“Home is Where the Hatred Is”
A Facebook event Home is Where the Hatred Is launched, which is calling for residents to join a protest at City Hall on May 25th to raise awareness about discrimination against gay people on the island.
The event page text is prefaced by a story by Kyrs Assan about an experience she alleges occurred at a local guest house. The page says, “On Tuesday May 1, within two days of returning home from school, I was given 15 minutes to leave Windsong Guest Apartments after its owner canceled my reservation, refused to accept my money, and attempted to slam the door in my face. She told me I could go “stay with my girlfriend.” I ended up outside of the apartments with my two suitcases, angry and in tears.”
“Regardless of how you feel about homosexuality, respect is respect and fair is fair. I am organizing Home is Where the Hatred Is in order to raise awareness about discrimination against gay people on the island. From 1:00-2:00pm, we will stand in front of City Hall asking for our lawmakers to take complaints of discrimination seriously and to move towards an amendment of the Human Rights Act quickly.”
“I have contacted the Human Rights Commission to lodge a complaint, but because sexual orientation is NOT a protected ground under the Human Rights Act, the Human Rights Commission can’t do anything about it. With sexual orientation in the HRA, people who have been discriminated against on the basis of their sexual preference – gay or straight – would be able to file a complaint against offenders and have justice done.”
“Thanks for your commitment to equality and non-discrimination. Let Bermuda’s decision makers that we won’t be bullied out of our beautiful home by hateful, hurtful people. See you at City Hall.”
Bernews spoke with the Windsong guest house owner, who maintained that the incident did not occur as stated on the Facebook page. Mrs Anderson said that the female guest checked in this past Sunday [May 15] and had booked for 12 days at a special rate of $100 a night for single occupancy.
Upon the management noticing that it appeared to be two people staying in the room, they said they requested that the standard additional fee of $30 per night for double occupancy be paid. Mrs Anderson said that the guest was unwilling to pay the additional fee, the discussion over it became heated and she stormed out saying “I will stay with my girlfriend.”
Mrs Anderson also said she wasn’t aware of the sexual orientation of the guests, and the fact there were two women staying in the same room she didn’t find unusual. She explained that Windsong and many other guest houses/hotels frequently have guests book a single room in order to save money.
Mrs Anderson refuted any suggestion that she had acted in a discriminatory manner, saying that it was “just a business deal gone bad,” and said she expected the guest’s father to intercede and calm the situation. We have been unable to get a response over the past two days from Kyrs Assan to confirm if the planned protest is still scheduled.
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- Word Word Comma | May 19, 2011
She said he said. OK, so the stories may differ. But that is not the story.
The story is discrimination.
The law allow it, and it must be changed. Bermuda must join the ranks of the First World and amend its legislation to protect everyone from being treated unfairly. After all, I thought that was what all our infighting and anger is about anyway. Equality for all.
Maybe I got that part wrong.
Quote from another news source “I don’t have a problem with gays as long as they don’t throw it up in my face”. Just like any other biggoted comment, ie ‘I don’t mind black people as long as they know their place’……I wonder if Ms. Anderson remembers those days. She’s about the right age to remember segregation and overt inequality
You couldn’t be more wrong. She isn’t a biggot because she doesn’t want it thrown in her face. I know a lot of gay people, with whom I socialize with regularly, that don’t “throw it in peoples faces.” And to equate racism and homophobia is silly. Homophobia is more often than not based on ones religion, as racism was based on purely ignorance on the white mans part. Now if the bible had no issue with gays, and there was no outline that says that for a man to lay with another man is wrong, then there would be no issue. There was no such line in the bible that said black people are inferior.
With that being said, since you can’t (or shouldn’t) attack someone for their religious beliefs then I think she should be able to feel however she feels towards gay people.
ALSO, since I am a liberal bordering on libertarian, I believe that gays should have equal rights, as should everyone, and I believe that everyone is entitled to feel how they want.
Actually there is a line in the Bible (forget where) detailing how the sins of the father are visited on the sons, and this was extended to whole tribes arising from the sons of, I think, Shem (?), condemning them to be the slaves or subodinate to others. These ‘sons’ were later equated with Africans, and thus used as a ‘Biblical’ justification for slavery (amongst others).
What does ‘throwing in in their faces’ mean anyway? Heterosexual people constantly engage in heterosexual behaviours in public without hassle, no? And Christians go around wearing crosses to, or Jews wearing skull-caps. As long as they are not preventing others enjoying their rights, its no problem.
The white man took whatever the bible said about the sons of whoever and equated it with Africans, not the bible. The bible does not say Africans or black people should be slaves and are worth less than the white man.
Also, what is a hetero behaviour? Men wearing pants and women wearing skirts?
An example of throwing something in someones face is doing something in front of someone, to someone or around someone that might make them feel uncomfortable, and continuing to do in when you know that it bothers them.
Well, the Bible is a bit ambiguous on a few things to be honest, and allows people to cherrypick or interpret it according to their wishes. At least historically speaking.
On hetero behaviour I guess you could take about public displays of affection, holding hands, holding waists, kissing, etc. I think quite a number of people would feel uncomfortable with homosexuals doing the same, no? Heck, there’s plenty of heterosexuals who find that ‘in your face’ heteroism uncomfortable.
I agree. I don’t like any gratuitous public displays, regardless of the couples sexual orientation. But to be honest, a public display of affection isn’t a hetero behaviour. A hetero behaviour to me could be a man or woman, doing something overtly masculine or feminine. Now looking at it that way, a homosexual doing something to throw it in peoples faces could be a gay man doing something extremely feminine and vice versa.
From WIKI (NO MENTION OF RELIGION)
A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs. The predominant usage in modern English refers to persons hostile to those of differing race, ethnicity, nationality, inter-regional prejudice, gender and sexual orientation, homelessness, various medical disorders particularly behavioral disorders and addictive disorders and religion or spirituality. Forms of bigotry may have a related ideology or world views.
Maybe, Think About that LOL good one Itwasn’tme good one…
LOL
Thanks…..I overlooked the words ‘religion or spirituality’ but they are not the basis of bigotry when considering the big picture…..I stand by my orginal statement that the shoe fits, especially after reading the inkeepers comments in the daily
@LOL
Are you making fun of me? What point are you trying to make?
I am a gay person first of all and I refer to anyone as a person which means when you refer to anyone you should refer to them as people. For example black people or perhaps gay people calling anyone less is sad. Now as for doing anything with anyone in front of anyone I would without question do whatever I feel in front of whomever I feel. I could care less how it makes someone feel and I am certain that it is no different with straight people. Do I make out with my husband in front of other people absolutely not because that is just tacky but if I wanted to I certainly would just like any other opposite sex couple. As for the Bibble I am so sad you think that God wanted anyone to do anything to anyone other than love them. I think it is quite clear that God believes all people were made equal. I think we have established that. The Bible was translated a million times from various languages. To take it literally is pathetic and quite frankly silly. Good Lord what if you eat Shell Fish – All shrimp eaters are going to hell??? I mean come on. Think about it. God is far more complex. In the end being gay is simply loving another human being. I think God would understand loving another human being and respecting and cherishing their love in return. Think about it! So silly. Human beings made this rule long long ago and its simply pathetic. I am married to a man and yes I am a man and I am no different than you. Yes I love him and yes he loves me and yes my family and my siblings and his love us still and pssssst I think God loves me too. I will do what I want where I want with my love even if it makes you sick – do I no. Grow up and use your brain and your soul a little more. Live goodness and kindness and think of people as being equal God is talking to you through me and I am here to teach you like I am sure you could teach me about things that I know nothing about. Being gay is something I know about. Trust me its harmless love that I was born with just like you. I am attracted to the same sex like you are likely attracted to the opposite. Wishing you peace, love, joy, happiness and prosperity no matter what defines you because you are a living breathing human being and most noteably a person like me. God bless you.
I think Gay relations/marriage should be illegal. If the world had accepted it centuries ago, the world would be of unbalanced populations. You cant compare being gay to that of race problems, because different races can be gay. So its far from a comparison level. And to even compare the two means their using Black inequality to justify why its not fair. I dont see how you can believe in religion and be gay. When the best sold book in the world quotes that gay is wrong or that gay is not right.
In a few year because anyone can choose to be gay, they will have more rights then black people because of positions in high places ie government, business positions. They will have more power in 10 years then what blacks faught for 300 years.
With that said, I think it should be illigal for gay marriage or even showing gay relations in public. It was at one time illegal for a black man to date a white women or even look at them !!
If you gay and want to be treated fairly, go to a gay city like Sanfransisco or ATL. Go ask people there about gay throwing it in your face..They will tell you !!!! trust me !!!
lol wait… so you think the marriage/relations should be illegal, but then state at one point it was illegal for a black man/white woman?? are you saying that that should have stayed illegal? or that laws should change and adapt to what is humane and right?
besides, quoting a book based on how many copies it sells and using it as a guide to life is foolish… snooki from Jersey shore is a New York Bestselling author…hardly a life role model.. just a good read i’d assume.
You truly are a moron. Should we run all marriages through you?
Sure, lets do that and run all marriages through me !!
Continuing with what I mentioned above ^^
Laws should change but only for the better of the entire community. Not just because a bunch of abnormal people think their being mistreated.
If you think being gay is normal, why do the majority of children who have been molested turn gay? Its because they have been confused !! thats why !!
Their brain triggered something from the incident that made them think its normal for same sex relationships, when its not normal.
” the majority of children who have been molested turn gay? Its because they have been confused !! thats why !!”
LOL where the hell did you hear that?
The same could be said of Black people in the US right Black Pride, “Laws should change but only for the better of the entire community. Not just because a bunch of abnormal people think their being mistreated.”
……….Black Pride indeed.
LOL please note people this was said in humor as even BP must realize what he has said above is ironic
You are unbelievably RIDICULOUS! Where are the facts for this “majority of children who have been molested turn gay” crap? So you think ALL molestation of children are by the same sex? How do you explain men who molest young girls being gay? How exactly does that confuse them? You are the reason people name call on here. OMG you are unbelievable @black pride
LOL..my opinion, through my observation for the last 25 years..
@ Black Pride
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!
My jaw hit the floor when I read your comment. This has got to be THE most offensive/stupid thing I have read on here today.
You sir, 1. lose your job, 2. lose your house, 3. lose your friends, and 4. be locked away from the outside world so that you can never see or speak to anyone ever again. You are such an @sshole it’s not even funny.
So you mean to tell me that gays shouldn’t be allowed to be who they are and do what they want to do, all because of a book has actually convinced people that there’s an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever ’til the end of time!
(Reference = http://www.rense.com/general69/obj.htm)
If you believe this, then you need your head examined….
i like this one…
http://www.bay-of-fundie.com/img/2010/epicurus-quote.jpg
good ol logic…
LOLOLOLOL, not thats why funniest things I’VE READ TODAY !!!
Who is this Moron Black Pride?!
And I quote:
“I dont see how you can believe in religion and be gay. When the best sold book in the world quotes that gay is wrong or that gay is not right.”
The best sold book in the World Quotes many things, lets see: No Sex before Marriage, have you ever done that? How about lust? Envy? Gossip? the list is endless. So your comments lead me to beleive Jesus has returned and has been renamed Black Pride, because surely you haven’t committed any offence against the good book.
OH. MY. GOD. I don’t think I’ve seen such bigoted speech in a long time.
Let me address some of your statements.
-”If the world had accepted it centuries ago, the world would be of unbalanced populations.”
This is so far off-base. Are you aware of how many children there are in this world waiting to be adopted? There is a huge surplus of children. Had the world accepted it long ago the situation would likely be about the same or maybe even better! Also, many gay couples still do have their own children by using a surrogate. Or did you think that because a loving, committed couple is gay, they wouldn’t want children?
Also, on that same point, if anything homosexuality was MORE accepted centuries ago, it is only within fairly recent times that the term “homosexual” and “gay” has even been put into use, thus “othering” people who follow a different path than the heterosexuals out there. Homosexuality and Bisexuality exists all throughout the animal kingdom. Humans are the only ones who have decided, for some irrational reason, that it is wrong and that anyone who is not heterosexual should be persecuted.
—
“You cant compare being gay to that of race problems, because different races can be gay.”
Uh yes.. yes you can. It’s called discrimination. It doesn’t matter whether it has to do with race, gender, age, sexuality, height, attractiveness, weight.. it’s all discrimination! Racism has been the issue that has been most central over the past century, but it is, by no means, the only serious form of discrimination out there. All people are created equal, remember that one? All PEOPLE, not all straight people, not all religious people all PEOPLE.
—-
“When the best sold book in the world quotes that gay is wrong or that gay is not right.”
Just because it’s the best sold book does not, by any means, mean that everything in it is right or moral. You can find individual quotes in the bible to justify just about anything you want. Living by the bible gives you no more moral fibre than the next guy. In fact, I know many very religious people who have done much worse things in their lives than I ever will and I consider myself to be atheist or perhaps agnostic. I believe in morals, not religious doctrine.
—
“They will have more power in 10 years then what blacks faught for 300 years.”
If that’s how you feel, why not stand up for equality for all?? Surely it shouldn’t be about one set of people having more rights or more power than another. If you want equality for blacks how about equality for everyone, regardless of race, sexual orientation etc.?! Wouldn’t that make more sense?
—
“With that said, I think it should be illigal for gay marriage or even showing gay relations in public. It was at one time illegal for a black man to date a white women or even look at them !!”
So is it wrong that blacks and whites can now marry and show their affection in public? Should we just revert back to times when one set of people were discriminated against because of the way they were born? Don’t you see how racism is exactly the same as homophobia? You talk about how long it took for blacks to win equal rights and trust me, as a mixed person who grew up in an entirely black family, I get it and it angers me that my own mother was not allowed to attend the same school I went to simply because she was black… but why would you want to put another set of people through the same hardships you seem to identify with so well? Why would you want to make people feel that the way they were born is wrong? It’s the same as making a black person feel degraded due to the way they were born. Again, none of it should matter, we are all humans!
—
“If you gay and want to be treated fairly, go to a gay city like Sanfransisco or ATL. Go ask people there about gay throwing it in your face..They will tell you !!!! trust me !!!”
I’m pretty damn sure that if you replaced “gay” in this statement for “black” you wouldn’t be so happy about it.
I urge you to think hard about what you have said and whether it makes logical and moral sense to discriminate against people simply due to the way they naturally are. It does not affect you negatively in any way. Gay marriage does not “threaten” heterosexual marriage. Gay love does not “threaten” heterosexual love. LOVE IS LOVE. Period.
“the best sold book in the world”
Careful now, we might have start a new belief system based on Twilight and Harry Potter if we follow your logic. Dumbledore was gay, get over it already.
Your screen name should be blackembarrassment
So BP how do you feel about White man & Black woman getting married? Come on you might as well completely hang yourself your all ready standing on the stool with your comment. Come on give us a show then………..
LOL
Oh good Lord listen to yourself – Are you joking? I mean come on. Go live in another place? Seriously the answer is no way. I am from this place just like you and I am not going anywhere – trust me you are mistaken to think you will not see gay people in Bermuda. Imagine if I said to you go live in a place where only black people live. I would never say that nor even think that for one reason you do not have the right. I am gay and I am married to a man and we are Bermudian and not going anywhere. God is talking to you through me because I am here to teach you that God does not think of me less than you for loving another human being. I am really sad you feel this way but I am not moving and I know my rights as a gay human being will be protected. I am white and my husband is black and we are gay and I am sorry to say get use to it. You will see it. You will have no choice but to live in harmony like God intended and to treat me like you would like to be treated and in return I will treat you with love and kindness. That is God talking through this conversation. Love one-another. That is the message I along with most take from the bible as a human being.
Keith
Human Rights Legislation was set up to stop discrimination of human rights all humans yes, show me one person man, woman, child, race, religion, handicapped, gay, lesbian etc. that is not of the human race.
Now with that said you agree that the Human Rights Legislation itself is discriminating against a part of the Human Race. This needs to be challenged through the legal system all the way to The High Courts if necessary. Reading all the comments below just serves to fuel the arguments that it needs to change sooner rather than later. Bermuda even though an Independent Territory Of The British Common Wealth is still part and Parcel Of THE BRITISH COMMON WEALTH.
We’re not independent – that’s a whole other can of worms for another time, lol – we’re, at best, an autonomous overseas territory of the UK. Minor point, and perhaps I’m being pedantic, just thought I’d pop it in though!
Take a look at your Bermuda Passport it clearly states Independent Territory Of The British Commonwealth nowhere did I state that Bermuda was Independent you totally missed the point of the post or were you just trying to open that can of worms YES YOU ARE BEING PEDANTIC IF YOU MEAN overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, especially in teaching.
This is exactly right. British Law needs to step in and take charge to deal with this issue once and for all. Bermuda is so far behind and there is so much hate that is centered around this issue. Every human being has the right to form a family and live in peace with another human being gay or otherwise. England should be ashamed of not stepping in sooner and the world is watching and knows that the 14 overseas territories should have the same human rights as every citizen holding a british passport bottom line. Human Rights are to proect every minority from hate-crime based on sexual orientation. Welcome to the 21st century.
Thanks Paul I totally agree well said I would go further to say there are some well respected Lawyers, Politicians and Influential people in Bermuda that should be ashamed also.I have deliberately omitted the words gay or sexual orientation from that statement to let the chips fall where they may as they don’t have any protection under the Bermuda Human Rights Act.
Equality for all…
Unfortunately in Bermuda (and much of the western world as well) that has morphed into “equality for people like me, and those that I don’t find threateningly different”
I continue to be appalled by the lack of tolerance in this country toward gays. I was always led to believe that “all were created equal” …. not with exceptions. After all the flap last year relative to Sybil’s participation in the May 24 parade (and I have great admiration for Mark Anderson’s tenacity in the face of adversity), as well as the Rosie O’Donnell cruise debacle, I was genuinely offended by how gays/lesbians are treated here. There is simply no reason whatsoever for this discrimination to continue unabated. The powers-that-be on this island should be ashamed.
That’s what you get when you live on an island where church and state are pretty much synonomous.
Absolutely Right on with your comment. Bermuda is so pathetic to not protect human rights regarding same-sex or sexual orientation. Every human being is created equal. Black, White, Purple, Gay, Straight etc. Bermuda law makers need to get with the program and know the world will not do business with a country that is not up to speed with human rights. 1st world countries do business with other first world countries.
To be honest it matters less whether the events actually happened the way they did in the FB account or not. What is important is that the Human Rights Act has not been amended to include sexual orientation, despite such being mentioned in at least one, perhaps two Throne Speeches. As such, a similar event as to the one alleged could occur at any time.
I understand there is a lot of homophobia in our country. In school being called ‘gay’ was perhaps the only insult that equalled in its intended offense the ‘your Mommo’ one. I personally know several individuals who are gay, male and female, who have left Bermuda because they felt harrassed, threatened or generally uncomfortable due to the prevailing homophobia. Bermuda has lost their talents, skills and insights, and that is to our loss.
I hear people debate whether being gay is a ‘choice’ or ‘nature’. Some people construct arguments to discriminate against gays on either basis. I personally see that the HR Act defends against discrimination on both forms, in that people cannot be discriminated against on the basis of being male, female, black, white, etc (conditions we are born with), and people also cannot be discriminated against on the basis of religion, politics or philosophy (choices). If we allow discrimination against people for their sexual orientation, be it on the basis of choice or nature, we, in so doing, undermine the entire HR Act and its protections.
It is on that basis that I first came to the conclusion that the HR Act needed amended.
On a deeper level, I concluded that as long as people are in a loving and consensual relationship then its nothing to do with me, whether I understand their sexual orientation or not. It doesn’t affect me that two people love each other, but it does affect me when people are prevented from loving each other. If people oppose it on the basis of religion, well, let your God or Gods judge when the time comes and let people be.
I hope the demo goes ahead and the Act is changed to prevent future episodes of discrimination.
You’re on the money today Jon .. Well stated .
You have been great in this post, thank you.
I am so proud to read that people have throughts like yours and take time out of this crazy world to express and share them. Thank you for sharing with every single reader that takes time to read.
I am gay and married. I am Canadian and my wonderful husband is Bermudian. Thank you so much for taking time to write and treat people with fairness of equal value. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Equal rights are needed in Bermuda and to be frank England needs to step in for all 14 Overseas Territories and its time for people to demand this. What if any child is born to a hate filled family in Bermuda. Their rights are required to be protected. You are born with a sexual orientation gay or straight.
I am blown away by all of these comments!! It doesn’t seem to matter what the truth is all of you just see discrimination. WOW!!!
its not that they SEE discrimination in this case per say… that comes more from whether people believe the account or not…if they believe it, they see discrimination, if they do not believe it, they do not see it..
what everyone has said here is more generalized than this one case.. that sexual-orientation discrimination should be added to the human rights act..
whether the story is true or not is not what people are commenting on, they are commenting that this story brings the issue of incomplete protection of human rights.
thats not to say the specific story is irrelevant or people don’t care… its like a bike accident in the news.. some will comment on the specifics of the case, who’s fault it was, etc… but most comment at how generically on this island we have a dangerous driving issue…
It is not unusual for two people of any kind to rent an apartment or room . The problem I have is that many gay people feel that if somthing goes wrong the conclusion they jump to is their sexuality. I have found that to be with people that are not convident and sure yet. I have a few gay friends and one is my best friend and she will never act that way. You should have paid the exstra 30 dollars simple as that and if refused then you might have a point.
LOL – I was having this conversation with a White guy from Alabama a while back, except we were discusing racism in the US South. He almost said the same thing word for word as you just did, saying that he felt Blacks were too sensitive and saw racism in all manner of ‘innocent’ incidents. My own perception, based on that conversation, is that its actually quite hard to ‘prove’ the discrimination, unless the discriminator is explicitly racist (i.e. using racial slurs or the like), but that doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t being racist. I thinking was that since we’ve moved beyond the Jim Crow laws and into Jim Crow, II, Esquire (more sophisticated, less overt racism) its only possible to show racism through a structural/institutional approach and through in-depth discourse. I reckon the same goes for homophobia?
Either way, the point is less rather the lady was discriminated against (i.e. the particular incident) and more that we know for a fact its not covered under the HR Act and so people MAY be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation.
Y dont u just admitt your gay man!
Does it matter whether he is gay or not? This is the point we are trying to make! WHO CARES
Gay or open-minded?
I think the point is that there is no process to determine whether or not she was discriminated against because it isn’t covered by the Human Rights Act. You’re right discrimination is difficult to prove, that’s why there is a detailed process under the Act to investigate such matters.
I also agree that we need to better understand structural oppression in all its forms, and understand how all these forms are interrelated. Its not about finding the racist or sexist and vilifying them; we’re all influenced by the society in which we are conditioned. But, while we dismantle structures and systems, our Human Rights Act says that individuals shouldn’t be denied housing, employment or public services based on their race, gender, religion, ethnic or national origins, place of origin, disability, marital status, political opinions, family status or criminal record. Sexual orientation needs to be added to this list. It’s not about condoning homosexuality, its simply about anti-discrimination.
The issue here is human rights for all. Include same-sex or sexual orientation protection to the human rights act. I am gay and I have lived in Bermuda with my husband for years. I face discrimination all the time because of my relationship. To be blunt you know there is a problem when Bermuda Government Employees themself discriminate. I have had money thrown at me by a government official because I am gay. I have had many circumstances where I have been treated as a 2nd class citizen just like my husband. The Government needs to get with the program and step into the 21st century and protect every human being. Wake up.
Whatever!!!!! Go some where with your Gay selves. I do not want my son to lay down with another man nor do i want him to no about it. Whatever you decide to become remember to deal with what comes with it!
For real. I’d rather see young men shot before I see them in an abomination.
Are you for real? Being shot is an abomination! Abomination as defined in the dictionary; a vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition, habit, etc.
PS. No I am not gay just making a point.
It’s all good. My point is that people who make comments about not wanting there children to be gay, would rather see there children in gangs, in jail, having several offspring by several woman, be wife beaters… rather than see there kids in relationship with a person of the same sex. Hypocrites.
Yes, and Blacks should go back to Africa, Whites to Europe, Muslims to Mecca, Jews to Jerusalem and so forth, by that logic of apartheid, no?
Surely though, your son, once old enough, should have the ability to make his own decisions about his own sexuality and relationships?
Just for that, your son is going to grow up to be the biggest homosexual the world has seen.
You’re so ignorant for what you said. From the sounds of it, your son is more likely to end up dead or in westgate, which you should be more worried about.
See……. look where ya gone. Ya only gonna burn in hell anyway! U know! so your comment has no relevance!! My son happily likes women. He has been taught the correct way of Life. Boo!
Are you saying I’m gonna burn because you think I’m gay. 1, I’m not gay and 2. your son may like girls now, but who’s to say one day he doesn’t wake up and think to himself, “I don’t think this is who I am.” Next thing you know, he’s bring home his partner Richard for Christmas dinner at your house with the Nigerian baby they adopted over the summer Lol.
I’m saying whatever you think i’m saying!!!! N your comment is to funny. I laughed all over the place. The reason why we have opposite sex is to reproduce, you seem smart enough to figure this out!!! Check your receptors THE LOOSE GOOSE!!
I’m glad you found my joke funny, but I still find you ignorant. If you did some research, you would know that ALL humans start off as women while they are developing inside their mothers womb. It is a hormonal change later on, that sparks the change from male to female. That is how you end up with people with both sets of reproductive organs.
That is why I believe that people are born gay, because that change during developement can run into a complication which ends up giving the child a male or female body, with the reverse sex mentality
With that being said, we’re all technically gay Lol.
Who gives a rat’s ass what ya research is! Stop stupid and realize there would be no reproduction if we have everyone running round here gay! Your words are just words but i can see the anger in them. They dont phase ME ONE BIT and ya even more hilarious now. N technically your just STUPID! Oh please spare me the knowledge! Bahahahaaha. Everyone gay – speak for your self loser! thank god i dont have to use your brain. Geesh! Scary! GOOFBALL
Wow, I love all the stupid people that comment on this site. There is no anger in my words at all buddy. If I let stupid people like you make me angry, then I would never be calm, ever.
There will never be a 100% earth population that is gay, so I don’t know what your point is about there being no reproduction. And of course what I’m saying doesn’t phase you, you aren’t intelligent enought to grasp what I am saying to you. You’re also truly stupid if you didn’t realise that my last line was a joke, I clearly said LOL at the end of it. My point to you is that I think you should do some reading or something before you go online and spread your stupid, homophobic outlook to the rest of the world.
I hate knuckle draggers like you, you take up so much time as space that is better used for something more worthwhile
the world is in an overpopulation crisis at the moment… i dont see the problem with something simply because it doesnt lead to more reproduction.
If the only reason we have opposite sexes is for reproduction, I definitely encourage homosexuality so we don’t end up with more offspring like “Yup!”. Please let your son make his own choices and please do not reproduce again.
Oh and i am white so my son cant possibly end up in a gang or at westgate!
seriously? I really hope you’re joking. now i’ve been silently reading these comments (including yours “Yup!”) but now i think it’s time to speak. you think because you’re white that your son won’t end up in prison or in a gang? I have to agree with everyone else and say that you’re IGNORANT! Let’s think about it for a moment. Most of the world’s biggest and most notorious crime families are WHITE. no they may not have the ghetto gang mentality but they sure as hell have the monopoly on organized crime. at the end of the day crime is crime no matter which way you look at it and discrimination is discrimination whether it be for race, religion, or sexual preference. I totally agree with Wow and Think about it, just to spite you for your ignorance and blatant stupidity your son is going to turn into the biggest homosexual gang banger the island has ever seen.
There should be an IQ test to set a baseline for posting comments on this site. Unfortunately half the people here wouldn’t manage to score a 30!
My IQ is 137
LMFAO. Bermudians have got to be the the biggest group of closed minded individuals I have ever come across. Lady, you sound crazy as hell, for lack of better terminology. Who gives a rat’s ass about someone’s sexual orientation? & please explain what the “correct way of life” even means? Gay or straight, your morals, ethics and values determine your contribution to society, not what you do behind closed doors. Get a clue.
And LOL @ Think About It, that adopted baby joke was solid.
@ Are you serious?
Thanks, I do what I can. It’s nice to have other intelligent people on this site to talk to.
How can you talk it all when all i want is mt son to be straight as the bible states. i dont have a problem with your ignorance! that’s on you of you want to be gay keep away from my child and keep to yourself just as well as you feel you can flaunt!!! I can tell you to go sit down cuz i dont wanna see it!!!! I can go away and sleep at night knowing that i have one less issue sending me to HELL! C you all there!
You are so stupid. Let me not say something nasty and get myself banned from this website. How am I being ignorant?
“…all i want is mt son to be straight as the bible states.”
How is that NOT ignorant? Because a BOOK that was writtend over TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO says that it is wrong, you are going to believe it and base everything you do in life off of what you read from it? What does it matter if your son turns out to be gay, as long as he is happy, that’s all you should care about. Do you think if he ended up gay that it would be a death sentence, or that he would be sick, or hate it?
Do you know that it is people that think like you, but live in the middle east that are responsible for terrorism? You’re a borderline terrorist. If the bible says to kill all homosexuals, you would be the first to pick up a gun huh?
People like you are such a waste of life. It’s too bad one of the other couple million sperm weren’t faster than your dumb, bigot @ss
Look at you yah mad now awwwwwwww…..(crybaby)
Ok dummy, keep thinking I’m mad Lol. I sleep well knowing that idiots like you will have your turn. What goes around, comes around.
I’m interested to know if you were Married to your baby’s father before you had sex and gave birth your son? ” As the Bible states”
Touche’.
hahah no reply for this..
Pathetic. Hate. I am so sad for you. My Father just killed himself in March. He was not Gay but I am gay and you could very well experience something like this because the suicide rate with gay people where laws do not protect them are highest. I am so sad that you think God wants this. Treat others like you would like to be treated – with love and kindness. Judge not. I am so sorry you feel so much negative things about what in the end is one human being loving another. It really is you that I feel sorry for. Life is a lesson of accepting all Gods creations and treating them equal.
How sad for you and your son! Surely it is more important that your son find a partner with whom he can be happy, respected and loved. If it should happen to be a man, what will you do? Cut him off? That is conditional love. “I only love you if you do what I say, behave like I want you to, live according to my rules.”
I think that young lady is trying to make something out of nothing. She should have paid the extra fee for the additional guest instead of throwing a hissy fit and trying to embarrass the accommodation. Grow up.
Also, I don’t wish physical harm to any human being who has not done anything wrong, but I don’t think that negative behaviours should be promoted or supported. I think there should be a fund set up to help homosexuals get help for their mental sickness. That lifestyle was not meant to be. Two people of the same sex cannot produce offspring.
Since someone brought it up, I was hoping that Mark Anderson was not going to be in the Bermuda Day parade this year…but since he his…I hope that he gets booed along the whole route. I find it offensive and don’t think that young children should see examples like that and think that that behaviour is ok.
May I ask exactly how engaging in a consensual relationship with another person constitutes either a ‘negative behaviour’ or a ‘mental illness’? I’m not tryign to attack, I’m just trying to understand.
Your comments reminded me of a situation I once had. My ex-partner, she was Asian. I have been to her country, and found that many people there were strongly opposed to my being in a relationship with her; they pretty much argued that the races shouldn’t mix. We experienced the same situation in the States when travelling there, but from a different racial group. One thing that was said was that such interracial relationships were setting a bad example! It was something I could have understood from the 1950s, but this was in the last ten years!
I should also note that sex isn’t just about producing children, at least not to me. Rather, it’s an intimate expression of my feelings for the other; and since reliable contraception (condoms, birth control pills) its certainly been only about reproduction when and if the people involved plan for it.
Welcome to my world here in Bermuda interracial relationships are ok as long as its not white male and black female oh and at the point of Dr Brown you would have thought we had just started dating again even after 6 years of marriage.
LOL
There is a difference between an inclination and an ACTION! Being black is not DOING anything it is BEING something. When you identify an ACTION associated with race then we can talk. What’s my point? You cannot compare racism to discrimination against the homosexual ACT! I truly believe that if someone is struggling with homosexuality that that is one thing and we have no right to deal harshly or unjustly with them for those inclinations. However to glorify and indulge in the homosexual ACT is a choice and one which i discriminate against wholeheartedly. I may have an orientation to have marital affairs with married women that I find attractive. Just because I have that orientation does not give me the right to ACT upon it or glorify it! Now we live in a democratic society which means all are free to propagate their values. Which means I’m also free to discriminate against vices that destroy the family unit and bedrock of civilization. Yes i am homophobic just like i am incesto-phobic. The same argument you apply for homosexuals can be applied for adults who want to engage in incestuous relationships I.E. father and daughter etc. Or even beastiality!!! NO, NO, NO, I proudly discriminate against such abominations while holding on to my compassion for people who suffer from those inclinations!
Very well put !!!
You could change the use of race, which one is born with, with religion or politics if you want, which is a choice. Should people be discriminated against because they are Muslim and the practices conflict (potentially) with the family unit (afterall, they’re allowed four wives, aren’t they?).
The central question is one of consensus. Two people at the age of consent and without any unequal power dynamics should be allowed to engage in any relationship they want. Incest is a power dynamic where one partner has authority over another. Peadophilia involves sex with a person below the age of consent who is thus not able to consent. Bestiality involves sex with an animal which is by definition unable to consent. That is the key difference.
Wrong wrong wrong! Incest does NOT necessarily involve an hierarchical relationship or power dynamic. Even so, are you saying that homosexual or heterosexual relationships do not involve any power dynamics whatsoever??? You have categorized incest as a power dynamic which is a misappropriation. A brother and sister for example does not necessarily fit your description. Furthermore, are you saying that a daughter cannot have power over a father or a younger over an older? Your pedophilia argument does not belong here because no one is talking about pedophilia. Incest can be a consensual act between two consenting ADULTS. Paradoxically, the homosexual act is a self inflicted abuse of power and of sexuality just like incest is.
As for your argument on religion. The answer is YES! people can and are free to discriminate against the practice of polygyny if they disagree with it. Like I said, we live in a society where we are free to accept or reject practices, that is democracy! Polygyny is illegal and those who practice it are free to struggle and propagate their values, while others are free to reject them. Fair game! May the best man win! Furthermore, Muslims by and large do NOT have multiple wives in our society so I doubt this is a big issue with them, then again I could be wrong!
How do you gauge an animal’s capacity to consent? Do animals consent to being pets? Do they consent to being fed? Do they consent to affection? WHAT DO THEY CONSENT TO? Do horses consent to being riden? If the animal by definition is unable to consent then it is unable to reject and hence the conundrum is yours. Many animals derive immense pleasure from beastiality, I can hear the arguments coming against you Beastialo-phobics!!!
True, incest does not NECESSARILY involve hierarchical relationships, as you point out with the brother sister example (which is, I believe, extremely rare). Fully admit I don’t have an answer to that particular aspect, but I believe my comment does stand as regards the much more frequent father-daught/uncle-neice abuses. In those cases, yes, there are power dynamics.
And of course there are abusive/dysfunctional relationships in both homosexual and heterosexual relationships, and unequal power dynamics too.
The issue about polygamy was just one example. There are different family structures in different cultures; my point is that whether or not it is a choice is irrelevant in that people should not be discriminated against for their sexual orientation, as long as they are engaging in consensual relationships.
True, no one brought up pedophilia until me, but no one brought up incest and bestiality until you.
I think most people aren’t going to question consent, as regards animals, when no harm is done to them, but only when harm is done. Do children consent to school, by analogy?
I am curious though to understand how ‘the homosexual act is a self inflicted abuse of power and of sexuality’?
#1 Rarity does not equal non-existence or insignificance!
#2 I think you misunderstood my argument about power dynamics in relationship. I believe your view stems from a paradigm which sees all hierarchical relationships as abusive and wrong. I disagree. A partner in a relationship can hold more power than their mate and yield it in a just and fair responsible way. I definitely have more power emotionally, financially and physically in my own marriage and my partner is treated equally and fairly and consents to this arrangement.
Abuse on the other hand where consent is taken away is different from what I am talking about. Are you saying that an older homosexual cannot abuse a younger but adult homosexual? Of course not!
I objected to your mentioning pedophilia or abuse because I thought we were talking about consensual relationships only, which pedophilia/rape/etc cannot possibly be.
As for animals, how do we gauge harm?
As for children going to school…..are we harming them?
As for homosexual ACTS as self-inflicted abuse that argument has its jurisdiction in a paradigm of values which define harmful and productive use of human sexuality which is and always will be an ongoing argument. I.E. It has it’s own epistemological syntax and must be presented not in terms of other ideological foundations.
@ White Christ aka White Jesus
Wooooooooow you are dumb!
“I’m also free to discriminate against vices that destroy the family unit” You mean the same family unit that sees daddy drunk all the time and sleeping around on mommy? Or mommy hanging out all hours of the night with no clue where her children are? Or better yet, daddy up westgate, mommy involved with the neighborhood thug who beats up the kids because they arent his?
I don’t get why people think that by two gay people being together, it will ruin the “family unit?” The family unit ruins itself. Gay people can’t reproduce and spread their gayness if that’s what you’re worrying about.
Homosexuality it not a desease, or a choice, it’s who that person is. There is not scientific proof that people turn gay, so if they are born that way, why treat them so horribly for something they cannot control?
Stop being ignorant and do some research. It’s people like you that shouldn’t be allowed to get together and reproduce and spread your “desease”
I think your calling me dumb has fallen back on yourself.
#1 The drunkenness, infidelity, neglect, and abuse you described are all VICES THAT DESTROY THE FAMILY UNIT which I discriminate against lol. Duh! You can add homosexuality to that list!
If you stopped for a minute and thought about where I am coming from you wouldn’t be so quick to verbally abuse me and call me names instead of arguing your case. If you followed my argument I clearly distinguished the homosexual ORIENTATION from the homosexual ACT! I clearly distinguished discriminating and mistreating someone for something they can’t help and discriminating against and ACT! The inclination is not a choice for some people. But the ACT is! ACTIONS are always choices and acting on homosexual inclinations is the same as acting upon inclinations for marital infidelity, incest, etc etc. Those are my values! i’m not calling you stupid or dumb for yours so please extend the same courtesy and argue respectfully and intelligently!
So you’re STILL DUMB then. You’re basically saying you have no problem with the orientation, just the act. So you are ok with them being gay, you just don’t want them to have sex or pretty much be who they are. Is that right?
And it doesn’t matter if they are caused by vices or not, the truth of the matter is that most households the world over go through these things. Bermuda is a country where people love to drink and party, so it is maybe even more prevalent here.
Nope you still didn’t listen!
I didn’t BASICALLY say anything, I CLEARLY said what I had to say! Your rephrase does not capture the accuracy of my statement. Are you not able to distinguish between an inclination and an act? Of course you are! Are you incapable of that simple elementary function of the pre-frontal cortex? Do you believe that humans are doomed to act solely upon their drives and orientations without distinguishing and pre-thought?
I’m ok with the reality that humans have struggles and unhealthy orientations and primitive drives. We always will. What I’m not ok with is assuming that because our human experience involves having these pre-homosaphien orientations that we can ignore the evolutionary culmination of society and regress into the “orientation” ages again. So yes I do see something taking place in the brain between an orientation or drive and an ACTION. That’s the description of a homo-saphien i.e. a THINKING human. So no, i’m not dumb and neither are you. Use your brain, The evolved part.
You are dumb, because you try to use big words to justfiy why you are a homophob and a bigot. That’s all I get from your comments.
Also, for someone who wants to seem so smart, your name is very inaccurate. IF Jesus really existed, he wouldn’t be white, like many people believe. Perhaps you are too much of a bigot toward people of color as well to think otherwise.
I judge the ‘bigness’ of words by their appropriateness and impact NOT their syllables. Are you discriminating against the use of the english language? I apologize if the words I’m using seem big but it is equally unfair to label someone as nothing more than the sum of your own deficiencies. What do I mean? It seems that when people lack something, let’s say for instance money, they label someone who does have money as the ‘money man’ when in fact, that individual has no knowledge of your deficiencies whereby they could choose to define themselves as your exact nemesis. So my friend, I’m just being who I am. If you feel you lack the ability to clearly articulate yourself or the confidence (I think you articulate your points well enough) then I suggest you take your own advice and read or do some self improvement. I certainly don’t think I’m necessarily smarter than you no matter how many words I use.
As for my name, it is satirical. Now just in case I only want to seem smart by using that ‘humongous’ word, it means that I’m ‘taking the piss’ out of the racist trinitarian doctrine of the white begotten son of “God” or any color begotten son of “God” for that matter. I hope you still feel ‘smart’ after that bubble burst! Well I’m curious how DO you feel??
Now as for calling me “STILL DUMB”……By “still” do you mean “in spite of the fact” that i effectively presented formidable and reasonable challenges to your arguments? Hey, I can live with that!
Lol, I loved reading your last comment. I assure you, you that I can perfectly keep up with everything that you are saying. When I refer to you using big words, I am simply implying that you sir seem like the type of person that likes the smell of his own sh*t. I know people like you. It makes you feel big when you speak like that, makes you feel more important than you are. You don’t really speak like that to your friends and family, not even your place of employment. You simply get your rocks off by going online and trying to sound smart by formulating these nowhere near complex sentence structures, that perhaps the average Bermudian might not be able to keep up with, but I assure you, I’m am not the average Bermudian.
And you have not once challenged anything that I have had to say. All you did was continue to defend your hateful way of thinking and spout your silly word play.
Also, there was no way for me to know that your name was satire. I only assumed from your homophobic stance, that you are indeed religious and believe that christ was white.
And how does it make YOU feel calling me dumb and trying to belittle my use of english right now? Are you not attempting to throw your shit on me like an infant instead of articulating your point? Who cares if i enjoy making sense and using this beautiful language? Yes i do take pleasure out of debate and respectful dialogue. What does that have to do with the accuracy or inaccuracy of WHAT I SAID?? You sound like one of these thugs who call people NERDS for actually using English. If you don’t find my sentences complex again WHY are you so offended and intimidated by not complex use of language?
You are right! You’re NOT the average Bermudian. The average Bermudian would not feel intimidated by English and if they came across a word they thought was “big” They’d look it up like a scholar and not become verbally frustrated and start throwing shit like a confused babboon. You verbally frustrated yourself, now you are resorting to the schoolyard bully tactic of trying to make me feel emotionally smaller than you because you feel intellectually inferior.
“Also, there was no way for me to know that your name was satire.”………YES THERE WAS!!! You could have ASKED!!! Instead of making a complete ASS of yourself. That’s what people do when they don’t know the meaning of names or….WORDS wink wink!
Mmmmmm….me s%$t is smelling like a pot of cinnamon matey!
I’m amazed that you speak to your children and friends in the same way no matter who your audience is wherever you go. Workplace (no matter what your job is), internet, writings, articles, on the stoop. Yup! you ain’t changin for nobody. What a complete moron!
Tired of ad-hominems yet? Ready to get back to the real issue at hand?
@Think About It. That was a low blow focusing on and trying to belittle WJ. Well I gotta hand it to ya, you got your ass handed to ya. No gay pun intended! I especially like that you placed yourself ABOVE the “average Bermudian” and assumed that the average Bermudian cannot follow WJ but you could??? Now THAT’S just arrogant!
Now you people are always talking about people should not discriminate but look how you discriminate against religion and religious people? Look how nasty you become when you think you can hurt someone by taking a shot at their religion? I don’t care what you say! I know for a fact that anytime people like you get the upper hand you would oppress and persecute religious folk. You don’t fool me ONE BIT! I will oppose your abomination to the grave so help me GOD! WJ presented a sensible argument. Why don’t you just reply to that. You abandoned the dialogue!
White Jesus STILL doesn’t listen. That’s the problem with people like you, you’re too busy running your mouth that you don’t stop to pay attention to what the other person is saying.
Anyone who is a bigot(YOU) is dumb to me, plain and simple, because there is no reason to be against gay rights other than because of ignorance. Therefore anyone who thinks like you or agrees with you, like Verbose for instance, are also ignorant. You couldn’t be more wrong by saying that I am like one of these thugs, I am the furthest thing from a thug and have been called a nerd and a geek for the majority of my life. Also, I do not need to look up the words you are using because I know full well the definition of each and everyone, so I don’t get why you say I get upset and, “… start throwing shit like a confused babboon.” It seems to me that you’re the one getting upset seeing as you are now resorting to swearing. I am not getting upset because of your supposed intellectual superiority, I am getting upset because bigots such as yourself, make me angry.
And to address your last “point,” why would I need to ask if your name was satire? I think it was good enough for me to assume that you believed it simply because you are CLEARLY a homophob.
@Verbose
I don’t even know where to start with you, I’m just laughing so much right now. Who oppresses and persecutes people more then “religious folk?” In my opinion, religion is the basis for EVERYTHING that is wrong in this world today. I think that you can believe what you want, but religious people (mostly christians) do the most down-talking and judging of others. And you are also ignorant for coming to WJ’s defense. Why would I not try to belittle someone who discriminates against gay people? He said that he doesn’t mind if they are gay just as long as that don’t display it openly of have sex. You don’t find that wrong? Or are you a bigot too?
@ White Christ aka White Jesus
Well said! I could not agree more.
Then you’re a bigot too.
@White Christ
“You cannot compare racism to discrimination against the homosexual ACT!…”
You can however compare racism (the belief that there are inherent differences in people’s traits and capacities which are entirely due to their race) and homophobia (a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian and gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people)
Being born black is arbitrary, so is being born a homosexual. Or to put it another way, you did not decide how much pigmentation you where born with just as you did not decide what gender you would be attracted to.
A homosexual who has never partaken in a homosexual act is still a homosexual, just as, when you where a virgin and had never had a sexual experience, you where still a heterosexual because that’s how you where born.
With that being said, do you feel that a racist should have the same freedom to discriminate as a homophobe?
May I just say how offensive that is “Mental Sickness”. Its funny how people are arguing over it being a choice or not… why would one person want to be treated this way? GET OVER IT…
The medical and psychiatric professions have stated since the 1970′s that homosexuality is NOT a mental illness.
True (and honest) Biblical scholars acknowledge that “abomination” in the Bible refers to idolatrous practices engaged in by the nations surrounding the Hebrews – they included worshiping on the “high places” and in special groves of trees, burning incense, crying for a dead god, patronizing temple prostitutes (male and female), sex with ‘sacred’ animals and a host of other practices that gave honor and glory to other gods than the Hebrew Yahweh.
While we are at it, the sin of Sodom was not homosexuality but complacency and inhospitality toward strangers. It says so right in Leviticus.
I also would like to understand this notion that homosexual behaviour is ‘negative’. I believe that any sexual behaviour, heterosexual, homosexual or pansexual, can be positive or negative, but none are inherently negative.
Everyone deserves the right to choose whether they would like to have biological children. If a heterosexual couple choose not to have a child, whether you agree with it or not, that is their right. Homosexuals can choose to adopt or have no children. Their right and choice, not yours. Everyone has the right to live their life without being discriminate against and judged by others.
A relationship between two individuals is their business, nobody elses. I am sick of hearing these judgmental comments such as ‘it is a disease, sickness or disorder’. It is nothing of the sort. Nobody can change their orientation, they can only make lifestyle choices (i.e. a heterosexual will always be one, but can engage in a homosexual relationship if they choose. The same goes for a homosexual, who will always possess that orientation but can choose to engage in a heterosexual relationship).
Let’s respect everyone!
@ Not Crazy:
Please Please Please do not encourage or promote homosexuals adopting children. If they want to adopt…they can always go to the SPCA and adopt a puppy.
Mr. V,
A clear case of discrimination. No problems with heterosexuals adopting children but homosexuals must adopt… animals?
You argue that homosexuals should not have children since is not natural. Let me ask you if a heterosexual couple wish to have children and cannot due to a medical condition, should they adopt a puppy as well?
As for diagnosing others with an illness, let’s leave that one up to the doctors. I’m sure that if it were an illness they would have no problem making this diagnosis.
Let’s respect everyone!
@ Not Crazy:
I don’t have any problem respecting people…but I can’t respect, condone, promote, or support homosexual behaviour. Also…for some things…a Dr.’s diagnosis is not required. If you see someone licking a tree…I don’t need someone to tell me that that person has a problem. The same thing applies to homosexual behaviour.
@ Crazy
In the same vein, I endorse respecting people but cannot endorse your “negative” behaviour as it is discriminatory in nature.
I was really curious to see what your response to my question would have been. That would have given me some insight into your reasoning process. Up until this point you have made statements such as “negative behaviour”, “mental sickness” and, to paraphrase, homosexuals should not adopt children, only dogs, with no supporting reasoning presented.
People of any race, age (excluding minors), sex, religion, etc can adopt children. To prevent these groups from doing so would be discrimination, agreed? Stating the obvious, preventing homosexuals from adopting children is discrimination. Suggesting they own a puppy instead is preventing them from receiving equal treatment.
It is good to see healthy debate in an environment suited for it. However, ultimately, I accept that we each have strong opposing opinions and that no amount of discussion and debate will change either of our positions on the topic.
I leave you with this thought: Treat others the way you wish to be treated. Would you like someone to publicly ridicule your lifestyle the way you ridicule others’ lifestyles?
Actually… please please please let kids be adopted by gay parents (especially lesbians)! They may be much better off that way!!
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1994480,00.html
If we could place restrictions on straight people reproducing, we’d have far fewer problems! Less child abuse… Fewer bigots… and far fewer idiots. Stupidity breeds stupidity and honestly some people really should not have children. But lucky for them and unfortunately for everyone else… no one can stop them.
LMAO exactly! No wonder Bermuda has a sh!tload of problems, read what these people are typing and then to think most probably have children. The cycle continues. Stupidity breeds stupidity indeed.
@ here’s another idea:
What? Are you seriously suggesting that children are better off in a gay home
then in a straight one? Wow…I am speechless!
I agree that many “parents” haven’t done us any favours by creating their offspring. But statistically speaking, they are in the minority.
Please try and explain to me why 2 people of the same sex, who are unable naturally to have a child, (and unable to breast feed I might add) should feel that they have the right to adopt children. I don’t want to hear the argument that some heterosexual couples are unable to have children naturally, so does the same apply to them. No, it does not…and in most instances these are exceptional cases in which a physical condition prevents them from doing so. If the condition didn’t persist, they would be able to reproduce. I don’t condone households in which children are abused. But, two people of the same sex were not meant to have children. If they were, then they would be able to produce them.
I don’t have any hatred towards anyone, but that behaviour is not right.
On a slighty different note….and just out of curiousity…suppose you had a young son…and you took him to Hamilton to allow him to choose his own clothes. He ends up picking a dress. Are you going to allow him to have the dress, or are you going to guide him in the right direction and explain that dresses are for girls and that he must choose from the selection of clothes for boys. Just wondering…
Really what I’m saying is that they’re better off in a gay home where the parents desperately want kids and are committed to raising them with all the love, support, and training they’ll need … than to be raised in foster homes or orphanages! And way better off in a gay home with loving supportive parents than in a home with neglectful straight parents! Or parents who just don’t care, and let their kids grow up to become gang members! Did you read the article at all?!
Why should they have the right to adopt children? Because those children NEED parents! And if they can prove themselves stable financially, support-wise, etc. why should they not? It’s ridiculous to discriminate against gay people when it comes to adoption.
You know they make baby formula for a reason. Modern technologies and advancements give us so many options, that nowadays not being able to reproduce unassisted DOES NOT mean you can never have kids!
Two people of the same sex may not have been biologically designed to reproduce together, but that is irrelevant when it comes to their ability to RAISE children.
Any two idiots can make a child! That doesn’t mean they should, or that they are qualified to raise one!
I don’t have any kids … if and when I do ever have a son I’ll decide how to raise him. (and that will be my business)
I agree @ Yup!
In the word of the ELEPHANT MAN “We bon out gay guy this is foreal” just click on my link so you people can know how tru Bermudians feel about yaall foes and fanies hypocrites and parasites http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_gOFLUetIk
@ JUST SAYN!!!
You’re an idiot, 100%. Any retard that quotes a Jamaican artist to get his point accross is a moron. The fact that you’re influenced by someone who comes from one of the most backwoods, crime riding shanty countries in the world, also proves how stupid you are.
Jamiaca has no money, no export industry, no famous, significant or important people AT ALL, and yet you and many other silly Bermudians want to emulate them and their culture so much. I don’t get it? The fact that Jamaican dancehall artists(I use the term VERY loosely) can make songs where they openly say they want to murder gay people, and still get to walk the streets shocks me.
Go take your ignorant @ss elsewhere.
Hey man if your gay im sorry.. and as for you dissing the yardies i dare you go say that to one of thier faces lol and see if you have one left i actualy like Jamaicans just for the simple fact that they keep it real, and they are a reality of life, so check it out. you seem just as fake as the foes and tell me you’ve never spoken to a Jamaican with decentsy or courtesy and now you want to talk bad about them like there dirt. thats the fakness that im tlking about but like i said say that to a Jamaicans face, and youll be the man on bernews without a face
FAKES AND FOES ARE ALIKE I KNOW A RAT WHEN I SMELL ONE ….. Specialy a gay one cause the smell like a$$
You still sound dumb. No, I am not gay for one. I am as straight as an arrow and have been dating my FIANCE for 3 years. Also, my best friend is Jamaican and I tell him all the time how I feel about his country. All he does is tell me that not all Jamaicans are like that, and I tell him that I don’t believe him.
Also, you are proving my point even more by saying multiple times that they would resort to violence if I were to speak to them that way, proving how ignorant they are. The reason they need a visa to travel EVERYWHERE outside of their country. No intelligent person wants anything to do with them or their “culture” or way of life and thinking.
So once again, take your ignorance elsewhere. And please learn basic sentence structure before you speak to me, reading your comment almost gave me a headache
All too funny!!!
@think about it. How ignorant are you if you can stereotype ALL Jamaicans the same? That is no different than stereotyping another race, so go think about that! JA
Where did I say that I was talking about all Jamaicans? Did I not mention that my best friend is Jamaican? He is the polar opposite of most of them. I didn’t say all, but most of them are. Every Jamaican I have ever spoken to however has ignorant views on homosexuals, and feel they should either die, or go somewhere else.
@think about it. “Where did I say that I was talking about all Jamaicans?” direct quote from your earlier post “All he does is tell me that not all Jamaicans are like that, and I tell him that I don’t believe him.” If you don’t believe him, you believe what you are thinking to be true, correct? Try thinking before you post or at least going back and reading what you typed. Have a nice day!!
@ the dummy know as Deathwish
Read my below post for your answer, and stop trying to seem smart by telling me to think first. You haven’t said anything intelligent or even about the actual topic for that matter, so why are you even commenting? Are you Jamaican or married to one? Why do you care more about Jamaicans reputations than about gays rights? Are you a homophob? Is that it?
i thought about it u seem like your in the closet buddy!
@HA HA BAGS(below)
Yeah, I’m in the closet with your mother and sister. She wants to know what you want for dinner LOL!
I’m not gay moron, I have a girlfriend(fiance) that I’ve been dating for 3 years. I like beer, porn, my car with it’s 2 liter, 185hp, straight line direct injected engine and putting little douche bags like you in their place
so by u judging Jamaicans make you a better person than me, because i dont like gay guys!!! sounds like a double standard
Gays can’t choice to be straight or gay. Jamaicans can choice to be ignorant and violent or not.
@ think about it. “Gays can’t choice to be straight or gay”???? I think you were trying to say “choose” not “choice”. it doesn’t matter what they(Jamaicans) choose to do because you said you wont believe it… Very Intelligent thinking.
I like how you looked for anything possible to make me look stupid. I did mean to say choose, but there is no way to edit your comment once it is sent. Also, again, I was talking to my Jamaican FRIEND. Since he is from Jamaica and loves the country, I always mess with him about it. He does the same thing to me, but about Bermuda, to which I always tell him I don’t really care about what he has to say about bda.
My point is that when I say I don’t believe him, that is me messing with my FRIEND. It does not mean that I actually believe all Jamaicans are the same.
Also, your comment doesn’t make any sense. How if they choose to not be ignorant and violent will I not beleive it? I would have no choice(ha ha) but to believe it because I will clearly see the change.
I dont need to make you look stupid, you do a great job at that yourself
How? Give me an example. You are one of many idiots on this site that like to call people stupid(or try to make them look stupid) without showing anything to back yourself up.
Take your dumb self elsewhere until you can think of something
@ Think about it. Apparently you’re the 100% idiot. You’re description of Jamaica is incorrect. People believe that Jamaica is has no money but just like the the rest the of the world they have upper class and lower class. Some people have money some people don’t. Crime is everywhere so don’t come with that crap either. Backwoods? Really have you been there or are you just going off of other people’s opinions. Also they may not have a large export industry but if you look on the back of products in stores here in Bermuda and around the world you will see product of Jamaica on them. Bermuda has no export industry at all so how can you put down another country for that. Also how do you think that you know who Elephant Man is? The answer… because he is FAMOUS. He may not be significant or important to you but he is famous. Marcus Garvey is JAMAICAN. Patrick Ewing former NBA Star was born where JAMAICA. Lennox Lewis former World Champion Boxer again JAMAICAN. Courtney Walsh World known record breaking cricket player JAMAICAN and the list can go on. So in reality YOU’RE THE IGNORANT @SS.
Also I know many people who have turned gay. It is a choice to be gay. Regardless of what you say they choose to do the act of homosexuality. Don’t get me wrong I don’t discriminate against them. If they choose to life their life like that then so be it. Sin is sin and everyone has committed atleast one sin in their lifetime.
@Candy
Ok dummy, pay attention. When I say Jamaica has no money, I mean their money is worth NOTHING. Their money is only worth .013 of the U.S. and other countries. I could go on vacation there for at least a year on half a months salary. Bermuda DOES have exports, so check your facts before you attack me. It’s not much, BUT unlike Jamaica, we have countries and international businesses, that want to do business with us. We are also a country that doesn’t see tourists being murdered on a semi-regular basis. Also, you’re missing the point of the Elephant man thing ENTIRELY. I know who he is because he is a famous, ignorant, Jamaican bigot.
And you contradict yourself in your last statement. You are discriminating against gay people by saying that “sin is sin” and saying that it’s a choice for them to be gay or do homsexual acts. How dumb can you be? Seriously? You think people just wake up one day and choose to be gay? That’s so stupid, just like the person who said it.
@Candy Oh please. What is with you Bermudians and your love of Jamaica? Are you Jamaican or something? You clearly very much missed the whole point of his post because you let your emotions take over. Elephant Man is barely famous, no one outside of the islands gives a damn about him. So being famous means what exactly? He could be famous for being a murderer, it’s not always a good thing. He’s ignorant and so are you.
Being gay is not a choice but being a bigot SURELY IS! Yes I’m sure everyone has committed at least one sin, you’ve probably created many.
@Nicole
LMAO! That’s what I don’t get. These idiots love Jamaica more then their own country. Candy why don’t you take yourself and the rest of the idiots who think like you, and just move to Jamaica? The crime and birth rate will surely plummet Lol.
Bunch of POSERS! That’s the thing they’d never actually go and live there though! They should be shipped out there! Ignorant asses.
lol life their life..
@ Just Sayn — What are you talking about true Bermudians?? So just because I support the rights of gays I am not a true Bermudian. Bie, fetch off!
gotta admit… as soon as someone quotes a song or the bible to “prove” their point, i stop listening.
It’s all the UBP’s fault…as you can see there are only two left. Repent before it is too late…
The 21st is comming and you’ll be sorry. I have warned you…
Bunch of Homophobic trawts………
based on the facts presented the issue was the fact that she rented the room as a single occupant and was having 2 people stay in the room…thus requiring an additional fee…pay the fee and THEN if you are asked to leave after you pay you will have grounds for discrimination….
whatever heated words were exchanged AFTER this was brought to light is not adressing the problem that caused all of this. If you are renting a room no matter what your sexual orientation then you need to be honest about the number of guests residing in that room especailly if there is a different set of fees per person.
Guesthouses are smaller than hotels and therefore they are not the best places to try to lie to save a buck.
Sorry for not getting pulled into the other avenues that this has taken but I do feel that we are debating an issue OTHER than this article as presented….
I agree with you. I think that she was asked to pay the extra fee and more than likely got an attitude and took it in the direction of discrimination.
No matter how she took it,, I still believe we need to change the Human Rights Act. She is taking us to the next step..
The hateful, ignorant and homophobic comments on this post have made me so sad for Bermuda — and grateful I live in New York, where more sophisticated views prevail. What a bunch of sad bigots.
Can you please be more specific, as there are numerous people (including myself) who support gay rights and have commented saying such
where more sophisticated views prevail… you mean were the [edited] prevail
your gay as folk !!!!
I completely concur with you. As a Bermudian born and bred, the fact that I cannot be true to myself in my own country without fear of discrimination hurts me deeply. It’s sad that Bermuda loses intelligent hard-working citizens (not necessarily talking about me before somebody goes off) because they feel they have to live elsewhere in order to live their lifestyle. Whenever somebody asks me why I wouldn’t want to live in a country with such lovely weather and beaches, I tell them of the ignorance and homophobic comments that some of my friends have gotten and they are shocked. Not every Bermudian is homophobic but until I would at least have the basic right to not be discriminated against, I would rather live on a park bench somewhere else than in my own home.
i hear you @Clare i live in Toronto.
We have PRIDE WEEK coming up soon !! June 24th to July 3rd!!
We have this all the time… Our rooms are for two people – if you want a third to stay it cost more… extra sheets extra towels extra toilet extra water extra electricity… Do the Math people…
I just have question that may open another door. Not sure if anyone has asked already because there are too many comments to read thru. but here goes….for arguments sake…let’s just pretend we never got the manager’s side and we are only going by Ms Assan’s version. How would the manager know her sexual orientation if just meeting her? Im going by what her story says now….if they are just meeting how is it that she will know her sexual orientation? That sounds just a bit fishy too me
Black folks have to realize that, in an unapologetically white supremacist society, everything about them – from the kinkiness of their hair, the fullness of their hips, lips and buttocks, the revolutionary retooling of oppressor tongues (french, english, portuguese and spanish), to the polyrhythmic dynamism of their musical forms – is and forever will be QUEER/ UNNATURAL/ ABNORMAL. whether or not we are so-called ‘straight’, gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered won`t do a damn thing to change this fact. consider:
- when James Byrd Jr. was dragged to his death by those white boys, they didn’t stop and ask him: “are you gay?”
- when Amadou Diallo and Oscar Grant were shot down by the police, they didn’t pause to inquire about their sexual orientation.
- when the bush administration turned its back on the Black survivors of hurricane Katrina, they didn’t do a head count to ensure that they weren’t overlooking the heterosexual folks.
the simple, painful truth: we – regardless of who we share our bodies/ hearts with, who we vote for, the class position that we occupy, whether or not we utilize ‘ebonicommunication’ in polite (read: white) company – are viewed as an undifferentiated mass of dusky humanity called N***ER. we are denied access to goods and services, ridiculed, brutalized, murdered, etc., etc., etc. because it is clearly understood that, of all of the ‘races’ in the human family, WE alone are the unnatural ones and, as such, are worthy recipients of inhuman treatment.
and when we ingest these crippling, divisive beliefs and then regurgitate them – clothed in the dubious finery of homophobic rhetoric – in an effort to deny equal recognition to our gay, lesbian bisexual and transgendered kin, we are essentially serving the ‘divide, conquer and destroy’ interests of those who, not too many moons ago, derived great pleasure from seeing our kind swinging, bug-eyed and lifeless, from the boughs of trees.
we are our brothers’/ sisters’ keepers. with NO exceptions. THIS is natural and normal.
any effort to tear asunder what many of our Ancestors fought and died to put together – namely, Black unity across ALL boundaries, be they of class, caste, religion, geographical location or language – is unnatural and abnormal and should be roundly condemned wherever it is seen/ heard.
understand this: we will rise or fall together. we will RISE, or FALL….TOGETHER.
despite enduring the savage caress of white supremacy for the past five centuries, we have yet to fully grasp this self-evident truth.
clearly, we still have much to learn.
Clearly…
I really cannot stand when someone groups together race and sexual orientation. They are two inherently different things.
Perhaps, but the discrimination is the same. As has been pointed out, the HR Act provides protection against discrimination for both ‘nature’ in the sense of male/female and race, AND for choice, such as politics or religion.
And the two (racism and sexism, of which homophobia is) have often been conflated; Blacks were argued to be feminine or childish compared to Whites, and this served as one excuse for their subordination to the more masculine and paternal Whites.
Either way, discrimination is still discrimination, and allowing for one form provides the legitimisation for others.
well, yes and no. racism and heterosexism/ homophobia are both part of the same web of systemic injustice. they simply occupy different spheres, even as they regularly – and necessarily – overlap (e.g. a working-class, Black lesbian catches hell because she sits on a san andreas fault line of interlocking oppressions. and if we are talking about fundamentally changing her disadvantaged status, we have to approach our activism from multiple angles).
and because of the overlap, we must challenge all of them…with a clear-eyed understanding of how they are different, even as we acknowledge their interrelatedness.
furthermore, homosexuality in Bermuda (and indeed throughout the Caribbean) has been ‘race-ed (read as white)’, just as the Black struggle for equality has been ‘gendered (read as male)’. and this is definitely something that needs to be unpacked, or our Brothers and Sisters in the region who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered will continue to languish ‘in another country’ beyond the borders of that which is recognized as acceptably Black.
our analyses need to become much more nuanced, imo. we must give attention to the intersections – the places where our multiple identities as Black people converge. until we do that, we’ll continue to be hamstrung in our fight against systemic injustice by stultifying, single identity politics…..
Oh you poor sorry fool…You think your people have suffered? Try sitting down with a Jewish person sometime for a wee chat on this subject…then you may actually learn something about persecution, oppression,etc…
When I see stories like this it makes me so ashamed to be a Bermudian. This is compounded by the flood of ignorant and hateful comments here. I squarely blame religion and the culture of hate it fosters on this island. As an atheist I have no excuses to hide behind such as an imaginary best-friend who tells me certain things are no-nos. It is so weak of people here to be using a 2000 year old book cooked up by desert people as a justification for hatred in 2011 – shame on you all. I don’t think Bermudians have to fear the world crashing down around them because queer people exist, fall in love, and have lives together, heterosexual people are ruining this place just wonderfully on their own. Maybe we should join the rest of the civilized work and see past such trivial things as who one falls in love with and start focusing on the real issues such as the growing gang, violence, and drugs problems we have. This story just goes to show how very little we understand how gender and sexuality are constructed. Sexuality is a fluid continuum, not rigid us and them camps. Our Human Rights Bill needs to have sexual orientation added so that everyone is protected from the hate on this island. Please put away your silly “god” and open your eyes to the pain you continue to create.
Their interpretation of the Bible and “justifiable” hatred is no different than the radical Islamists who justify their hatred and atrocities based up their interpretation of the Quoran. Same sh*t different book…
Just saying why o why do you have to blast my God. Can you answer this why is it that self proclaimed atheists such as yourself always have to bad mouth God? If anything it would be more correct to bad mouth the followers whom are not perfect and are subject to well being human thus if you don’t actual study the “word” you can’t really hope to correctly interpret it. As true Christians are not in this thread basing gays, blacks, whites or people know them. The only story in the bible that has anything to do with this is the story where God went to a place that was Godless; there people did what they wanted all the time and force their ways on others (something I admit some Christians are guilty of as well but who isn’t). None believe in God and according to history not even the bible they were nasty in their behavior and they were destroyed. This is in the Old Testament. The point is bash the person whom you have the grievance with not God whom they say they believe in. Just a thought.
LOL
While I can understand your comments, I just want to point out that not all ‘self-proclaimed atheists’ are interested in bad mouthing God. I think its more likely that most of the atheists you refer to hear are reacting to what they see as the abuse of Biblical teachings by self-proclaimed Christians. It is perhaps unfortunate that they have couched their reaction in a way that comes across as anti-theist. Atheism and anti-theism are two different things (although, yeah, all anti-theists would be atheists, but not all atheists are anti-theists, if that makes sense).
As another ‘self-proclaimed atheist’ I can only say I have the utmost respect for people who I believe truly follow the message of Christ, which as I see it is epitomised in the Sermon on the Mount. It is a message of unconditional love. I respect that, even if I disagree on the existence of a God. There are, however, many so-called Christians who are Christian only in name, or outward appearance, and who abuse the Christian teachings in order to further inequity and hatred, which are anathema to what I see as the true Christian teachings. Ironically, most of the verses used to justify this anti-Christian teachings comes from the Old Testament, of which the Christian message of love and forgiveness contained in the New Testament was supposed to replace (as an atheist I’m open to correction!). I always saw the Old Testament as continuing in order to frame the context of the New Testament, and so people could see what was being replaced and to learn from. Even the Jews, who use the Torah and the Tanakh (the Old Testament) however see it not as literal histories but more as fables to learn from, and see it in the context of the time and period it was written.
Anyway, just wanted to make sure that there was some understanding about atheists, who are no more a monolithic bloc than the Christians are. We are as guilty of over-reaction and generalisations as anyone, unfortunately. WE are human after all, lol!
Agreed Jonathan that is what I’m getting at. The grip is with the Christians whom outwardly appear to be Christians but may not be. As I to went though a period of disbelief it was all ways the Christians that were some what forcefull if I can use that term that I a issues with as IMO Christians’ job is to inform and let the person make up their own mind not force them. Oh and yes Christians follow the New Testament as we follow the teachings of Christ hence the name Christians and the New Testament reps the new covenant with God.
LOL
Get the laws changed. Changing the law won’t make anyone straight or gay but at least Bermuda will avoid going down in history as a country where bigotry like this was empowered by law.
Come on PLP. Some of your most outspoken Politicians are gay- surely it’s time to step out de closet?!
Of course this topic would spark a debate, because as usual Bermudians simply cannot mind their own business. If this young lady feels she was discriminated against because of her sexual orientation, than she has every right to those feelings. The root issue here is that IF that were the case, she has no platform to voice her opinions.
It saddens me to see that so many Bermundians have so much hate in their hearts towards people whom I am sure do not affect their daily lives.
As for the topic of gays having the right to adopt, let me put it like this; we all know too well of our Bermudian children, of single parent homes, homes with both parents and any other variation on the household situation that have not had the best childhood. Being a good parent has absolutely nothing to do with whom you chose as your partner, but everything to do with a lifetime commitment to that child and your core values.
I just hope that those that share such hateful opinions never have to deal with a child of theirs being homosexual.
Even though it would be the most beautiful case of irony.
i want three wives lets se them change that law… just goes to show people cant always have there cake and icecream but u gays can have ur diapers and sore a$$e$ cause that aink for me …… bun out d gay guy u know dat !!!
@ HA HA FAG BAGS
At least learn how to spell if you’re going to be a stupid bigot. Another moron on Bernews spouting Jamaican nonsense. YOU ARE BERMUDIAN FOOL! STOP TRYING TO BE JAMAICAN!
It’s retards like you that have children and raise them with such hateful nonsense and they grow up and ruin this country and repeat the cycle. If it were up to me, I would go throughout Bermuda and sterilize any male or female that I find with a Elephant man, beanie man, bounty killah etc. etc. cd and prevent you from reproducing. Your the ones who don’t deserve equal rights, STUPID PEOPLE. I’m going to start a petition to have it illegal for stupid people to socialize or reproduce with one another
Well said Think about it, the only problem is if you got that passed most of Bermuda would have to stay in their houses.
@ Just Saying
Well at least you and I wouldn’t have anything to worry about Lol
Problem with what you are saying is that we are a democratic society and therefore you would not be safe either. Think About That.
LOL
How? I said we would go after the stupid people ONLY, therefore I would be very safe, regardless of if we’re a democratic society.
Bermuda is more of a dictatorship to me anyway. Doesn’t matter how much we march, strike, beg and plead, at the end of the day we do what THEY want.
Stupidity is relative and therefore I’m sure someone could find punishable traits in everyone as we do not all think alike is what I’m getting at. You think school is there to teach I say school is there to make you conform. Look at all the great thinkers out there. The one thing in common besides being fanatical is that they did not just conform.
LOL
“Man is king woman is queen no oda guy between… u dig” LOL
the homophobia in this post is disgusting, and the point is that in a bermudian court of law, whatever the circumstances of the case because bermuda’s human rights act does not provide for discrimination based upon sexual orientation.
a lot of you should probably take a look at yourselves and consider why you can say such hateful things.
A “progressive” party would support non-discrimination for sexual orientation.
Being gay is a choice??? Well at what age did most people make the choice to be straight?
They had a sexual assault of the Batty nature up Regiment. In fact they know it goes on and ignore it, knowing those guys abused are too scared to come forward. I heard all about it when I was up there and saw some strange things to. Talk about Human Rights in Bermuda LOL! We force people to do something and then allow them to be homesexually abused at the same time!! Get real this country is as bad as it gets with abuses by the state and power.
Sexual assault is about power and control and can occur between both heterosexual and homosexuals. It can be an assault by a male on female, male on male, even female on female (also female on male, but due to average disparities in strength, that’s a tad more unusual).
The key is that it is power over another which is the essence of a sexual assault; the nature (hetero or homo rape) of the assault is less important.
LMAO! Think about it pretty much said it all. I find it funny though that so many Bermudians are homophobic yet what goes on behind closed doors says a different story. Or the fact that they LOVE to go to Atlanta for “vacation” and “school”. Oh the stories I could tell. I guess it must be that Jamaican influence since Bermudians want to be them so bad. Too bad the rest of the world feels different and ignorant people like Beenie Man and Elephant Man are banned from civil countries for their backwards mentality. Google it.
Bermudians are more concerned about homosexuals yet the age of consent is 16, and sex crimes against children are rising. No one is disgusted about that-well I am. Just yesterday bernews posted a story about a 21 year old assaulting a 13 year old and no one commented but a gay story gets over 100 comments. What two grown adults do should be no ones business. Did any of you choose to be “straight” or is that just the way you are? Did you stop one day and say “hey I’m straight” or did you just start going out with the opposite sex because that is what was natural to you? It’s the same way with homosexuals. I don’t know why it bothers people and why they are concerned with it being an abomination and them going to hell. THEY will be going if that’s the case, not you. Doesn’t the bible also say not to judge people?
What’s that saying about “those who protest the loudest usually have the most to hide”? Is that how it goes? I wonder why the male g-spot can be stimulated via the anus? LOL
Pretty much sums it up!! Luckily there seem to be more comments like this then of the homophobic nature, although there are more of those then i’d hoped, especially such explicit ones.
i’m sure that last line will ruffle some feathers
@ Nicole
LMFAO!!!! Thanks for the back up against these mouth breathers on here. You bring up all the most important points. Bermudians are so quick to judge others and focus on things that aren’t important. What two adults do behind closed doors is their business, and thiers alone. Unless they are having sex on your desk or the hood of your car, why the hell do you bigots care?
@Scott – Thanks. Hopefully it will, that was my intention
@think about it – No problem. It doesn’t surprise me though because like you said this is Bermudians we are talking about. The ones on bernews are the worst though. What’s funnier is I bet most who are commenting with homophobic rage probably have a gay relative, a DL relative or are DL themselves.
To the ones saying they don’t want their sons laying down with another man how do YOU know that they haven’t already? LOL
@ Nicole you couldn’t help but get ‘anal’ with your response huh?
I’m’ sorry do you have a problem with the truth?
I live in Toronto and I am SO happy I do! Gay Marriage is LEGAL here!! & I SUPPORT IT!
We need to celebrate & embrace DIVERSITY (let it be sexual or culture)
If two adults LOVE each other we should support LOVE!
& I truly believe LOVE is the answer.
Religion was CREATED by MAN to ensure a division and to create HATE!
Put down your Bible & Quran etc. and EMBRACE LOVE!
MOST people live their lives based on a BOOK written by MAN! “Word of god” more so word of man …
are people in bermuda so afraid to stand by their comments that they only feel safe speaking from the ‘safety’ of a pseudonym? sad…..
What are you talking about? Go ahead and keep using your real name, and say something to the wrong person. I bet you’ll find yourself on the wrong side of a bullet or blade. How hard do you think it is this day and age to find people?
I can probly google your name and get a picture of you, your address, your phone number etc.
So think before you speak and stop being a smart @ss
sir/ madam, i wasn’t being a ‘smart @ss’.
i have always used my real name (in face-to-face conversations, on the radio, in the newspaper, on the worldwide web) and will continue to do so. in fact, you can google my name and see that i stand, without reservation, behind EVERYTHING that i say. and many of the positions that i take are wildly unpopular…but, despite that, i choose not to hide.
i wish that more of my fellow bermudians would develop the testicular fortitude to do the same (and truthfully, it doesn’t take much courage, imo)…but, if that’s what it takes to get bermudians(who, if challenged in person, would be loathe to respond honestly)to speak the truth as they see it, then so be it.
Ok, go ahead, keep using your real name. You’re only gonna be brave until the first time someone beats the snot out of you and then I’m willing to bet you’ll quickly withdraw your real name from such public places Lol.
And ignorant as people are in this country, you really wanna keep taking that chance?
People are entitled to use a false name if they want, although by so doing it does reduce the credibility of their comments. I can, however, understand why some people would chose to use false names. However, it is important to remember that people are more likely to say things when their identity is hidden that they normally wouldn’t otherwise. As such, they may be more naked in their prejudices. I actually don’t mind that; I don’t want to condemn anyone for their prejudices, but I do want to engage them and try to help them help themselves in freeing themselves from their prejudices. So, I’m more interested in their message than the messenger.
That being said, those people who use false names in order to launch personal attacks, I have no time for them, and I would hope the majority of our people similarly ignore them for so doing.
I agree….keep it clean.
To Are you Serious?
“Being a good parent has absolutely nothing to do with whom you chose as your partner, but everything to do with a lifetime commitment to that child and your core values.”
Truer words were never spoken. As a parent, the key words here are “lifetime commitment to that child”. You just have to observe the trend here in Bermuda: when a child has its first birthday, there is a huge party. When the child goes to preschool and is graduating, the parents, grandparents, god parents and friends are in attendance. When the child goes to CedarBridge (as an example), the school has to take an ad out in the Royal Gazette to advise parents to come to the PTA. Seriously, Parents you don’t know when there is a PTA meeting, do you communicate with your child(ren), do you stay on top of their homework and assignments, do you make inquiries as to when the next PTA will be held? I believe I have made my point. Parenting is a lifelong commitment and kids are not like puppies and shouldn’t be discarded because they are no longer cute. They require hard work, sacrifice and discipline which seem to be in short supply.
Only a few times in life do you here real talk this was one of them.
1+ this comment
LOL
I’m glad someone agrees! It’s clear that we are dealing with infants here. Simple minded persons who think that their bible slapping antics will mask the pure hatred they have in their hearts.
God doesn’t like ugly.
I will pray for you all, @ the nearest gay rights meeting that I can find! LOL
@ are you serious
Thanks for telling it like it is regarding Bermudian parents – admittedly not all B’dian parents, but enough to have made a major negative difference in the quality of life on this island.
We are a punitive society. Sadly, when you beat and belittle children, you teach them this is acceptable behavior. When they grow too old or too strong for you to beat, don’t be surprised if they beat on and belittle you and everyone else. I believe there is much more elder abuse out there than has yet come to light.
But I digress. 2 Words and a Comma could use some public support. Unfortunately, the hate-filled, homophobic bigots are usually the ones that are the most vocal. Evil succeeds when good folk say nothing.
Now, I shall preface this by saying that I’m not a religious person. This is perhaps why I find it so obscenely horrific when people use the justification that homosexuality is wrong because it says so in the bible. True, the bible does say that man lying with another man is an abomination. However, let’s look at some of the other things that the bible (also in Leviticus as coincidence would have it) says which all of us (or I daresay pretty much all of us) choose to ignore.
- “For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him.” – Killing any child who has been rude to their parents? The population of the world would certainly be quite small at this point…
- “Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.”
- “…and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.” – Ever eaten bacon??? Sinner.
- “Do not wear material woven of two kinds of material.” – So that polyester blend you’re so proud of is not only hideous, but also morally reprehensible according to the bible.
And ok so perhaps you’re justifying this by saying that none of these things were described as fervently as homosexuality. These aren’t “abominations”. HOWEVER, Leviticus describes eating shellfish as an abomination… Three times. So, if you’ve ever had a nice lobster bisque or shrimp cocktail or crab cake, you’re committing a sin of the same severity of those you’re condemning with your homophobic slurs. Think about that. If you support the teachings of the bible, support them all. We should not pick and choose what passages we’ll take notice of and which we’ll conveniently ignore because they don’t suit our modern lifestyle. Also, the examples I’ve used are just the ones from Leviticus. If you want me to describe other hypocrisies which most modern people commit on a daily basis, I will be more than happy to discuss those with you so that you can see how you can learn to be a non-hypocritical Christian.
People should all be afforded the same rights regardless of sexual orientation. That’s what it boils down to. Whether you like homosexuals or whether you find them reprehensible, men who love men and women who love women, should be allowed to live without fear of persecution. You don’t have to be a part of their relationship (in fact I’m sure they don’t want you to be part of their relationship) but what does it gain you from yelling at them, beating them up, not treating them as though they were the same as you? Is it some disgusting feeling of superiority that makes you think you know better? That your relationship is somehow more valid? That because you have the ability to reproduce with your chosen partner automatically makes your love more real??? That’s ridiculous and narrow-minded. Gays should be allowed to walk down any street in Bermuda and hold hands. They should be able to get married.
And finally, just for the record, Charlie Sheen has made a ‘porn family’, Kelsey Grammer ended a 15-year marriage over the phone, Larry King is getting divorce number 9, Britney Spears had a 55-hour marriage, Jesse James and Tiger Woods, while married, were having sex with everyone. But it’s the idea of same-sex marriage which is going to destroy the institution of marriage???
So, before you rail off about the atrocities which the gays are introducing into our lifestyles, have a think about whether you yourself are obeying everything in the bible that you ought to. When you rail off about how the bible says that homosexuals are an abomination, question whether you’ve done anything that’s been described as an abomination by this text which is several thousand years out of date. Think about whether every relationship you’ve ever had has been respectful and without cheating and debauchery. Realise that when you say “love thy neighbour (unless he’s a fag)”, you’re a hypocrite.
same bible says parents do not provoke thy children to wrath against thee its funny how we parents use that part of honor thy mother and fater but we do not honor thy childre? same bible different verse ……its not what enters thy mouth that is a disgust but what comes out……maybe some that want to quote the bible should maybe read the whole thing and not just what suits thier purpose for that particular moment……just saying…….
They only quote and follow the bible when it suits their agenda and ignorant views didn’t you know that? As if Bermudians of all people have such high morals. A place that has more churches than anywhere else in the world but also tons of alcoholics, potheads, out of wedlock kids, adulterers, divorces etc. Yeah great moral compass there.
Lol, well said.
which one are you? are you not bermudian? i am bermudian and i have very high morals……i neitha smoke or drink my kids are with my husband only (three kids 1 baby daddy) been happily married for 16 years and never cheated thats probably because that was taught to me as a child being as i come from a home where my parents was married before i was concieved ( still are by the way) and neither of them smoke or drink as well so not all bermudians lack high morals
Whoa Nelly indeed. Calm down, of course it’s not ALL Bermudians. But you missed my point. I’m talking about the ones who do those things but would turn around and quote the bible for why homosexuality is wrong. Understand now?
got you …….all is good
Bermuda, you are a scary place! Yet there is hope for a true Christ-lie community. I have faith, albeit based on things not yet seen.
Junior Burchall, I know of and applaud your courage which is not dependent on perceived safety or danger.
Ms Kett, thank you for your comments. They give me hope. I would add that the original 10 Commandments, arguably the ones God was most exercised about included, not homosexuality, but adultery. I have yet to hear a similar adulterophobic outcry! Has there been anyone here who has refused to rent to an adulterer, or refused to serve them in a restaurant or denied them a job? All of the above have happened to gay and lesbian friends of mine.
I wish the Bible cherry pickers would read more widely around the verses they purport forbid homosexuality. Leviticus and Romans both make it clear the ‘abomination’ is not homosexuality per se but idol worship, part of which included orgies and also entailed the use of temple prostitutes, both male and female.
Jesus said to love one another, forgive in the way you want God to forgive you and not to judge if you don’t want God to judge you. If I read my Bible’s message correctly, God and Jesus will take my example for forgiveness and judgement of others as a guide for how to judge and forgive me. Believe me, that thought helps me stay on the straight and narrow. I am not responsible for any one else’s soul, only to make certain I have shared the truth with them. Free will has always been the standard.
This incident and some of the homophobic reactions to it present an opportunity to reflect on the words of Bayard Rustin. Rustin, Martin Luther King Jr.’s mentor, wrote:
“[T]he job of the gay community is not to deal with extremists who would castigate us or put us on an island and drop an H-bomb on us. The fact of the matter is that there is a small percentage of people in America who understand the true nature of the homosexual community. There is another small percentage who will never understand us. Our job is not to get those people who dislike us to love us. Nor was our aim in the civil rights movement to get prejudiced white people to love us. Our aim was to try to create the kind of America, legislatively, morally, and psychologically, such that even though some whites continued to hate us, they could not openly manifest that hate. That’s our job today: to control the extent to which people can publicly manifest antigay sentiment.”
–Bayard Rustin; From Montgomery to Stonewall (1986)
Rustin was writing 30 years ago in the United States. Today in Bermuda, people can publicly manifest antigay sentiment without fear of legal sanction. That inequality before the law is intolerable.
Let me put it more simply: no one is stopping you from being a bigot deep in your heart, but when you act out that bigotry, act out that hate, you infringe on someone else’s rights.
It is time to fix the Human Rights Act.
NUFF SAID. and Brother Bayard is a GIANT. nuff respect.
Cosigned.
Well written,and to the point!
Bayard Rustin was truly a giant. Thanks for the reminder.
Gay ppl r safe dun, guyz should be able to do whatever dey wunt as long as d doors closed, knowm sayn?
Ppl who discriminte r mug, n probly have issues demselves. My uncle Brunty got mad gyals back n de day, but then told de family he was gay shree years ago, and is now happily out de closet.
PPl R PPL, DONT MATTER IF YUH BLACK, WHITE, GAY, STRAIGHT, SAFE, MUG, ASIAN, GREEN, LATINO, ASEXUAL, A HERMAFRODITE, A GRANNY…ARRYONE’S EQUAL
Everyone discriminates in some form or other. I admit that I discriminate against stupid people, of which there are quite a few in this thread.
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
I’ve seen enough bible thumpers with this posted in their work space.
i have the Desiderata posted in mine…….google it it is an awesome peice
Thank you. I googled it and now have it bookmarked.
: ) welcome…..anytime
ya dun mad hipocrits fi gwan
Clafe are you Jamaican?
Please note that I, too, thump my Bible but I don’t think you can lump me with the rest.
The Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
for those that dont know what it is
What saddens me the most is the hate and disrespect I read above (not everyone, but very prevalent from both side of the argument). No matter your viewpoint, I encourage you all to not make your arguments so personal. Calling people dumb and stupid minimizes and undermines your statements.
We have a long way to go Bermuda
Agreed.
While it is understandable that this discussion is highly emotionally charged, and in the heat of an argument we’re all likely to react instead of reflect, in order to actually have an argument AND NOT a shouting contest, we (both sides of the issue) need to give respect to each other and actually listen to the points made and speak to those points. I understand some people will not do so and will just come in and show disrespect, but all the same I would hope most people will not waste their time fighting disrespect with disrespect.
Oh some of you people are trippin’.. clearly over your own deluded and prehistoric thinking.
All these people out there that are so quick to run an quote the Bible…I am not even going to get into that….you can never debate “religion”…although the last time I checked Christianity was a personal relationship with Jesus Christ…I said PERSONAL relationship with Jesus Christ….anybody and everyone with their finite understanding and lives have nothing to do with someone else’s fate…jog on..right around the block and go fetch some pampers for the fatherless child…or better yet go out and find a next chick to bang…oh right….this is the norm…this is Godly…surely you ‘finger pointers’ will get into the pearly gates on a first class ticket…kmt
What people fail to realize is that this is a matter of humanity…hence ‘HUMAN RIGHTS’ they are fundamental and they should provided for everyone idiots irrespective of their blinking sexual orientation…are you serious!!
Well I can see now if one of you god(small g intentionally) fearing homophobes happened to find yourself in an accident and the first person to come cross was my sissy self…heaven forbid I should be so shallow as you are and leave you be…I can never see myself doing such a thing but this what you are doing to us now…get a life..
kmt again… particularly when you look at what the gays have done and continue to do for this island…those who know should and those who don’t do not know through blatant ignorance…wake up and smell the salt spray.
peace and love…try it…it’s a good look and it works…dark and bitter is so played out..
I Mark Anderson, The man behind Sybil Barrington, “”THE QUEEN OF BERMUDA”" am inviting Ms Krys Assan and her 16 supporters aswell as all GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDERED COMUNNITY aswell as their PROUD PARENTS and their SUPPORTERS to join me in the PARADE this coming MAY 24th. Im number 43. Lets stand together for our Dignity of Rights!!!!.
THAT SOUNDS SO GAY MAN!!!
Sounds like you’re interested then @just sayn
I am also not amused with how we always get into these cesspool of vicious comments but it just shows how important this needs to be addressed through the legal system.The Human Rights Legislation is discriminatory in it’s self. I will use the fact that the only reason the sodomy law was abolished was because it goes against peoples privacy rights in what they do behind closed doors for instance this was done in the case that if they tried to prosecute someone for sodomy in the privacy of their own home they would have been sued under their right to privacy.
I’m not so sure that fabricating a story and dragging someone’s business though the mud is the best way to go about opening a dialog on discrimination or foundation for a rally.
Aside: “I don’t have a problem with gays as long as they don’t throw it up in my face” is not in the slightest bit homophobic. It’s about respecting personal boundaries. Bit like religion and how, whilst people have no objection to others wearing a crucifix, they’re not quite so fond of people showing up at their door with a stack of leaflets.
Very well said .am. That’s very true.
Great response .am. You summed it up perfectly. Let’s see the homophobs and bigots respond to that.
I live in Toronto and I am SO happy I do! Gay Marriage is LEGAL here!! & I SUPPORT IT!
We need to celebrate & embrace DIVERSITY (let it be sexual or culture)
If two adults LOVE each other we should support LOVE!
& I truly believe LOVE is the answer.
Religion was CREATED by MAN to ensure a division and to create HATE!
Put down your Bible & Quran etc. and EMBRACE LOVE!
MOST people live their lives based on a BOOK written by MAN! “Word of god” more so word of man …
@J.Starling
@blackpride
@yup!
@hellobermuda
@white christ aka white jesus
@100% agree
@crazy
@just sayn!!!
@deathwish
@ha ha fag hags
Again “those who protest the loudest usually have the most to hide”. Please do Bermuda, and the world a GREAT favor and DO NOT under any circumstances reproduce. The ignorance and stupidity needs to stop somewhere.
?
Wow, my comments have been removed!
God made a woman for a man not to be with another woman (plain and simple)
Y’all are missing the point. The issue isn’t whether you agree with, disagree with, approve or disapprove of same sex relationships.
The issue is that ALL human beings should be able to pursue the basic necessities – food, shelter, and employment – without having to experience discrimination. No special rights, no extra rights, no imagined future agenda. Just basic human rights. No more, no less.
There are enough carve-outs (protections) in the Act for landlords who do not wish to rent to same-sex couples that no-one needs to fear their personal living space on their own property could be sullied.
The comparison to the struggle for black rights appears valid because black people know better than most what it feels like to be treated as less than human, to be refused service in a restaurant or denied a home or a job. How sad that they appear to be the most vocal against human rights for others.
For those who think a same sex orientation is a choice (which I don’t accept, since I have known children as young as 2 or 3 make it clear about who they are, long before they could have been influenced by the media or other people), Jews and Muslims are probably the only religious groups whose members, for the most part, do not make a choice about their religion. Religious groups across the board are protected under the Act, yet they would deny others the same protection?! For shame!