By Bakampa Brian Baryaguma
Hitherto, homosexuality has been
largely regarded as something of the Western world. It is for this reason that
the recent spate of media reports of the existence of sodomites in our country
has apparently taken many by storm. The Government previously responded by
proposing an Anti-gay Bill to further strengthen the law against homosexuality
in Uganda. Whereas this was a positive development, the issue of homosexuality
should be understood in its proper context, if it is to be effectively
addressed. The role of money in flaming homosexual tendencies today should be
critically analysed.
It should be noted that human
relations are economic, that is to say that “exchange” is the primary
consideration of all human relations. Before the introduction of the monetary
economy, people exchanged goods and services. This changed later with the
introduction of money as a medium of exchange. Therefore, human relations
(including love relationships) are governed by the concept of ‘something for
something.’ I submit that it is this
concept that is responsible for the unprecedented increase in homosexuality
today and the financial bottlenecks reigning high are catalysing it. How?
Nowadays heterosexual
relationships are increasingly becoming like merchandise in a shop. Thus, ‘love’
is basically sold and bought through means other than express prostitution.
Courtship and dating are huge profit making investment ventures from which
people milk as much money as they can from their partners. If one cannot find a
partner that will satisfy all their needs, they will resort to having multiple
partners. This is prostitution in substance though not in its usual form which
is because of the commercialization of the body politic of our contemporary
society. It is mere showbiz.
This has affected the marriage
institution as well with fictitious marriages all over the place today. Sometime
back, I remember Hilary Bainemigisha lamenting that there are so many weddings
today yet there are few marriages, in his Dr. Love column. People marry
for various reasons, most of which are selfish and money centred. For instance,
most people will marry someone just because they are either rich or they have
rich relations! In other words, marriage is a source of financial capital for
many! But nature cannot succumb to defeat. When circumstances change, the
pillar of the marriage collapses and so does the marriage itself.
Alternatively, when the money sought is got, it emerges that it cannot satisfy
all marriage needs especially, sex which is its bedrock. Resultantly, infidelity
ensues. The cumulative effect of all this is the negation of the sanctity of
marriage and the family institution as a whole.
The monetization of love
relationships has most affected the youths, more so the young men, which is
reason why it is most rampant among them, according to reports. Many cannot
afford the cost of a heterosexual relationship and the fact that sex is
virtually a necessity compels them to derive sexual pleasure by other means;
the most preferred being homosexuality. I reiterate my view that whereas this Bill
is a welcome development, Government and others should strive to address the
core causes of homosexuality, which in my opinion are economic in nature.
Legislation alone will not eliminate homosexuality and so the Bill should be
supplemented by economic emancipation through job creation.
However, I am aware that moral
degeneration also has a role in this, otherwise we wouldn’t be having the ‘big’
names we are hearing of now (the rich homosexuals) which makes the Bill more
relevant. But this can be explained and women are affected most here. By and
large, most men are weary and fearful of rich and successful women, as much as
they are distrustful of very beautiful women. So, these needy women resort to
their fellow women, for sexual satisfaction. Then, men also resort to fellow
men, as a consequence of women exaggerating their value in love relations, in a
manner akin to extortion. They believe that as members of the same sex, they
best understand and tolerate one another’s situations.
