UK should apologise for anti-gay laws

THE EDITOR, Sir:

FROM APRIL 16-20, various individuals and organisations from the former British empire will convene in London for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. There will be a packed agenda and intense lobbying to prioritise the many urgent issues facing the 52 nations of the Commonwealth, from climate change to terrorism and everything in-between.

LGBT activists will stridently call on the 36 countries with anti-sodomy laws to jettison them. This is certainly a noble effort, as theses laws not only brutalise LGBT Commonwealth nationals, but also contribute to the grouping having the two regions of the world with the highest HIV prevalence – subSaharan Africa (first) and the Caribbean (second).

While I think that such advocacy is necessary, I humbly submit that this is putting the cart before the horse.

The fact is that these dangerous statutes (such as Jamaica’s 1864 law) were largely imposed during the period of British colonisation. No other colonising power bequeathed this ‘alien legacy’ to their conquered territories.

Therefore, before the British government lectures the Commonwealth about getting rid of these laws, it should first apologise for leaving them when they departed. One of the challenges of opposing anti-gay laws in postcolonial societies is the perception that arguments against them are themselves colonial.

A simple, heartfelt acknowledgement that countries are free to decide their own laws but that the UK has a historic responsibility for them, would be very useful.

Ultimately, the only thing that makes a real difference is repeal of these unjust laws. However, having the former colonial power lecture countries about what they should do has not worked.

MAURICE TOMLINSON maurice_tomlinson@yahoo.com Montego Bay PO, St James