Rights For All

      

                                                                                                                   

 Rights For All

The mere concept of rights is to unite society in a more harmonious, inclusive and comprehensive manner. Rights are of course, a means to which life is promoted, protected and cherished in society. They have some kind of snowball effect towards each other, thus you may not have one right and leave out the other.

The Constitution of Swaziland in chapter III (24) affords Swati citizens the right to freedom of expression etc. Now, this may loosely be translated as being afforded the ability to present yourself to society as you deem fit. The issue of concern currently is that of gender expression and sexual identity. The era we live in has its inhabitants being gender and sexually expressive. It is true to say that expression has taken many forms and should be embraced in all its kind.

 Depressing

 It is very depressing to know that in as much as the Constitution promotes the expression of individuals; a section of the Common Law disregards this. This is of course outlined by the Common Law under the Sodomy Act. It states that same-sex consenting males cannot engage in sexual relations. This is listed as being un-natural.  The implications of the act are in-fact endless as it tends to create stigma and discrimination around male couples (continued stigma when accessing services such as that of health), the micro-aggression, the inability for individuals to live their lives to the fullest (having to have secretive relationships) and fears of conviction. The aforementioned are just a few, imagine the indirect complications this law brings about. The law itself does not only violate one right but delves into the right to privacy. It implies that what occurs behind closed doors is no longer private; public knowledge as some may say.

 Change

 The time for change is now and this is in-fact true to the repeal of such oppressive laws. De-criminalization of the Common Law, Sodomy Act is necessary. These laws are no longer relevant in the countries that first imposed them.

Luhlobo Lwenu; Your Kind

The other day I went to seek medical assistance in a certain hospital, since I had somewhat sustained a hip due to a nasty fall. Nonetheless, as I was ushered into the hospital corridors, the lovely gentleman said to me; wait here sir, you will follow right after this gentleman.  If only you had seen the grin on my face. He had referred to me as a sir; a connotation I always tell people to use.

Fast forward, I am inside the nurses’ chamber and she starts registering my name and other personal details. As a part of her questioning process, she highlighted a few questions which include; what is your name, when last did you have an HIV test and have you circumcised yet? Now the moment she got to the latter question, I myself paused for a minute. I responded to tell her that I had not seen it fitting that I do one yet. I mean after-all, I haven’t really transitioned.  I saw her face change, she shook her head for a minute and there-after said; ‘oh well I know your type of people, in-fact I consider myself an ally’. Now, I know she meant well but the way she relayed her message was not at all convivial. Her mere expression was utterly segregatory. If we are to uphold wholistic inclusivity, there should be no ‘kind’.

Segregation

Growing up I used to have my mother tell me to unpack fruits she had bought. Never did I partition or segregate them. I always used to put them in one container because I believed they were fruits, and as such they did not have to be placed in different containers. The mere concept of inclusivity entails that one is a human, and as such should not be placed in categories. The connotation of having a specific kind depicts a sense segregation of

sort. As outlined by Schelling (1969), segregation is in-fact an act of setting something or someone apart from other people or things or being set apart.

Inclusivity

Inclusivity is of-course a policy of including people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized. One should not be labelled a specific ‘kind’ just because of their sexuality or their mere gender expression. In as much as she identified herself as an ally, she didn’t wholistically encapsulate this ideal. Embracing inclusivity means that one acknowledges that an individual is a part of the society and as such should not be treated any differently, or referred to be as being different.

Solution

I always tell people to specifically ask individuals how they should be referred to; as to not cause any discomfort. I doubt asking an individual how they wish to be referred to has ever caused any uneasiness and discomposure to anyone. In-fact it merely shows understanding and appreciation of individual diversity. Let us respect honor and respect individuality. Let us embrace inclusivity wholistically. Let love win and remember that your body is your right.

The Anger within

Earlier this week, we ran a campaign on stress and anger management. Most people would wonder as to why we chose to do so. The reason behind this is that, as individuals we fail to understand that anger and stress are part of our daily challenges. Managing such is a principle skill which one should possess.

As LBGTIQA+ identifying individuals, we tend to be faced with a lot of challenges such as neglect from our families, a lack of support and most importantly being shunned by the immediate society. All this may to build into anger and resentment in an individual. The psychology behind one being shunned and dismissed by their family and peers serves to build up anger inside them; in-fact it tends to test their life coping skills. As psychological studies emphasise, rejection of LGBTIQA+ individuals often starts at home, and as many as 50% of LGBTIQA+ teens experience a negative reaction from their parents when they come out.

 30% experience physical abuse and 26% are kicked out of their homes. LGBTIQA+ adults who report family rejection are 6 times more likely to be depressed and 3 times more likely to use illegal drugs and 8 times more likely to have attempted suicide than non-rejected young adults(Friedman, Clinical Psychologist). The attempt to commit suicide or use drugs in psychology is usually associated with negative stress and negative anger management. Anger as a result of the discrimination portrayed towards LGBTIQA+ identifying individuals continues to vary and this may include mere derogatory commentary, bad jokes and at times continues into violence.

The Society

The suffering of LGBTIQA+ goes un-noticed in our dear Eswatini as more and more individuals continue to be evicted from their homes and communities. The anger building up within these individuals is un-imaginable.  As a society we tend to neglect the consequences of our actions towards others. We never realise the harm we have done until it actually emanates in the form of violence or increased statistics of drug abuse. Even then, we try to find plausible explanations like; bad friends, or juvenile delinquency etc .We fail to acknowledge that the hate dispelled onto LGBTIQA+ individuals at a very young and tender age was the main causation. The drug and alcohol abuse, suicide attempts are merely just symptoms of an underlying issue. This issue being, ‘anger’ which has been building up for years.

Change

Change in how we treat each other as a society is quite crucial and necessary. A famous quote by marcandagel emphasises that; ‘if you have the power to make someone happy today, do it. The world needs more of that’. The world indeed requires more of love and less hate. No country or society has ever grown or thrived through hate; instead our mere existence as mankind is based on love. Love in all its forms can never lead to stress and anger; hate is the recipe for such. Love should be at the helm of all that we think, do and say. As alluded by Adulyadej, a good person can make another person good; it means that goodness will elicit goodness in the society; other persons will also be good.