The Anti-Gay Pastors Moss, Bethel and Stewart At It Again
Alfred Stewart
Lyall Bethel
Cedric Moss
Whatever the reason they were at it again last week suggesting that The Bahamas government was following a gay agenda by voting against a resolution to delete a call for a special expert to be hired to look into violence and discrimination against LGBT people around the world. Harmless. The pastors claimed that it should be rejected because the man who is to be the expert made a speech saying that the gay lifestyle should be taught to children. That is not true. What he did say is that intolerance should be taught from childhood. Anyway, no doubt tied in with some right wing evangelicals in the states who have a bugaboo about these things, they tried to make a case in the Bahamian press about it. It was foolish on its face. After they led a campaign of lies and deceit to defeat a referendum on women’s equality, they have no credibility and should be dismissed as fools. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following statement:
20 December 2016
The Ministry has taken note of a number of public interventions by certain civic leaders in The Bahamas about a vote at the United Nations on the adoption of the annual report of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The interventions by these civic leaders misrepresents the position of The Bahamas; so as to avoid confusion we issue the following clarification.
The vote at the Human Rights Council was a procedural one on whether the report of the Council should be adopted in its entirety or with certain deletions.
The Bahamas voted to accept the report in its entirety as we have done in the past and consistent with the mandates of people of The Bahamas.
We remind the public that each diplomat is instructed in the language and philosophy of the Constitution of The Bahamas which in so far as is relevant for this purpose, it says “an abiding respect for Christian values and the Rule of Law.” Each vote of The Bahamas whether at home or abroad is guided by those principles.
Christian values include decrying any action which would sanction violence, bigotry or intolerance against people of every stripe without distinction.
The vote was consistent with those values and in the strategic best interests of The Bahamas. In that we were joined by scores of other countries including the United States of America and the European Union.
Any other characterisation of the vote is misleading, mischievous and unfortunate.
End