this in real life might have left me feeling slightly icky.
I am still shocked that mazet felt it neccesary to spout a complete article on what amounts to hate speech and I think that the anonymity on mazet's side contributed to his "openess" int his article.
I am just mostly sad that with all the shit that goes on in this world, people are still looking for reasons to live in discord.

Unknown said...

Hi friend...

I admire your guts and unapologetic stance, be careful not to judge people though- we all do the thing we do for various reasons.

I appreciate your values and, without being gender centric, I think your argument poses a lot of difficult questions for many homo/heterosexual people in terms of religion and the like…

While people may call you ignorant, I commend you for voicing your honest opinion. Your piece has not raised issues undealt with, and even though Rhodes is such a ‘desert island’ community, it is obvious that the topic of homosexuality is a touchy one.
If people were comfortable and content with their sexuality, there wouldn’t have been such a reaction.

I am glad your piece got so much attention; it means people are paying attention and we are pushing the right buttons…
Keep it up!
Ncebi *20*

Meg said...

Ncebi:

it is a sad world where journalists want to "push peoples' buttons" and ignorantly say something that amounts to hate speech rather than be humble, non judgemental human beings that allows others to live their lives free from our opportunist eyes.

"people are paying attention" because your fellow blogger's post has offended and hurt so many people.

I hope that for your own moral sake, and the sake of the those who one day read an article you write or watch you on TV, you will learn to value the security and feelings of people rather than the paycheck you get for a front page.


"there wouldn’t have been such a reaction" if your friend had phrased his/her argument more tactfully and with due respect to the people he/she reduces to objects of disgust.

Get your priorities straight

The world doesn't need any more journalists like this.

DirtyHippy said...

What I love about this whole debate is that there are people who are straight, gay, black, white, and so on having their say about something that only a couple decades ago was in fact illegal. That's something special and a sign of much needed change. Of course there will always be people who don't understand, like or trust gay people, just as there are those who can't seem to let go of the old South Africa and still hate other races. But, what I would like for the poster to understand is that once upon a time all black people were considered heathen and inferior to white people, less-than-human and not God's people. While the views of this post aren't exactly the same, the similarity is strong. What is being said here, effectively, is that gay people are not the same as straight people, that they are less than us. Well, even if being homosexual is really a sin, which I don't believe, we are all sinners. So, be angry at everyone, not just the homosexuals. Or, if you can find it in you, rather love everyone and get over fighting everything that you don't understand or agree with, and find something that you do love and hang onto it - it will keep you sane and out of this unnecessary trouble.

I hope this means something to everyone.

Peace and Love,
Craig (DirtyHippy)

lalala said...

Mazet,
Maybe you can help me. I am working towards equality for everyone- fighting for rights that should be given equally to every human no matter what differences he or she might possess that are not seen as deserving my the majority. But to help minorities have a life that is not lessened by one or more aspects of their being, others must learn not to fear what they do not understand. Perhaps, if you could tell me what it is that creates these feelings of dislike in you, I could give you some answers, to the best of my ability, as well as address these issues with those who are not bold enough to speak their own minds.