The AWARE saga has been a long-running one, often characterised, not by women against women, but by sex against sex. For some, it is secularists against Christianity, although there are people of other religions who are just as concerned by the issues - specifically, homosexuality, raised by this group of Christians who now form the core committee of AWARE.
For more than 4 weeks (the whole thing started on 28 March 2009), the issues and personalities have hee'd-and-haw'd. The wounded party - the old guard raising the most voice, if only because the new guard has been inexplicably silent most of the time. This has given occasion for diverse parties to cast aspersions on the valiant new guard who were willing to take action according to their convictions. Even the government has weighed in, warning off would-be religionists (aka Christians) mixing religion with politics.
The wonder of it all is that the voice of the majority has been deafeningly silent. Take a poll and you would probably find that more people in Singapore are against homosexual practices, yet it is the supporters of homosexuality, the old guard of AWARE, for example, that seem to be speaking for the majority. Yes, perhaps people are offended by the way the new guard 'took over' AWARE. If it hasn't been noticed, it was done democratically, according to the rules that the State (the ROC /ACRA ) stipulates, cuts no ice. I can understand. When a rug is pulled under you, you wouldn't stretch out a hand to the 'pullees'. The press hasn't helped either. It is repeatedly using emotive words like 'takeover', "a coup", 'militants', ad-nauseam.
Now religious figures have appeared too, in spite of the point made repeatedly for religions to stay out. But well, I suppose some people think that religion is important in the whole scheme of things. But of course, religious figures are trying to moderate the fight, but in doing so, I wonder if they are not taking a stand themselves?
For me, I don't even have to bring religion into this whole thing in order to express an opinion. Homosexuality is wrong, period. Many people seem to have forgotten how AIDS came about. AIDS is still with us, and it is still incurable, and it is still transmitted via unsafe and unnatural sex practices. Now I believe that any behaviour that puts at risk another's life is wrong, just as you would haul a person to court for trafficking in narcotics. Singapore law even mandates the dead penalty for such people. You may agree or disagree with the death penalty, but in Singapore, it would appear that more rather than less agree with it. And it does seem to be the case that more disagree with homosexuality than those that do, at least in Singapore.
So why are we lambasting those ladies who have the courage of their convictions?
6 comments :
We "lambast" those ladies not for their convictions, but for their unethical methods. Anyone can be commended for their good intentions but chided for their wrong actions. Good intentions unmatched by proper actions can often lead to more harm than good. Is that taught in various religions?
"Homosexuality is wrong, period. Many people seem to have forgotten how AIDS came about."
Excuse me? Aids DID NOT come through homosexuals. It was simply some man who inappropriately had sex with some animal, and that's how HIV came about.
Please get your facts right. Just like you never chose your parents when you were born, no one chose to be born as a homosexual. Homosexuality occurs naturally, PERIOD.
For the mistakes that a few make, you cannot blame an entire community. It's similar to racism, PERIOD.
There have been many theories on the origin of AIDS. It has been traced to the HIV virus. But exactly how this virus jumped to the human race is still a subject of much debate. Conspiracy theories abound, and probably animal sex with humans is one of them. Even so, this theory is not given much credence in the medical community, and thus cannot be treated as incontrovertible fact.
What is clear is that gay sex activity helps in the spread of this disease.
See:
http://www.avert.org/origins.htm
so swine flu cos a small boy had sex with a pig/bird hybrid?
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lolz.. if you don't know anything, why say anything.
"Homosexuality is wrong, period. Many people seem to have forgotten how AIDS came about. AIDS is still with us, and it is still incurable, and it is still transmitted via unsafe and unnatural sex practices"
You just lost every single shred of credibility right there.
It is also clear that straight sex activity helps in the spread of this disease - several more times in fact. From the same website you provided:
"Globally, around 11% of HIV infections are among babies who acquire the virus from their mothers; 10% result from injecting drug use; 5-10% are due to sex between men; and 5-10% occur in healthcare settings. Sex between men and women accounts for the remaining proportion – around two thirds of new infections."
http://www.avert.org/worlstatinfo.htm
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