Category: Political

Constitutional Referendum

blackgirlmagicandmeditation1 Comment

Below are thoughts I have shared on the recent outcome of the Bahamas’s Constitutional Referendum, held last Tuesday, June 7. More has been written by people who are far more articulate & have a much deeper understanding of the complex systems that created this storm. I encourage you to read everything you can.

It’s 2016 and my country of birth has told me (loudly) that I am not equal to the men in my country. You have said that my citizenship is worth less than men. You have said that the citizenship of my future daughters is worth less than men. You have said that I can be discriminated against on the basis of my sex, and there is no legal recourse.

I’m not ashamed to say that I’m surprised at these results. I am. I wished for more for this country. I always have. But tonight, my heart is heavy. I am so deeply disappointed in the rationale of intolerance, hate and spitefulness that people have used to justify their vote against these bills.

You can say what you want about all the reasons people voted no. I have heard them a thousand times. They are all nonsensical and/or prejudice. If you think you have voted no to “teach the current govt. a lesson”, to stop LGBT persons from gaining rights, or because of good ole fashion misogyny, please miss me with that bs. All you have done is shot yourself in the foot. I no longer care to understand your position. And I don’t have to. It is my right; one of the only rights I have as a woman in this country.

At the root, the reasons to vote no show that this country is deeply, powerfully and irrevocably prejudice, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, partisan and fearful.

We, as a country, have fallen far from the ideals of equality, justice, human rights, tolerance, civic duty and diversity. We, as a country, have so much more work to do…

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Trust me, I am often the one trying my best to empathize with all viewpoints. But the two main reasons people voted no are 1. to show they no longer trust the current govt. who put forth the referendum and funded the “Vote Yes” Campaign; and 2. to send a message to the LGBT community that they are not wanted here and will never have the same rights. Reason 1 I can rationalize and even agree with to a certain degree. But you are still denying yourself and future generations with a basic human right in an effort to spite someone else. Reason 2 is plain bigoted, homophobic & transphobic. AND it shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the difference between “sex”, “gender” and “sexual orientation. The bill referred to sex, but all people heard was “same-sex marriage”. In defending their no vote, I have heard people say LGBT people are pedophiles and that transgender people should be exiled from this country and that same-sex marriage is an abomination. There is no rationality in that. There is nothing I can empathize with in that. So when I say I no longer care to hear that point of view I’m saying: I no longer want to engage with someone (or a group of people) who fundamentally hate others and believe they are inferior.

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In wading through the aftermath of this referendum, I’ve realized that I didn’t do enough to support this cause leading up to the vote. Social media is one thing, getting out there is another. I watched from the sidelines as others did the heavy lifting.

My involvement would not have changed the tides, but at least I would’ve been working towards a cause that is so important.

Gender equality (or more often, inequality) isn’t just an abstract concept; it impacts the lived experiences of everyone, everyday. We have to do the real work it takes to make equality a reality in the Bahamas.

“Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture.” ― Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We Should All Be Feminists

Photo credit: http://www.globalgoals.org/global-goals/gender-equality/

3 Ring Circus

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This post was surprisingly harder than most. I can’t quite capture how utterly panicked I am about the state of modern day politics in the US and the Bahamas. We are now 8 months out from the US general election and (presumably) 14 months or so out from the Bahamas’s general election. Yet I am completely, utterly exhausted with it all. But it’s like I can’t escape from the 24-hr news cycle of doom. One or the other is making news for the new lows elected leaders and those jockeying for elected positions are willing to go.

So here’s where the shit hits the fan for me:

I assumed Americans would see pass the toxic sideshow of Donald Drumpf months ago and force him into the footnotes of political circus-dom. I assumed the deep-seated levels of apathy in Bahamians would finally be broken by the blatant corruption and lack of accountability in our governmental ranks. These assumptions have proven wrong…thus far (but please prove me wrong).

Instead, all I continue to see are core values of equality, basic human respect, compassion, tolerance, progressive social responsibility, and good old fashioned justice disappearing faster and faster.

So is it me? Am I getting something wrong?

Some stories give me hope that people are fighting against the tides of corruption, bigotry, fear-mongering, and demagoguery. But mostly I feel exceptionally pessimistic, which is not a default setting for me. And I honestly don’t know what to do.

At best I try to remember that others have not given up. I try to think about all the courageous people I know who strive every day to actively make our world a little less cruel and a lot more equal. Those who are activists in heart, mind and action, and speak out against all forms of injustice. I wonder how they do it every day. Because while I am tired, I recognize that I haven’t even begun a fraction of the work they have done. And the longer I sit on the proverbial sidelines, the more ashamed I feel. There is so much work to be done. What am I doing to help besides feeling sorry for the state of things? What are any of us doing besides complaining?

 

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” ― Elie Wiesel

Photo credit: Ringling Bro. Circus

Adulting Poorly

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There was a moment in the first few weeks of freshman year when two people in my dorm got incredibly drunk and the situation got destructive, chaotic, and dangerous. As things unfolded, I remember it was the first time I ever felt, “Where are all the adults? Who are we supposed to depend on to deal with this shit show?”

That feeling I had once all those years ago, now happens daily. It happens every time I read the newspaper and see the ways in which politicians engage with one another and with the citizens of my country.

“Where are all of the adults?”

Don’t get me wrong, my criticism spreads widely across all political parties and every individual. People are dying on the streets, begging for some relief and all we see are sparring matches, ego stroking, and shit show creation from the ones who should be dealing with the issues.

I don’t expect a government to solve all social and economic problems. That is not their mandate. But what is their mandate is to be accountable, responsible, and responsive to the needs of the people that elected them to office. This isn’t happening. Instead, our collective intelligence has been insulted every time:

  • answers are demanded but not given;
  • buildings get built and then left to rot;
  • legitimate claims of corruption are brought to light but carelessly dismissed;
  • crime spirals out of control (no link needed, just open up your group chat on WhatsApp);
  • we are forced to swallow policies that lack clarity;
  • and we are promised a solution will soon come.

Who exactly is in control here?

Someone I know has renamed Nassau as “Narnia”. It’s fitting. The situation has long become destructive, chaotic and dangerous. Since the day I moved home, I’ve been faced with the dilemma of staying at home long term in an effort to positively affect our environment, or just getting the hell out of dodge. I know this is a dilemma many Bahamians feel and others have articulated it far more eloquently than I ever could (exhibit A).

But regardless of individual choices to stay or go, so much needs to change for anyone to have a future here. The adults need to grow up and show up.

(ps. I’ve become that person who hyperlinks in their writings. All may be lost)

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.” ― Dr. Seuss