Facts over Fear (op.)

Let me start by saying something about this Constitutional referendum that few people care to admit: this is everyone’s fault. I’m talking about the disgusting tone of both the yes and no campaign’s supporters. I’m talking about the insults, the misinformation, the confusion and the slander on social media. It’s my fault as much as it is your fault. It’s the government’s fault as much as it is the church’s fault. All of us could have done a better job articulating ourselves in pursuit of what our national anthem calls a “common loftier goal”. There is lots of blame to go around, but for any of us to act so high and mighty as to believe that we are on the “right” side ignores reality.

So, now that we’ve established that we’re all wrong, let’s move on. Let’s focus on the one thing that isn’t subject to opinion. The truth is that our Constitution treats Bahamians differently. If you are blessed with male parts, you can pass your citizenship on to your spouse if she is not a Bahamian. However, you cannot pass citizenship to your child if he or she is born out of wedlock. If you get the female side of the coin, your child born out of wedlock can get your citizenship, but not your child born abroad nor your foreign-born husband. This referendum has taught us that our Constitution is not the perfect ‘holy grail’ document that some would like us to believe. And yet, it seems like many are content with the document in its current state. I’ve seen some of you argue that changing the Constitution is too hard. Maybe I’d agree if there wasn’t a legally binding referendum occurring in less than 24 hours. As it stands, there is. Our vote tomorrow could set us on a different course for the future if we realize that change is as easy as placing an ‘X’ next to a set of scales. Personally, I cannot look the other way when inequality is brought to my attention. I don’t think it’s right that Klay Thompson was entitled to Bahamian citizenship because his father was a Bahamian, but Lenny Kravitz had to wait to apply because his mother was a Bahamian. These are just two high-profile examples of an issue that affects real people every day.

Still, I sympathize with those who are thinking of voting no. Well, sort of. I sympathize with those who don’t trust our government, which once brought to us an opinion poll disguised as a referendum and then ignored the result. I agree that The PLP should rightfully be blamed for misleading the public. I think it was wrong for the PLP to so heavily favor the ‘yes’ campaign over the no campaign. They should have either sponsored both campaigns or remained neutral by supporting neither. I’m so uncomfortable with how the PLP is using public money to fund a campaign that Bahamians don’t necessarily agree with, that I refuse to change my picture to that filter sponsored by them. I have every intention of campaigning against their duplicitous style of governance, just like many of you. However, even if you have a burning urge like me to punish the PLP at the polls, don’t do so on June 7th. Do it in 2017 when Christie and the PLP will be on the ballot. The men, women and children whose lives could be affected by this referendum are innocent. They don’t deserve to be caught up in the cross-fire of our politics. To the FNMs who feel compelled to dish out Karma to PLP for sabotaging the gender equality effort in 2002, I’d like to remind you that this is not your job. Your job - no, your responsibility - is to demonstrate your difference from the PLP by being the bigger person. Are you really any better than them if you sabotage a referendum introduced by the PLP 14 years later?

And now, to talk about the only part of this debate that I don’t understand... the “gay marriage red herring”. As a self-professed liberal, I’m not as averse to social change as the socially-conservative Bahamian majority is. While I may not be willing to move heaven and Earth to fight for homosexuals to get married, I’m just as unwilling to actively block their attempts. Luckily, I don’t have to do either - same-sex marriage is not a part of this Constitutional referendum. Bahamas, please understand that the word sex is already in the Constitution, and it’s currently undefined. If you are really that afraid of that gay couple in your church having the right to marry the person they love, amendment 4 would define ‘sex’ as “male or female”. Also know that the government could, at any time without your consent, amend the Matrimonial Clauses act to legalize same-sex marriage. That’s not meant to scare you even more, it’s to get you to realize that this referendum is inconsequential to same-sex marriage being legalized. In two words, calm down.

At the root of fears of a pathway to same-sex marriage being opened via the passage of bill #4 is a very real decay of social identity. In my view, we have lost a lot of what has made us a unique nation. This very Constitution that we are thinking of amending is not taught in our schools. We do need better Bahamian education, but we’re not going to fix this by barking at each other. We should not overcompensate for our failures as a nation by blocking all social advancements in an effort to go back in time. I say this mainly to older generations of Bahamians who should know better than anyone that time is a one-way street - you can only go forwards, not backwards. This suggestion may sound harsh, but perhaps it’s time for these Bahamians to accept that the Bahamas they once knew is all but gone. I’d even go a step further and suggest that it can no longer be saved.

But, a new Bahamas can be made in its place. That prospect should excite you, not scare you.

The faster we accept that our greatest challenges are also our biggest opportunities, the faster we can move on to addressing the real issues that our country faces. One by one, we can tackle issues in this country that have gone overlooked because of our own unwillingness to move on. I continue to believe that things can change if we put our brains where our mouths are - right in the thick of contentious debates.

Let’s start tomorrow. Please vote yes on June 7th, and give young Bahamians like me a reason to believe in the future of our country again.