The Pulse of the People on Section 53
The National AIDS Commission says it welcomes the ruling by the Chief Justice on Section Fifty-Three of the Criminal Code. The LGBT Community is also celebrating the decision. But what about regular folks? Today, we took a sample of their views in the streets of the city. Here’s what they had to say.
Resident
“Well even though it is something that we do not approve of, we do not like it; we know it is against God’s rule. But after all they are still human beings and that is their choice of living. We cannot hate them for it because that’s how they choose to live. If it was our own family member, we would not turn them away; we would love them same way. So we just have to accept what they want to do.”
Resident
“Personally I think everybody should have the right to make a choice about who they choose to engage with sexually. As long as it is constant throughout and they are both adults, it really shouldn’t matter what anybody else thinks. And I know that’s quite controversial, but it’s a personal choice. For some people, they say it is not even a choice; that’s just how they feel naturally—whether you agree with it or not. So I have no issues.”
Resident
“I mean it is a free world. Let everybody do as they please. As long as nobody doesn’t come on to you, everybody should live as they please. It is a free world.”
For this type I guess and I would have suggested channel 5 to go country wide for a interview with locals in each district but a 3 individuals in the city does not provide what we viewers wanted to see. It should have been done with all the ethnics we have in Belize and then they can provide a better range of perspective to this issue. Because this issue of section 53 is and will keep affecting the majority. So it reflects the vast amount of people being affected than what we saw in this 3 interviews.
How does this decision affect the majority? Ignorance and disapproval of sexual relations between consenting adults should not amount to a crime and does not in any shape or form detract from the majority. Perhaps I am missing something here. Belize is filled with many cultures and societal norms are what they are. Norms do not dictate laws nor do they give any fraction or ethnic group a right to hate or interfere with relations between consenting adults.