South Africa: Finding Room for the Truth of Others
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Business Day (Johannesburg)
COLUMN
8 August 2008
Posted to the web 8 August 2008
Aubrey Matshiqi
Johannesburg
THERE was a time when gays and lesbians were regarded as "deviant groups" in the mould of "degenerates" such as drug addicts.
Because of this, it was possible for people to engage in revolutionary struggles against capitalism, colonialism and racism to the exclusion of fighting for the rights of homosexuals.
This omission was, and is, justified in terms of culture and religion. The most virulent of these justifications blame the ancestors and God for what are essentially the prejudices of men and women.
In 1982 police raided a bar in Times Square which was frequented by black, working-class gay men. The outpouring of indignation was in response to the racist dimension; the fact that the abuse had been directed at gay men was ignored. And in Cuba the government of Fidel Castro has persecuted homosexuals in defence of revolutionary values and principles.
These examples belie the argument that freedom is indivisible. They show that human rights omissions can coincide with social, political and revolutionary causes. But as I sometimes say -- every cause, no matter how noble, has its tyrants.
I was reminded of this the other day when veteran journalist Jon Qwelane poked a hornet's nest with his pen by proposing a constitutional amendment based on his opposition to homosexuality. Since he represents the views of the majority, how do we explain the gay clause in our constitution?
In an article titled Deviance, Politics and the Media, first published in 1974, one of the founders of cultural studies, Stuart Hall, borrowed from Charles Lemert, who in 1967 argued: "Social action and control usually emanate from elite power groups who have their own systems of values, which differ from those of the general population, from those of other groups, and even from those of individual members of the elites."
THIS is one way in which the constitutional provisions against discrimination based on sexual orientation can be explained. Our constitution represents a series of compromises as well as elite conceptions of democracy. This is one of those times when I feel we should celebrate the triumph of minority values over the majority since the alternative is a democratic experience that is less than substantive. I believe the responsibility of defending the rights of previously marginalised groups lies primarily with majority groups.
But, it is through the power of persuasion and democratic deliberation that a society such as ours must be able to reach such a point. This notwithstanding, we cannot wait for the power of persuasion to take full effect if this means the rights of gays and lesbians must be compromised. In recognition of the limits of deliberation, persuasion must go hand in hand with ameliorative legislation and constitutional measures.
For those who are opposed to gay rights, the limitations of democratic deliberation have different implications. Beyond its limits must lie a referendum through which their values must be imposed on the constitution. Since this would be consistent with the desires of the majority, such an outcome would be regarded as democratic and just. It is at this point, however, that democracy and justice cease to be synonymous.
Despite this, we must not yield to the temptation of demonising those who hold a view that is contrary to ours because such a response -- to people such as Qwelane -- may itself be tyrannical.
Instead, we must recognise that conflicting conceptions of what constitutes the absolute truth are behind our respective positions on sexual orientation. As Barack Obama has argued, some truths may indeed be absolute. The problem is that we tend to think that it is the truth of the other that is illegitimate.
The answer lies in another absolute truth: homosexuals are created in God's image. But I am willing to accept they may not have been created in your image of God.
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Matshiqi is a senior associate political analyst at the Centre for Policy Studies.
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It's very hard to be openly gay, lesbian or bisexual. They usually got harassed, beaten up, pushed around and called all kinds of slurs. They would say all sorts of horrible things for the wrong reasons. So I think for GLBT, they'd better find some online community or something like that, to come out first, where they may feel support, happy, free, just like the one BiLoves.