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/
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