I say, more power to them!
May 5, 2009 at 5:32 pm 4 comments
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You’ve all heard how San Diegan Miss USA 1st runner-up, Carrie Prejean, slammed gay marriage infront of the gayest man in the world; lost her crown and become the kind of celebrity she wouldn’t have hoped for.
Our instinctual response to this piece of news, no doubt, would be to defend and rally after her, had rallying been needed. Because you and I are Ethiopian. We neither believe in gay rights nor feel women should stand alone on stage speaking their minds; not to mention how Lev. 18:22, Lev. 20:13, Lev. 20:13 & Rom. 1:26-28 has clearly indicated how detestable lying next to a man is. Political-incorrectness, the one right we can afford to exercise!
Alas, this Ethiopian does not see eye to eye with this kind of conservatism — for once. Not because she can’t be a bible-totting Christian who reach for the good book when in need of guidance and comfort if she tried. Or due to her tendency to see things the way them “ferenji”s do, as Tazabi aptly observed (and expect her to apologize for, I guess :roll:), who believe gays, too, are humans with as much right to misery as the rest of us. Or because she feels being gay is something you are born with so can’t be helped. She neither believes nor feels such nonsense!! Women chose to becme gay when they get tired of men while men are forced into gayhood because somebody messed up with them when young. Neither should be encouraged, nor allowed to adopt kids. Or so she thinks.
/mode {change} + personal pronoun = first person singular
Why, then, am I pro gay couple entering the unholy state of matrimony?! Because I hope allowing them to marry each other will be the first step to making gay men keep their hands off our kids (that’s how men become gay in my country anyway). If there is anyone who knows of any reason why the Rev. Shnorr should not join two men (and two women) in lawful marriage, please speak now or forever hold your peace.
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Mazzi | May 6, 2009 at 2:43 pm
You know Abesheet, I am all for legalizing gay marriages probably for entirely different reasons as well.
First and foremost, I so don’t have it in me to view marriage as something ordained by God or any deity out there between a man and a woman only. I see marriage as a man made institution like any other (out of necessity or need for survival) invented to better organize human societies on very basic level, and to give vulnerable children that might arise from such unions the best chance of survival into adulthood.
If marriage was ordained by God for the purpose of procreation or some nonsense like that, he would have made it impossible for people to have children outside of marriage. We all know that is not the case, so there goes that logic! If marriage was ordained by God to force humans (as if!) to be ‘monogamous’ (barring polygamy in Islam and some Christian, or other religious sects), then he would have made it impossible for people to have sex without being married first. We all know that is not the case either. So what the hell?!
And if all my years of studies in human biology has taught me anything, it is the fact that gender and sexuality for human beings is NOT as clear cut as we would like to believe. Before we even talk about nurture and learned behaviors, on biological levels (genetics, hormones, brain chemistry etc..), people’s gender and sexuality fall on a very large spectrum instead of a clear dichotomous black and white. Despite popular belief, not every human being is ‘clearly male’ or ‘clearly female’ with some being overly effeminate, too muscular, and ‘inter-sexed’ or ‘middle-sexed’ both on physical level (having either ambiguous or both types of genitalia or ovaries and testis) and on hormonal level (having imbalance in estrogen and testosterone levels) despite having clearly defined genitals. By the same token, it is hard for me to imagine people’s sexual orientation being clearly defined. Some are clearly gay (born that way or thru learned behavior), some are clearly hetero, and others all over the map! Of course such people are in every culture including our own, except of course conservative cultures have no room for any form of sexuality that is outside the ‘norm’ at least out in the open.
If you ask me, gender and sexuality (and all the confusion and out of ‘norm’ situation that happen) are two of God’s greatest sense of humors! Think of all the confusion and chaos they create in societies desperate for clear cut black and white answers! Think of the endless amount of entertainment we supply/provide to God who might be watching us like a day time soap-opera to pass his lonely time up/out there somewhere???
Gay or straight, I say adults should leave the hell out of children when it comes to sexuality. But if we are only dealing with adults, and consenting ones at that, I say what ever strikes their fancy… gay, straight, or bisexual. As long as no one is being coerced into any kind of sex they are not willing to engage in, I say freedom to all. And if as you said gay people want to get married and have a taste of the phenomenon that is marriage, why the hell not? Why should they be left out of the drama marriage sooner or later brings? ;-). And if they want to raise children (their own, or adopted), as long as they provide the love and safe and nurturing environment, I say even more power to them!!
Look at the bright side…. If gay marriages become legalized affecting even marriage related immigration laws, maybe gay partners can sponsor their foreign ‘spouses’ from other countries, so that will be a way for more Ethiopians to make it to this ‘land of plenty’ right? If only they put aside their aversion to the whole notion of gay! :-).
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abesheet | May 6, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Would it make more sense if we try rulling God out of the equation, Mazzi?
NIbo,
Welcome and thank you for your awesome youtube recommendation. It was not only hillarious, but reminded me how that song used to be a favorite of mine. Btw, i’m sorry your comments were held up for hours before approval. It only happens once 🙂 . Atti’tfa!
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Mazzi | May 6, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I think so Abesheet, in my humble opinion.
‘God’ is not even the problem here. It is our perception of ‘God’ in our feeble attempt to understand ‘our creator’ and what we think ‘He’ expects out of us.
We are so confused about what to do with ourselves, and we keep going back to some religious books we ourselves composed (based on facts, fiction, and historical events) to try to govern ourselves.
That is what I think anyways…
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Ye'ewunet Wodaj | May 16, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Hi Abesheet and Mazzi:
Abesheet: I was reading comments on your blog about your blog and how Mazzi and others were encouraging you to blog and not to give up. I wanted to add my voice.
I wanted to also tell you that I’m one of those who read your blog from time to time, but now I’d like to do it more often. The reason I’ve not been reading your blog more often has something to do with my choice of subject matters to read and that limits the number of blogs I visit. When you say things philosophical or of philosophical importance I get really excited and would read anything on such issues. You can infer from what I’ve just said that philosophy blogs are among the ones I read. I read political commentaries on Ethiopia too. I read about issues that affect Ethiopia since I live away from home and that is how I discovered your blog a year or so ago. I don’t remember when, to be exact.
Anyway, one thing that I could not believe about you is this: your mastery of the English language is simply amazing and breath-taking, to say the least! You’re so gifted in the way you express yourself (though I disagree with many things you talk about based on principled reasons not because you’re a woman or anything like that–but all the way with admiration for you). You’re among the very few such gifts fellow Ethiopians I know of. If you write short stories or fiction/novel or what have you and get published I bet that you’ve a potential to win lots of coveted prizes many of us would never. Abesheet, you are such a gem!
As far as I can tell, now you’re in the US. I’d like to read more on your reflections on life here and promise to keep visiting your blog whenever I can.
Mazzi: You’re also another gifted woman, when it comes to expressing yourself and you could be a great blogger–Abesheet’s bloger-alter ego! I wonder where Mazzi lives in the Midwest. I’m also in the Midwest and got curious to see if we’re neighbors in the same city? This world has become so small and anything can happen and just wondering.
I decided to leave the above thoughts here not because they are relevant to the issue that is being discussed but then I thought Abesheet might visit recent posts more often and find the above comments that way.
Best wishes,
YW