THE BATTLE LINE IS DRAWN!

Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State

 "Indeed, our religion and our culture are sources of compassion and inspiration toward our fellow human beings. It was not only those who’ve justified slavery who leaned on religion, it was also those who sought to abolish it. And let us keep in mind that our commitments to protect the freedom of religion and to defend the dignity of LGBT people emanate from a common source"- Hilary Clinton

Many well meaning Nigerians, including some respected intellectuals don’t see what the big deal is about Senate Bill 05 that I have been discussing and promoting these past few weeks. One of them wondered on his Facebook page during the week why our legislators have not given corruption the kind of attention that the gay issue is receiving. Another even posited that it is the strategy of the legislators is to divert out attention to this unimportant issue, while they are busy looting and carting their loot to their various bank accounts.

I sympathise with these very patriotic Nigerian who have been led to such cynicisms as to suspect every action and omission of our lawmakers. But I daresay that they deserve commendation and require encouragement to see this anti-gay marriages bill passed into law.

Developments since the bill began its journey at the Senate ought to cause a rethink amongst the cynical and indifferent ones amongst us. It is already well known that the United Kingdom’s government rose stoutly against the bill, threatening us with an aid ban.

Canada soon came on board with Foreign Minister, John Baird not only voicing his country’s opposition to the bill, but also promising to mount a campaign against at other fora.  His words:  "The government of Nigeria must protect all Nigerians, regardless of sexual orientation…Through the Commonwealth and other forums, Canada will continue to make this point in the most forceful of terms."

Then came the United States of America, the so-called leader of the Free world, which according to a December 6 Bloomberg report has decided to “weigh how countries treat gays and lesbians in making decisions about foreign aid”.

Quoting from a memorandum described as “first-ever U.S. government strategy dedicated to combating human rights abuses against LGBT persons abroad”   issued by President Barack Obama’s White House, the report said the President “is directing all agencies engaged abroad to make sure U.S. diplomacy and aid programs ‘promote and protect’ the rights of gays and lesbians.”

Bloomberg further quoted the memorandum as saying: “The struggle to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons is a global challenge, and one that is central to the United States commitment to promoting human rights…promoting the human rights of homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender people reflects our deep commitment to advancing the human rights of all people.

The memorandum, continues the report, “directs all agencies engaged abroad to improve refugee and asylum protections for gay, bisexual and transgender people. It also calls for strengthening U.S. efforts to oppose foreign governments criminalizing homosexuality, bisexuality or transgender behavior. U.S. foreign aid programs will increase government and civil society engagement to promote gay rights.

The last part of this report is particularly striking, because the United States is declaring that apart from withholding aids from countries which criminalise homosexuality, it will fund homosexual groups. In order words, the US will use money to undermine the legitimate laws of other countries.  That sounds like a thinly disguised declaration of war.

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton went on to spell out the rationale for the memorandum and the policy it enunciated the following day at the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva.

CNSNews.com’s report of Clinton’ statement said to have been issued ahead of the commemoration of Human Rights Day on Saturday December 10 read in part like this: “…Clinton said recognition that LGBT people ‘are entitled to the full measure of dignity and rights’ has evolved over time: And as it did, we understood that we were honoring rights that people always had, rather than creating new or special rights for them. Like being a woman, like being a racial, religious, tribal, or ethnic minority, being LGBT does not make you less human. And that is why gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights.’

“Clinton noted that among the challenges facing LGBT people is ‘when people cite religious or cultural values as a reason to violate or not to protect the human rights of LGBT citizens. This is not unlike the justification offered for violent practices towards women like honor killings, widow burning, or female genital mutilation. Some people still defend those practices as part of a cultural tradition. But violence toward women isn't cultural; it's criminal. Likewise with slavery, what was once justified as sanctioned by God is now properly reviled as an unconscionable violation of human rights,’ she said.

"’In each of these cases, we came to learn that no practice or tradition trumps the human rights that belong to all of us. And this holds true for inflicting violence on LGBT people, criminalizing their status or behavior, expelling them from their families and communities, or tacitly or explicitly accepting their killing.

"’Rarely are cultural and religious traditions and teachings actually in conflict with the protection of human rights,’ Clinton continued. ‘Indeed, our religion and our culture are sources of compassion and inspiration toward our fellow human beings. It was not only those who’ve justified slavery who leaned on religion, it was also those who sought to abolish it. And let us keep in mind that our commitments to protect the freedom of religion and to defend the dignity of LGBT people emanate from a common source.

“’For many of us, religious belief and practice is a vital source of meaning and identity, and fundamental to who we are as people. And likewise, for most of us, the bonds of love and family that we forge are also vital sources of meaning and identity. And caring for others is an expression of what it means to be fully human. It is because the human experience is universal that human rights are universal and cut across all religions and cultures’"

Anyone who has followed the debate on gay rights will of course find nothing new in Clinton’s attempt to press love, a decided godly attribute, into action in the pursuit of a clearly an ungodly idea – one that runs counter to His single most important assignment for mankind - continuation of the species. (CONTINUES).