People who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, homosexual or transgender should not have the same rights as “normal” people.
That is the view expressed by the Christian non-governmental organisation, T&T Cause.
The group is led by Bishop Keith Ramdass, Bishop Dr Victor Gill and Vernon De Leon and was formed “to resist the tide of immorality sweeping across our nation”.
The NGO held a media conference at Redemption Worship Centre, Chaguanas yesterday to promote their agenda and advertise a rally and march against same-sex marriage, which they say will follow if the buggery laws are repealed.
“Same sex marriage is a cancer. We must keep the buggery laws, if it is removed it is a slippery slope to same sex marriage,” said the group’s communication officer Aquila Holder.
The group seemed to contradict itself several times, saying that they love and respect gay people but not homosexuality and could not explain that contradiction.
They also contended that if the anti-buggery laws are repealed, it would mean that homosexual rights trumped heterosexual rights.
When asked if the group thought that heterosexuals had more rights than people in the LGBTQ community, they answered in the affirmative.
“Yes, we are saying that heterosexual rights are superior (to LGBTQ rights),” De Leon said.
The group’s ire seems to stem from the expected outcome of the unprecedented case in which gay activist Jason Jones is challenging this country’s homophobic laws.
Back in January, High Court judge Devindra Rampersad reserved his decision after hearing submissions in the landmark case. Rampersad is expected to deliver his judgment on April 12.
In the lawsuit, Jones is challenging the sections 13 and 16 of the Sexual Offences Act, which criminalises buggery and serious indecency even between consenting adults.
Jones is claiming that the legislation contravenes his constitutional rights to privacy and freedom of thought and expression.
But T&T Cause does not believe in those rights, which they claim for themselves, should be granted to anyone who identifies as gay.
“As the LGBTQ..I whatever other letter, it is not a human right, it is a human wrong,” Gill said.
“We are saying having rights and being right are two different things. You must respect the rights of others,” Gill. He did not see the irony in his statements and when questioned about the rights of all people, he said homosexuality is “unnatural and illegal”.
“It is something that is condemned in scripture. In this country , there is no evidence to show that homosexuals are being hunted down and violated. We love them and we respect them, but we don’t love homosexuality but you cannot sanitise it and make it right by law. If you make homosexuality legal, you are making Christian values illegal,” Gill said.
The group is also contending that if the anti-buggery laws are changed in any way, it would lead to teaching the “unnatural lifestyle” in schools and to the children.
“That agenda poses an existential threat to Christian values,” he said.
Gill said that even of the courts sided with Jones, it was up to the Parliamentarians to uphold the values of Christianity and not touch the anti-buggery laws.
“If they do, they will be digging their political graves,” Gill said.
The group is planning a silent protest outside Parliament On Friday April 6 and another outside the Hall of Justice on April 12 for the court ruling.
Ramdass called on all religious bodies to stand with them in this cause, saying that whoever does not come out to support them will also be responsible for the decline of the country.
“Any organisation, any person that sits on the side and does not come out and make a statement and show themselves as against the removal of the anti-buggery law, they have to hold themselves responsible for the state of the country. This is not really a religious walk, this is for society,” Ramdass said.
