Rape, incest and spousal abuse are all apparently contributing to the lesser known natural disaster of the “homosexual avalanche” that, according to one influential bishop, is sweeping the Bahamas.
The pronouncement that being gay is the product of sexual abuse belongs to Bahamas Christian Council President Bishop Simeon Hall who, on February 24, decided to wax hysterical about the need to shore up the “last bastion” of good morality, the heterosexual family.
“Strong, loving functional families are the last bastion against the homosexual avalanche. Most churches and sociologists agree that adult behavior in all areas is shaped and influenced by what has happened in the family,” Hall is quoted as saying. ”Spousal abuse, incest and rape, all these have irreversible negative effects on children and unfortunately and regrettably these are on the rise. And I believe the root cause of some persons embracing the homosexual lifestyle.”
Hall, however, can be forgiven for appearing flustered. The anti-gay consensus in the Bahamas was dealt a blow this past fortnight when the Bahamas’ top judge, Sir Michael Barnett, openly predicted that the nation would soon have to consider the question of same-sex marriage.
This comes after Anglican Bishop Laish Boyd publicly recommended that the nation’s constitution be amended to expressly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. The Bahamas is a religious conservative nation but has developed a less overtly hostile legal framework where homosexuality is concerned, with homosexuality having been decriminalized in 1991.
