The Editor, Sir:

It was with a great sense of pride that I completed reading your editorial of November 20. As a gay Jamaican I suddenly had a sense of pride and renewed faith in our local media.

The headline and content of that article resonated deeply within me and I was in fact moved to tears, as, before that moment I was unconvinced that anyone outside of JFLAG understood the absurdity that is the homophobic philosophy and how it makes fools of otherwise presumably intelligent people.

Basil Waite, like our Prime Minister before him, chose to revel in stupidity, rather than to take the high road in engaging with the issue of homosexuality. That Waite felt justified in his agitation for the exclusion of gay families from the definition of "family" in a conversation about the establishment of a "National Commission of the Family" as mooted by Senator Newby is embarrassingly absurd.

The family in disarray

The Jamaican family has long been in disarray for a number of reasons, none of which have anything to do with gay families, and yet Mr Waite still felt compelled to warn that failure to define the Jamaican family in his narrow terms would lead to loopholes being created that would allow for gay families to lobby for recognition.

This speaks to the sort of political laziness that has eroded the integrity of the previous generation of politicians and it is a disturbing sign that this legacy lives on in the minds of the young politicians the parties have indoctrinated. Rather than deal with substantive issues they instead appeal (often quite crudely) to base elements for support.

For all that was accomplished by this puerile display in the Upper House was to demonstrate the imbecilic inclinations of idle politicians.

I am, etc.,

DAVE EVANS

dave@realjamaica.cjb.net