‘Sex’ and a referendum

Jun 05, 2016 Countryman, Features / Columnists

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By Dennis Nichols
I was in The Bahamas last week, and many Bahamians, like their Guyanese and Jamaican counterparts

in the region, were talking transgender. Some were wondering exactly who transgenders are and how they can be identified; how they could be prevented from engaging in same-sex union, (illegal in The Bahamas) and abusing their right to use public washrooms traditionally designated Male and Female.
The issues are especially relevant now that a constitutional referendum looms which some feel may place innocent Bahamians, particularly young children of both sexes in uncomfortable, if not dangerous, situations, and has triggered widespread debate.
Four Amendment Bills were recently passed in the Bahamian Parliament, and now await approval or rejection by the Bahamian populace in a referendum scheduled for June 7th. These bills are in response to calls for women to have equal rights with men, including the right to pass citizenship to their family members in the same way as men do. Fine so far! But the fourth Bill has struck a controversial note, and the word ‘sex’ may be to blame.
It appears that some or even many Bahamians feel that the inclusion of that little heavyweight of a word opens the door to same-sex marriage, since it states that under the proposed change it will be unlawful to discriminate based on ‘sex’, and for many this means gender identity. But according to a government source, marriage under Bahamian law must be between a man and a woman, which, it declares, is determined at birth.
Officials say that the referendum (with a ‘Yes’ support from both the governing PLP and the opposition FNM) will not change Bahamian law, and is not an effort to change Bahamian society and values. But that is precisely what some people fear – something that radio talk show host Darold Miller was hearing from concerned citizens on his current affairs programme, and something that citizens on the streets of the capital Nassau are obviously concerned about.
Over the past few weeks many Bahamians have expressed puzzlement over the referendum generally and the fourth Bill in particular. According to the Tribune newspaper, equal numbers of respondents said they would vote ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ but these pale in comparison to those who said they don’t plan to vote at all. Many expect the referendum to fail. The Tribune added that some people feel that Bill Four is what the vote is all about, and that the legalization of same-sex marriage will be the outcome.
One female vendor said, “I gon vote, and I gon vote no, because I have children; think this is a game, hey. I have small children.” Another vendor declared emphatically, “I don’ believe in me and a man sharing the same bathroom.” An elderly gentleman exclaimed, “If they are holding to a position that says there’s nothing wrong, and there will be no gay marriage in The Bahamas, that’s not an assurance, because governments lie.”
Yes they do, and similarly laws don’t always mean what you or I think they mean. That people who identify as transgender have inalienable rights like the rest of society is a fact. And have you ever heard of gender dysphoria? Well neither had I until recently. It is described as a feeling of sometimes intense distress which someone experiences arising from the gender that was assigned to him/her at birth.
According to Wikipedia, the cause may be psychological or behavioural, but also biological, related to genetics, brain makeup, and prenatal hormones. Its other name is General Identity Disorder (GID) so designated in the International classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision. Most of us would not wish this kind of existentialist stress on someone who cannot help his/her gender identity.
It is said that many persons who suffer from the disorder identify as transgender, which means that they may not conform to gender norms and roles broadly defined by society. Being aware that you’re transgender may happen at any age the experts say. So a man or a woman may look extremely virile or very feminine yet consider ‘himself’ or ‘herself’ as the opposite sex. And not all may have the resources, or be inclined, to do the ‘Bruce Jenner’ transsexual thing.
Who delves into the heart and mind of such an individual to say whether or not this identification is genuine? On the other hand, what prevents an adult heterosexual male under transgender guise from using the women’s room at a theatre with some clandestine motive in mind, or a heterosexual adult female from doing the same in a men’s room? Children use those facilities too.
Such a ‘transgression’ could lead to open hatred and criminal action including sexual assault and violence committed on children, young adults, and even the perpetrators themselves. Remember that here in Guyana six or seven transgender women have been murdered over the past few years. And some ‘big ones’ have openly declared their abhorrence of the transgender lifestyle. Ask ‘Gulliver’ or ‘Otisha’.
Some bible-thumpers call transgender women and same-sex union an abomination before God. A local member of parliament not so long ago was reported as having said and/or implied that gay people should be banished on an island to prevent the proliferation of their lifestyle. The Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) is trying to expand its influence, but is still seen by many Guyanese as operating on the fringes of society, and is often mocked for its efforts.
But members of the group have spoken out about the hypocrisy and double standards of some of the most vocal critics who, they claim, occasionally make use of the services offered by transgender and homosexual males. It’s the same thing in The Bahamas, where it is widely claimed that many upstanding Bahamians are secret gays who operate on the ‘down low’ sometimes unknown to even their spouses. Incidentally, The Bahamas is said to be a deeply religious nation.
Similar sentiments and accusations are leveled against prominent citizens in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and other Caribbean countries; possibly in most countries on the planet. And there’s certainly more than an iota of truth in them.
I sympathize with disapprovers on both sides of the debate coin. However, it appears that the world is moving inexorably towards greater sexual liberalization and tolerance, if not acceptance, of variant sexual identity. In the end, such a movement may simply overwhelm the voices of even the most strident protesters in bantamweight countries like The Bahamas and Guyana.

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