Be Thy Brother's Keeper

Another letter I have penned with hopes of having my voice heard on this particular issue once more.

The Editor Sir,

The argument posited by certain members of the religious right and the nouveau intelligentsia that it would be illogical to repeal the buggery law in light of the disproportionate rates of HIV infection recorded among Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) in epidemiological data is flawed at its core and demonstrates a lack of understanding of the variables which account for this disproportionate rate.

The argument is that retention of the buggery law in light of the rates of infection is in fact prohibitive towards new infections and is ergo a societal good. I submit that this analysis is fallacious.

The buggery law is but one of many variables which exacerbate the systemic vulnerabilities of MSM to HIV infection. I would never propose that repealing the law would serve as a panacea; in fact I posit that it is merely the first step in the right direction for government in the creation of a supportive social environment that will advance the welfare of every Jamaican  with special attention paid to those with peculiar vulnerabilities.

A fatal (though intentional) flaw of Marc Ramsey's and Shirley Richards' diatribes of exclusion published November 12, 2011  was the failure to recognize how the buggery law legitimizes hostile attitudes toward sexual minorities and how in fact its retention is a symbol of the complicity of government in the abuse suffered at the hand of misguided homophobes that operate with a spirit of entitlement as a result of a law they interpret to mean that MSM are un-apprehended criminals furtively existing outside the scope of justice. How these misguided souls are encouraged by pious hypocrites is another matter for another column but all part of the cycle of abuse at the hands of clerics.

MSM are not infectious disease vectors any more than another societal demographic but the vulnerabilities faced by this population can only be addressed through open dialogue with an aim to reduce vulnerability, foster social inclusion, and curb the spread of disease.

This is the meaning of being your brother’s keeper. It is a pity those among us that purport to have a closer relationship with the author of these words continuously fail to demonstrate his most basic philosophies and instead choose to perpetuate separatist ideals.

I am Sincerely,

Brian-Paul N. Welsh

brianpaul.welsh@gmail.com

St. Andrew, Jamaica

Update: Letter was published but edited to sound less stinging. I'm not a big fan of censorship but at least the message has got out there despite the Gleaner's best efforts to silence dissenting voices and the seeming cass-cass brewing in the editorial department over this recently introduced epidemiological fallacy.

Subscribe in a reader