Vidyaratha Kissoon hits out at hatemongers in the Sunday Stabroek of March 21st, with the startling assertion that human beings are a sort of “polysexual.”
There is, he states, male and female, but then also neuter or “sexless.” And then perhaps a multiplicity of valencies that may go beyond our imagination. Hence, to the simple chromosomal XY for male and XX for female, Kissoon’s discovery implies that we may need to add other letters or digits. XY-A perhaps for homosexuality (the subject of his letter) and XY-AB for female role homos, XY- ABT for the transvestite impulses etc. You add some numerals for racial or national location and your “gender” identity begins to look like a foreign licence plate.
One should have heard the “eureka” resounding around the world as news of this breakthrough hit the scholarly and gay communities. But no such “discovery” is to be found anywhere in the literature as far as I know. Kissoon does not follow the scientific ramifications of his declaration and it appears simply another falsity they have imagined.
The implications of the discovery, for which Kissoon simply credits a translation of the Ramayana, is that by a sort of assay of the foetus, once the human genome is fully decoded, perverts can be identified with some precision even in the womb. Then, quickly pulled out and assigned residence perhaps on their own island in the Essequibo where, in the company of like minded fellows, they could live fuller lives. Or the homosexual gene sequences spliced out, and they are then released into the real world to live fuller lives.
Or the catholic church, battling the infestation of its priesthood by persons whose gender identities would sometimes create problems, can have all novitiates (and priests and nuns) analysed for the “sexless” or other dangerous element in their make up.
A few years ago, there was discussion in St Lucia about repealing the law against homosexuality. There were some objections, it is said, by gays who had been profiting by the laws. Citing homophobe repression as grounds to seek refugee status in Canada. Of course not all claims of either homosexual tendencies or oppression could be true. But the Canadians had no way of determining and gave many the benefit of the doubt. Kissoon and others who claim that the tendency is biologically determined, can now provide evidence to the Canadians that the truth is testable and help them separate sheep from fake sheep.
The fantasies and follies that are poured into justifying these tendencies and tastes would be annoying in their absurdity had we not reserved, as we ought, some hope that, with encouragement, some of the victims could be induced to change.
The religious text that Kissoon cites has got to be taken for what it is, an ambiguous or perhaps poetic rendering of a central idea of a loving divinity. That it is pulled out of the hat to “prove” that this or that is all right exposes the author to exegetical assault in the same way that some Christian affirmation in the past that the world was created in 4004 BC, had to be reviewed.
One day the proponents of this lifestyle will lose consciousness, die, and upon arousal find themselves before the Seat of Judgement.
Mr Kissoon can wrap the hindu scriptures in whatever form and fashion he chooses. We do go by other texts. As I have said, the arguments for a deterministic explanation of deviance have philosophical significance. For if we cannot avoid behaving in this or that way because we are programmed to do so, then the law and the final judgement are mockeries. There has been research on the genetics of criminality. The matter has been much discussed but has had no effect whatever on abolishing the criminal justice system as we know it.
If there is a sodomy gene whose existence should exempt queers/cross dressers from prosecution, then perhaps there is a chain snatching gene that could be certified in court to secure the freedom of the defendant or his isolation. Perhaps there is, finally also a corrupt politician gene… an Ole Higue gene. And when the technology has advanced to the stage where these genes could be spliced out of you and, genetically modified, you become normal citizens, a list of undesirable genes would have to be consensually drawn up. Leading to questions of ethics but at least helping rid us of dog-ophilesas well as kick-down-the -door and certain physical handicaps. By the time the genes could be spliced “into” you, the women who so prefer could have the hair texture and colour they want, short men gain height, fine men get Schwartzenegger proportions. And we all live as we choose. The splicing machines would have to be highly controlled. Imagine what an envious enemy can do to you if they ever become portable and revolver sized?
But apart from the pleasures of the speculation, Kissoon opens himself to the argument that if the homosexual gene is to be given full rein then the homophobe gene, in closer accord with what is socially and biologically necessary and natural, should perhaps have equal right of expression. So which should be given precedence here? Bringing us back to the question of ethics and the choices to be made. His hope of having this argument resolve the moral questions would have been dashed
There is of course also a spiritual question. For we have, graven on the stone tablets in our souls, ideas of right and wrong in most matters.
The Quran says the Merciful has sworn a considerable oath. “By time.”
And the surah continues
“Surely, mankind is in a state of loss.”
But then gives us hope
“Save for those who believe and do good works
and exhort mankind to truth
and exhort to steadfastness.”
That our brothers and sisters who may be afflicted with this tendency (or gene if you wish) should seek the mercy of the Lord, and show steadfastness against the suggestion of the demons, those would lead them astray, and the unclean desires of their own souls.
Yours faithfully,
Abu Bakr
