Homosexuality and the Black Community

I think we might have all drank the Kool-Aid. I was talking to my brother-in-law yesterday regarding being propositioned by gay men and how I was weirded out by an overly-aggressive male once in the '90's. He shared with me an experience he had that wasn't a homosexual one, but was as equally weird to him. He attended school in Kenya for a year in the 90's and had many Kenyan friends. Part of the Kenyan culture is for males to hold hands and one of his Kenyan friends grabbed his hand while walking down the street one day. This was actually an honorable gesture-it basically demonstrates respect and admiration and to refuse would be to insult the one initiating the gesture. This gesture, however, is in no way homosexual. My brother-in-law went on to say that homosexuality does not exist in the Kenyan culture-he said that it has to be imported.

This conversation puts me one step closer to accepting my theory about how homosexuality found it's way amongst African-Americans. I've long believed that slave masters not only raped slave women and children, but slave men as well. Of course no one will ever speak about it publicly (much less admit it if confronted with the subject), but I am pretty close to accepting this theory as fact. Given the nature of those who were in power and how they justified some of their actions, it isn't too far-fetched a theory. Not to mention the fact that slave masters had complete autonomy over their slaves. And if we are to believe noted British historian Lord Acton, a person’s sense of morality lessens as his or her power increases. He coined the phrase Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. With the ability to do whatever you want to people, there's no telling what one might do.

We've but to look back throughout recent history if we need proof to substantiate this belief. In fact Abu Grahib is a perfect example. I couldn't for the life of me understand why it was necessary to stack naked, imprisoned men on top of one another. Some men were forced to put their faces in other men's pubic regions. Why? Isn't the fact that they are imprisoned against their will enough? And if torturing them or at least making them uncomfortable was necessary, why homosexual acts. I've heard the arguments from pundits who say that it's unacceptable in their culture therefore it was done because they didn't like it. Okay, I understand that, but wasn't their other things you could have done to cause them discomfort like having them sleep on a hard surface or limiting their exposure to the great outdoors. I know that would be enough to cause me discomfort.

I believe that this was an opportunity for those in charge to live out their own fantasies-to display the sickness that exists in their own minds. It's no different than what happens in prison throughout this country. If homosexuality is a sin, then why isn't every famous televangelist protesting the existence of prisons? Homosexual acts are almost encouraged in prison. The guards allow it to take place. Why do we allow institutions such as these to exist in our culture? In more civilized European societies, (those with fewer foreigners), their exists prison whereby inmates' wives can visit (long-term). And prison rapes are almost nonexistent. Prisons and Catholic churches seem to be the two institutions where there exists a tacit acceptance of homosexual behavior.

I can't say for certain that homosexuality was introduced to native Africans by Europeans. But one thing I can most certainly say is Rome-and I don't think I need to say too much else. Anyone who doesn't know how homosexuality and child molestation was condoned by Romans (and they have the nerve to call it Roman Civilization) is simply living in a opaque, soundproof bubble. The seat of the Catholic church, The Vatican City, sits right smack dab in the middle of Rome. And the I don't think their is a corner of the planet that doesn't have a Catholic outpost in the neighborhood.

I don't know if I'll ever fully know the truth, but one thing's for certain-the nonexistence of homosexuality in Kenya speaks volumes about where such an unnatural act of congruence might have originated.