Many Bahamians have an irrational fear and hatered of homosexuals. It is not uncommon in this country to encounter people having conversations advocating for violence against homosexuals.

Such hostility is unfortunate.  Homosexuality is a normal phenomenon in human societies. A certain small population of every human community is gay.  Some display homosexual inclinations as children, suggesting they were born gay, and others come to this place later in life.  Homosexuality is not new and it is not rare.
We therefore should all be reasonable enough and accept that homosexuals are people entitled to the same protection under the law as heterosexuals when it comes to discrimination. Certainly, no sensible person should assert that a person should be fired, beaten or molested for being gay.

The United Nations Human Rights Council resolution affirming equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people, passed earlier this month, is a positive progressive step.

The resolution, which narrowly passed in the council 23 to 19 with three abstentions, expressed "grave concern" about discrimination against gays throughout the world and affirmed that freedom to choose sexuality is a human right.  Surprisingly, when asked about the issue, both the Free National Movement (FNM) and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) supported the resolution.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Brent Symonette said the government supports the expansion of rights for "people of any persuasion."
Opposition leader Perry Christie said the resolution is humane and therefore his party is in favor of it.

"I think from our point of view we understand the sensitivity of this matter," said Christie, adding that the PLP has "always been committed to progressive policies -- policies that emphasize our commitment to human rights."

The parties demonstrated maturity by taking the public stands they did.  It is not popular to support homosexuals in any way in The Bahamas.  However, at times public officials must lead debates of conscience and not merely follow ignorant popular views.

The Christian church in The Bahamas has been vocal in its opposition to the more welcoming attitudes towards homosexuality that are being demonstrated in developed western societies in recent years.  The church, as is its right, has affirmed that homosexuality is a sin.

The Bahamas Christian Council (BCC), in its release after the UN resolution, said it supports the protection of everyone from all forms of discrimination. However, it warned that The Bahamas government's support of the UN resolution could open the door to all rights afforded heterosexuals to be offered to GLBT people, including marriage.

"We in the Christian church firmly believe that marriage is between a man and a woman -- period.  As imperfect as that might be at times, it is between a man and woman -- full stop," said the BCC.

For now the issues are separate.  The step the Bahamian political parties have taken by embracing the resolution is simply to state that they support the right of homosexuals to live their lives free of discrimination based on their sexual orientation. This should mean that the parties will not support laws or practices that discriminate against gays.

As the Bahamian democracy evolves, however, the parties will be confronted with more difficult issues. The law in democracies usually evolves through citizens challenging discriminatory practices via the court. The court, which is entrusted with the responsibility of protecting minority rights, has to determine if statues violate the broad principles of liberty enshrined in democratic constitutions.

Courts around the world have forced the hands of legislatures when it comes to gay rights. Some have argued that laws declaring that marriage is between one man and one woman discriminate against homosexuals.  Hence, the old way is ruled unconstitutional and gay marriage is allowed.

Homosexuals understand that their fight for equality, as it was for blacks, has to be won one step at a time. As the homosexual lobby becomes more organized in The Bahamas and it understands that the court can help its cause, The Bahamas may be forced to accept gay marriage, gay adoption and further normalization of homosexuality.

On Thursday past, the Marathon Bahamas Board officially launched the program that will culminate in the third annual long distance sports/tourism extravaganza on the weekend of January 14-15, 2012. Plans internationally and nationally are unfolding quite well for what is swiftly becoming the marquee sports/social event of the year in The Bahamas.

More so than any other factor however, the announcement by Board Chairman Franklyn Wilson that there will be a focus this time around on ensuring that the pace will be faster than in the two previous years, is huge.

Indeed, the objective is for the finishing time for the winner of the 2012 Sunshine Insurance Marathon Bahamas event to be well under three hours. This decision will no doubt elevate Marathon Bahamas on the competitive scale.

"We feel that we've achieved a lot with this race in just two short years. Now, we want to get the kind of runners who will guarantee faster times and give our race a different perspective," said Wilson.

This is a step that will go a long way toward putting the annual event in the mainstream of the second level marathons run around the world. It is understood that Wilson and company need a few more years yet to begin thinking in terms of being comparable to the major marathons like those of Boston, New York, London, Berlin, Chicago, Honolulu, etc.

The world record (2:03:59) was set in 2008 by Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie, at the Berlin Marathon. He lowered his previous mark (2:04:26), set in 2007, also in Berlin. Gebrselassie became world marathon king by unseating Kenya's Paul Tergat who ran 2:04:55 in 2003, in Berlin.

Before Tergat, Khalid Khannouchi of Morocco was the standard by which marathon runners were measured. Representing his native Morocco, he ran 2:05:42 in 1999 at the Chicago Marathon. He brought the record down to 2:05:38 at the 2002 London Marathon, competing as an American citizen. Paula Radcliffe of the United Kingdom owns the women's record of 2:15:25, accomplished in 2003, at the London Marathon.

Wilson is not thinking about those aforementioned finishing times... not just yet. However, the time is right for Marathon Bahamas to move beyond the novelty stage.
The initial Marathon Bahamas was won by Bahamian Delroy Boothe in 2:59:31. His national mark is 2:34:49.

Earlier this year, in Sunshine Marathon Bahamas II, German Simone Maissenbacher was the fastest finisher. Her time was 3:02:39. It made Wilson and his group take notice. They seek to take the event into another category, more like the marathons in Jacksonville, Florida or Tuscan, Arizona.

Human societies are fickle - norms are always changing.  Who knows what will be acceptable in The Bahamas a century from now.  A century ago the thought of blacks and whites being equal and then 'inter-marrying' was offensive to many.  Now, interracial marriage is a non-issue.

The winner of the 2010 Jacksonville Marathon was Justin Gillette. He clocked 2:29:17, followed by David McCollam in 2:31:13. At the Tuscan Marathon, Eric Laaughlin was the winner in 2:32:21. BJarne Fruergaard was second in 2:41:35. It is in that area, Wilson wants Marathon Bahamas to go.

The international marketing campaign has started in earnest and already scores of runners, inclusive of competitors from Europe and North America, have registered.
Marathon Bahamas is on the move! The 2012 race weekend should be quite the sports/tourism bonanza.

(To respond to this column, kindly contact Fred Sturrup at frobertsturrup@gmail.com)

A century from now maybe Mr. Smith marrying Mr. Smith on a beach on one of our islands too may be normal.

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