Minister of State for Legal Affairs Damian Gomez yesterday questioned if those people with concerns that the fourth constitutional amendment bill would pave the way for same-sex marriage, are harboring insecurities about their sexual orientation. Gomez said the government has had no discussion about legalizing same-sex marriage in The Bahamas. "All of a sudden the world seems to have been collapsing around us as people are clamoring about gays getting married," he said during debate on four bills that seek to amend the constitution to bring about gender equality."Where is this coming from? "Our law, as it presently stands, states quite clearly that marriage is an institution between a male and a female. We have not proposed to change that. "We haven't even dreamed it up. "Yet it consumes so many people, and I wonder if they are harboring insecurities about their sexual positions, because this is a completely irrelevant political discussion."The fourth constitutional bill seeks to make it unconstitutional for any law or any person acting in the performance of any public office to discriminate based on sex.Prime Minister Perry Christie has said this will not make same-sex marriages lawful.Marco City MP Greg Moss said if the government was serious about eliminating any doubts about same-sex marriage, it could insert specific words in the constitution to outlaw it.

Rollins blasts Gomez
But Gomez said he is opposed to "specifically outlawing homosexual marriages as a constitutional matter", arguing that there is an economic argument that the country must be aware of.Gomez referenced Uganda's outlawing of homosexuality.He said that the United States imposed sanctions against that country."I say this as a very real threat that was posed to Uganda and, you know what, immediately after the sanctions were announced, the Ugandans took a position to rescind the amendment," he said. "But we don't have that ability in our constitution and the expense and the time to rectify such damage would put us in a horrible economic situation."Before Gomez could finish, Fort Charlotte MP Dr. Andre Rollins shot to his feet on a point of order, challenging Gomez's assertion. "The member for South and Central Eleuthera is misleading the House, and he knows it," Rollins charged."It is wrong. If he wishes he can elaborate on matters in relation to Uganda and their interest in outlawing homosexuality."He continued, "Now if you are intending to scare the Bahamian public, that is one thing, but at least be sincere in what you have to say because this should be a matter of educating the Bahamian public on the basis of truth and not on the basis of scare tactics."Gomez only responded that he did not misled the House. The four bills seek to amend the constitution to bring about gender equality. Debate on the bills began last week.A constitutional referendum is scheduled for November 6.

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