Editor, It was with deep disappointment that we read the article titled “Society Matters: We can’t just allow sodomy to eat into our society” in last week’s Sunday Times (12 July, 2009). Most worryingly, the article goes against the principles of a modern Rwanda, namely of inclusion, unity and reconciliation, and we seek here to staunchly reject many of the article’s myths and denounce its propaganda of hatred. Under the Rwandan Constitution everyone is equal regardless of race, gender, religion and sexual orientation (see Article 11-Ed). Being gay in Rwanda is not illegal and such a homophobic article should not be propagated by the most respected Rwandan newspaper. The reasoning behind our Constitution and the reconciliation process since 1994 has been to dispel the myths that led to the tragic events of the genocide and were, unfortunately, propagated by the media of the time. Given this, we think it is important to dispel some of the myths in the said article, to avoid them being perceived as “fact” by ordinary Rwandans: a. Homosexuality exists in every society and throughout history, including here. Homosexuals are just like you and me. They may in fact be your brother, sister, uncle, aunty, cousin, friend, colleague, client, etc. They are ordinary law-abiding citizens and like everyone deserve to be treated with respect. b. Unwanted approaches are a general problem (just ask a girl who goes to a nightclub here in Kigali!), and homosexuals are not in the business of converting others to being gay (besides there is simply no evidence this is even possible, you are just born gay or not!). They, quite frankly, just want to live a peaceful life and be allowed to contribute positively to our society. c. There were also some questionable medical knowledge shown by the writer of that article: studies show that anal intercourse is as common (if not more) among heterosexuals. So I wonder whether you’ve recently seen people walking in the streets with their intestines hanging out, as the writer claimed happened if you engaged in such acts? d. The author also reduces the “meaning of life” to the simple action of reproduction, and seems to ignore what really gives meaning to people namely: love, companionship and faith. Are couples who can’t have children or a nun less worthy of society’s respect or less valuable? Is it actually more decent to have 10 children, but not provide for them and mistreat your wife? e. It’s implied in the article that homosexuals are just men when in fact it is as common for women to also be gay, including one of the author’s of this article! Last week’s article was full of myths, but above all it went against the sentiment of inclusion and tolerance of Rwanda. After all, we are ALL Rwandans, regardless of sexual orientation. Some people are simply attracted to people of their same gender, and you can’t change that – in the same way you can’t change being black or white. And to conclude, given the writer referred to the Bible, let us remind him of the parable of the “Good Samaritan” (who was himself judged and stigmatised before being proved to be the most worthy of a place in heaven), and let us also refer to the wise words of Jesus who said “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”. We rest our case. Sheila Karake and Philippe Rwigyema
